The Orange Spotlight

GPPReader: Selections From The Poets of The Guerilla Poetics Project

"We move silently through the people"

I know that I have shone the spotlight on the GPP on more then a few occasions, but I just finished reading the GPPReader and simply had to focus the light once more. Unfortunately, this collection is sold out, but I wonder if the demand is generated the presses may be fired back up. We can only hope, but I will tell you that this is one of the finest collections that I have ever read. The GPP poets are passionate about many things, and clearly presentation is one them. All black high gloss cover with a dust-jacket title band of deep red printed by letterpress, via magnesium cut, on an antique 1914 Chandler & Price press. This is the shell, the perfectly placed clothing upon a body that is at times deep and delicate, yet at the right moments sharp and biting.

Even though this collection is sold out there are many way to support the GPP. The most exciting way is to become an Operative, and receive 6 copies of each new broadside. Five to be placed discreetly in soon to be purchased books, and one to keep. Join the literary revolution!

Stephane Leonard "Crown Heights/Brooklyn"

There is never a moment in your day that is completely without sound. The low yet comforting hum of the heating vent, the rattling buzz of the monitor, the energetic clicks of the black and white keys on the keyboard, the kids snoring in the other room, the mighty Chicago wind rattling the screen of the second story window, these are the sounds of my office tonight. True, I had to stop the mp3 player and remove the headphone to acknowledge these sounds, but they are the constant layer of sound my nights are built upon. Back in 2005, sound collector and Brooklyn resident Stephane Leonard spent a summer recording the various layers of sound in his Crown Heights apartment. Here is how he describes it:

The basic materials are recordings of non-obvious sounds: "silence," or silent moments and background noise. The human ear, or more correctly, the human brain tends to blend most of these sounds out. Because these sounds constantly entertain the sub consciousness, it becomes difficult and interesting to access and understand them. Sounds like: the bedroom ventilator, the downstairs air conditioner, the crackles and creaking of the old staircase, vague sounds of the neighbors through the walls, the dogs in the backyard and the street sounds of playing children, passing cars, far away horns and airplanes. Moreover I investigated the inside of my drawer, the sound underneath my mattress and behind the heater with my microphone.

He then transferred his recordings into a music software, and the resulting ep is available for free download over at luvsounds.