by Washington Washington
Plan B Press returns to Wolfgang Books for another edition of their group poetry reading series. This time around it will feature 2009 chapbook contest winner Chris Bullard, along with C L Bledsoe, Daniel Collins, Elizabeth Bodien, stevenallenmay and Andrew Bradley.
I recently caught up with stevenallenmay (founder of Plan B Press) via the Facebook chat interface. It went a little something like this…
Plan B Press is back in town for another event. What should we know about this lineup of poets?
- The reading is one to support our 2009 poetry chapbook contest winner, Chris Bullard, whose mss. “You Must Not Know Much” won this year. It’s a very good collection, with a bit of a Walt Whitman theme running through the work the title comes from something that Whitman wrote. C L Bledsoe is a poet, editor of Ghoti magazine, and educator who lives in northern Maryland. He’s read at Wolfgang before. We published his book “(want/need)” in 2008. Daniel Collins is a multitalented person; poet/musician/filmmaker. His music has been taking off, he’s performed up and down the east coast. I think he will only be reading poetry on the 19th but I’m not completely sure of that. Elizabeth Bodien has recently won a literary award from the Lehigh Valley writers organization for her book “Plumb Lines” that we published. And then there is this shadowy figure, stevenallenmay, who will be there to host and read. He has done a few things, here and there. Like created Bardfest and founded the Berks Bards. And co-founded Plan B Press in 1999. You might mention the possibility of Andrew Bradley appearing but I am not certain that he will make it. He’s even more shadowy than the stevenallenmay guy.
Wow. Sounds like a pretty talented group.
- Well, Jason (from Wolfgang) is calling this our “A-team” but really, no one wants to be Mr. T so that analogy isn’t accurate.
Ahh, accuracy is overatted. Anyway, how/why did you come up with the idea to start Plan B Press?
Ahh….that’s a good question. The idea for Plan B Press came from the idea for the 30 day poetry festival that I created called Bardfest as it was originally conceived in 1998. As a month long poetry festival celebrating National Poetry Month with a month of poetry in Berks County, PA beginning April 1, 1999. The idea was that we ought to publish some of the poets who would be reading at the festival. And that idea took the name “Plan B Press” during conversations between the poet Dianne Miller and myself during the autumn of 1998. The Fall of 1998 is when the Press and the festival began to take shape. The first book by Plan B Press was an anthology of poems by people who read during Bardfest99. It was a bit of the punk/DIY aesthetic as well. “Why NOT start a publishing company?” was kind of the thought process.
Yea, exactly. Seems to me like you were filling a cultural void in Berks County.
- Thanks. Part of my point was that ‘culture’ existed everywhere, not just in NY city or LA or SF, but anywhere…..everywhere.
And Phoenixville? Your thoughts on our town and it’s blossoming culture?
- I remember Phoenixville from the early ’70s, drab old steel town. It’s amazing what has happened there since the mid ’90s. Reminds me of South Street in Philly or New Hope.
Well, they call it “The New Manayunk” but I’m not really a fan of the label. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to chat. Any closing thoughts?
- I am glad to be part of the Phoenix rising in Phoenixville, glad to be able to present talented poets at a great bookstore (Wolfgang). Glad to be part of it all!
I’ve meet this guy. He’s a bit of a douche bag.
That’s not true, Joe. He is the real deal. Thanks for the shout out Mr. Washington.