bringing intense human emotion to the eyes of the unexpected

Brian M Morrisey about Brian M Morrisey

True human emotions inspire me to devote words that leave a lasting impression. At the age of fourteen I discovered the power poetry possessed my existence. Since then I have been writing and publishing on a steady basis. One of my ventures is POESY Magazine. A journal dedicated to linking the east and west coast poetry cultures. After I realized I had spent my whole life in New England, I left for Santa Cruz, California in the winter of 1999 after I felt the creative vibrations immersing from the community.

I have admired the efforts Lawrence Ferlinghetti (another east coaster) has put forth and the risk he has taken in name of the word. Other poetic influences include: Jim Carrol, Gerald Stern, John Ashberry, Bukowski, Frank O’Hara, Lou Reed and many of the small press writers I come into contact with each day. I admire A.D. Winans who published Second Coming Magazine and Press for over 17 years and continues a welcoming presence in the small press with his poetry. RD Armstrong continues to be the hardest working Editor in the small press with his Lummox Journal.

POESY

began in 1989 by Brian Morrisey when he was fourteen and interested in developing a collection of poems for his friends in Littleton, New Hampshire. In 1990, Morrisey released POESY Issue #1. After discoverng a publication called Factsheet 5, he noticed there was name for what he was publishing, called “‘zines.” Factsheet 5 was a review for these publications developing the world of what is known today as the small press. After receiving unexpected praise for his first issue from Factsheet 5, the submissions began rolling in. Morrisey began reading a new array of voices and developing a deeper appreciation for poetry. Issue #2 was then released in 1991 with poets from around the nation. Although the words became deeper and more serious, the hand-drawn page layout kept the fun look and feel to the magazine.

Poesy went through many transitions. At Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire, Poesy developed into a radio show which sought local talent and professors to interview and feature poetry. Poesy was relocated to Beverly, Massachusetts after the college years to release issues four and five. Then it was off to the west to a town called Santa Cruz where an overwhelming presence of inspiring artists seemed like a perfect place to base the literary journey. Here it was apparent that there was a lack of communication between east and west coast writers. The poets published in Poesy were foreign to the ears of the locals. Morrisey contacted Doug Holder who had been a big supporter of Poesy in Boston and asked him to be the east coast editor. The new concept for Poesy was born, “From Boston to Santa Cruz, Publishing Poetry Across America.”

Newsprint became the chosen media of Poesy, not only because its low-cost printing expense, but also because its accessibility to the general public. The idea is not to overwhelm your reader with fancy paper and cardstock covers, but we want to remain true to the original intentions of Poesy and bring a lighter notion to the table that promotes interesting and active verse that strays away from the dark and dry stereotypes that exist.To achieve this goal, we have incorporated photography throughout the pages of each issue to draw the eye into the page while discovering the words. The poems and photos compliment one another.

Poesy strives to be the best literary journal on the market while remaining true to publishing poetry and art that pushes the creative aura to its limits. Poetry is a breathtaking, artistic venture into the unknown. It is about finding your voice and letting it be heard.

Poesy

is an anthology for poets across the country. Poesy’s main concentration is Boston, MA, and Santa Cruz, CA, two thriving homesteads for poets and artists. Our goal is to unite the two scenes, updating poets on what’s happening across the country. We publish inspirational poetry, photos, interviews and reviews.

POESY #36 was guest edited by Erika King, a student from Bennington College. Poetry by: mike rollin, tony bernstein, edwin royal emerson, oren wagner, jeanine stevens, guy r. beining, z. cody lee carlsen, erika king, don thompson, jack conway, david spiering, neeli cherkovski, gerald zipper, lorraine toliver, brian morrisey, peter layton photography By: eugenia hepworth petty, michael bernstein, aleathia drehmer, tammy ho, t. kilgore splake

art reviews, book reviews and more…

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Accidental Landscapes art reviews, book reviews and more…

is a collection of oems and photographs poet and publisher of POESY created during the year of 2007 ranging from homages to the poet David Lerner, travels through China, girls at the bar, and road trips with Santa Cruz, CA poets. 18 poems and 14 photographs.

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art reviews, book reviews and more…

This issue features an interviews with the Babarian poets Bruce Isaacson, Julia Vinograd, and Joie Cook.

Bruce founded Zeitgeist Press in San Francisco in order to print poets from the Café Babar series. In Las Vegas, where he lives currently, Isaacson helps edit the Red Rock Review. In 2000, he made the news after Metro cop and Zeitgeist Press author Harry Fagel was ejected from Barnes & Noble for using “the f-word” in a poetry reading and Isaacson returned with eight other civil guerrillas, selected classics from Barnes & Noble shelves (all containing profanity), and began reading aloud to protest the censorship. Bruce Isaacson has an MFA from Brooklyn College and has published 7 books of poems, including his latest, Ghosts Among the Neon.

Julia is a Berkeley Street poet. She has published 51 books of poetry, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 5th Berkeley Poetry Festival in 2004, and she has won the American Book Award of The Before Columbus Foundation. In addition to her numerous publications in magazines, she has also been published in the 9/11 Anthology called An Eye For An Eye Makes The Whole World Blind, The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, and Sacred Voices, Wit And Wisdom Of Women Through The Ages. She received a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA from the University of Iowa.

Poetry this issue by: david lerner, joie cook, laura conway, eli coppola, sparrow 13, david west, david gollub, danielle willis, maura o’connor, bruce isaacson, julia vinograd, whitman mcgowan, chris trian, kathleen wood, q.r. hand, bana witt, alan kaufman

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art reviews, book reviews and more…

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again here: this is the best-produced zine in the small press. It looks gorgeous, gritty, and I always find myself lamenting over every bent corner or wrinkled page. The artwork does just that, works, it actually functions and interacts with the page and the poems, which, by the way, are very good. A veritable who’s-who of the small press, this issue features A.D. Winans, Raindog, Todd Moore, Linda Lerner, S.A. Griffin, and many more. The interviews are also fascinating, with the ever-humble Todd Moore saying about his poem Dillinger : “There is no other American long poem published in the last thirty years that can compare to it.”

Brian Morrisey, editor of Poesy, is a master of offering content-beside-the-content, giving us sixteen pieces of art, two essays, two interviews, and three reviews on top of the already sizable poetic line-up. Well-produced and meaty, like Elvis. Kaveh Akbar, The Quirk

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art reviews, book reviews and more…

ISSUE 33 – September 2006

We decided to break our tradition of staying within our confined borders of publishing American poets and photographers. We have received countless submissions from international poets over the past few years and intead of rejecting them all, I informed them that eventually we would do an international issue. Well here it is…

This issue features an interviews with Poet Laureate of San Francisco, translator of 9 international authors, and author of The Arcanes, Jack Hirschman and Australian poet dominating the small press, Glenn Cooper. Poetry by: jack hirschman, glenn cooper, miles j. bell, dimitris p. kraniotis, henry denander, lisa woolven, christopher barnes, luis benítez, donna bechar, raghab nepal, alessio zanelli, tom berman, oliver benjamin, helen bar-lev, priyaranjan parhi, adam kane, mai van phan, muesser yeniay, christopher kelen, mark farrell.

Photography this issue by: dionisios fournogerakis, christopher robin, henry denander, dee rimbaud

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art reviews, book reviews and more…

Issue 25 – June 2004

Interview with Diane di Prima and Joanne Nealon

Diane di Prima was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1934, a second generation American of Italien descent. She lived and wrote in Manhattan for many years, where she became known as an important writer of the Beat movement. She co-founded the New York Poets Theatre, and founded the Poets Press. Together with Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones) she edited the literary newsletter, The Floating Bear (1961-1969). She is the author of 35 books of poetry and prose. Her autobiographical memoir, Recollections of My Life as a Woman, was published by Viking in April 2001. Her work has been translated into at least twenty languages. In 1993, she received an Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry from the National Poetry Association. In May/June 1994, she was Master Artist-in-Residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. In 1999, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from St. Lawrence University. In Spring, 2000, she was Master Poet-in-Residence at Columbia College, Chicago. She lives and writes in San Francisco, where she teaches private classes and workshops and does individual consultation and editorial sessions.

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art reviews, book reviews and more…

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