Vermin on the Mount

THE PRESENT IS OUT OF STYLE

The piece that Theresa Duncan read at Vermin on the Mount late last year was published in Bald Ego #3. A sample:

We stand now not on any stable present, but straddle the past and future as the crack between the two open, accelerates, and widens like a funhouse attraction where patrons must leap to one side Now! before the chasm sends them hurtling down a long corkscrew slide and ejects them through a painted clown's mouth. Past or future, take your choice, but do it fast. It's the last month of the last year of the first decade of the Twentieth Century. Bing-Bong! The present is out of style.

I purchased a copy last week and ascertained that her work is indeed in there, appropriately accompanied by art by Jeremy Blake.

VERMIN MOURNS

Theresa Duncan passed away last week. Our condolescences go out to her family, friends and loved ones, and especially to Jeremy Blake. The sketch was made during Theresa's reading at The Mountain last year.   

VERMIN #17

Last weekend the Vermin faithful gathered for a very special Father's Day Vermin on the Mount. Did I say Father's Day? I meant...

How special was it? Standing room-only special...

So special in fact that several members of the Legion of Vermin were in the house. Here's Stephan Clark and David Fromm discussing the disputed deadness of Tony Soprano.

Fiction writer and high school teacher Myriam Gurba kicked things off with a reading from her fantastic new collection and novella Dahlia Season from Future Tense/Manic D.

Michele Matheson followed up with an excerpt from her outstanding novel Saving Angelfish from Tin House Books. Michele gets the Vermin Medal of Courage for reading in front of her parents. Here she is, sans patriarch and matriarch, basking in the green glow of the mothership that landed in Gin Ling Way at 8:46 Sunday evening.

No, aliens didn't take Michele away; they dropped off a surprise guest...

San Francisco writer Steven Elliot dropped by to deliver a short but stunning piece about not-so-dear-old dad.

Which brings us to the woman of the hour, Pia Ehrhardt, whose debut short story collection, Famous Fathers, we celebrated with cake and booze and cheer. Here she is reading from the title story.

Hobart editor Aaron Burch (not this Aaron Burch) urges you to check back soon for details about the next Vermin on the Mount. Happy Trails!

NOLA DISPATCH

Please read Ben Ehreneich’s dispatches from San Antonio and New Orleans.

VERMIN IN THE APPLE

As you know, the next Vermin on the Mount event is being sponsored by Opium Magazine. This weekend your not-so-humble host is traveling to Manhattan to help celebrate the release of this online mainstay’s first print issue. Art will be auctioned, toasters given away, and words humorfied by 23 – can this be right? – readers. I will bring back a full report next week. In the meantime, here’s a lovely poster designed by Steven Seighman:

THERE SHE GOES AGAIN

Our very own Saucy Canadienne, Melissa Bell, is at it again with a contribution to The Science Creative Quarterly, which should not be confused with the Creation Research Society Quarterly Journal. The former is very funny; I don’t know what to say about the latter. I’m sending out an SOS to Josh Bearman. Or maybe I should ask Tod Goldberg. I’m pretty sure I know what he’d say.

LEGION OF VERMIN

It’s been a somnolent summer for some, but not for the Legion of Vermin:

Lisa Glatt will read from her new collection of short stories on Thursday July 28 at the Long Beach Museum of Art and on Friday July 29 at Beyond Baroque in Venice Beach. Hit the link for details.

Ben Ehrenreich’s review of Salvador Plascencia’s novel People of Paper appears in the LA Weekly. Plascencia will be reading at 826LA on Friday July 22 but you have to RSVP to (310) 305-8418 or rsvp @ 826 dot com. Also reading is Verminoid Josh Bearman.

Alex Lemon, head poetry tech at Konundrum Engine Literary Review, thanks you for your concern about his recent one-way trip down a flight of stairs.

Todd Taylor, the hardest-working man in punk rock, took some time out of his schedule to eat chicken and donuts with me on a tour of Manchester Avenue. My essay about the odyssey will appear in the soon-to-be-released Hobart Travel Issue, but you can check out Todd’s pics now.

GETTING FREAKY WITH THE TIKI

Ed Reynolds, the illustrator extraordinaire who drew this, has some awesome artwork in the new Tales of Tiki Terror. He’s at the Comic Con in San Diego so check out his blog for updates.