LOS PÁJAROS DE TENACATITA—POEMS OF LA MANZANILLA DEL MAR BY GEORGE BOWERING

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As some of you know, I occasionally make chapbooks and other books through my imprint, NIB Publishing, aka "Nose-in-Book". Last month I published a collection of 22 poems by George Bowering that he wrote while he and his wife, Jean, were visiting La Manzanilla, Mexico in January.

In Los Pájaros de Tenacatita George looks at life in general and Mexican life in particular—its birds, its kids, its visiting gringos—with depth, compassion and humour. 

While working on the cover for the chapbook I went through dozens and dozens of pictures I'd taken of birds, but none of them was quite what I wanted. Then one day, when I was looking for something else entirely, I came across an envelope that had belonged to my aunt who died last year at 102. She  probably got the little card with its bird painted on an actual leaf while on one of her many trips, although I'm not sure which one. 

The chapbook is dedicated to Lidia and Pedro, both of La Manz, and to Pablo Medina, who came up with the form used in the poems.

Lidia can be found at all hours of the day and night behind the counter or stocking shelves at Lidia's Abarrotes, doing whatever has to be done to maintain her "Alice's Restaurant" establishment where you can indeed get just about anything you want.

Pedro works out of his taco truck, from which he sells the "best fish tacos in the universe".  We got him to cater a dinner party for us which he did with aplomb, and when I was sick with a nasty cold/cough he sent Ted home with various concoctions for me.

Each of the poems is written as a fulcrum which consists of six lines divided into couplets. Cuban poet, Pablo Medina, describes how he came up with the form here. 

One of the black and yellow critters immortalized in the poem He Sets His Watch

For only $10 this little chapbook can be yours. Email me. And here's to you, George. Thanks for letting me make  you a book!

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