The Matter Bookstore Blog

Brand New Paperbacks

2011-06-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

Check out some of the new paperbacks to hit the shelves at Matter. From Aimee Bender's novel of love, sorrow and food to the new collection of themed short stories by the talented T.C. Boyle, we are bound to have the perfect fictional escape to accompany you on that summer vacation or picnic. And if escaping isn't your thing, we have plenty of non-fiction, how-tos, and essay collections to educate and inform you all summer long. Don't forget Father's Day is right around the corner! A gift certificate to Matter Bookstore is pretty much the perfect gift.

Year of the Poet Book Club

2011-06-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

(From Publisher) Frank O’Hara was one of the great poets of the twentieth century and, along with such widely acclaimed writers as Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg, Robert Creeley, and Gary Snyder, a crucial contributor to what Donald Allen termed the New American Poetry, “which, by its vitality alone, became the dominant force in the American poetic tradition.”

This collection is a reissue of a volume first published by Grove Press in 1957, and it demonstrates beautifully the flawless rhythm underlying O’Hara’s conviction that to write poetry, indeed to live, “you just go on your nerve.”

Bookclub Discussion: Monday, June 27th, 7:30pm at the Matter Bookstore Loft.

The Year of the Poet Book Club is free and open to the public. You can join by simply showing up to our discussion. Hope to see you there!

2nd Annual PITCH-A-THON!

2011-04-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Don't miss out on this chance to be a part of the local media landscape. Bring a story pitch that you would like to have us explore in our quarterly publication Matterhorn. Other than that, all you need is a few bucks for beer (or to donate to the cause) and we'll take care of the rest.

We are always looking for more writers and reporters. This fundraiser is a great opportunity to introduce yourself to Matter's editorial team and share your ideas. Even if you're not a writer, we would still love to talk with you and get your thoughts on our newspaper. So please come! No excuses!

New and Noteworthy at Matter

2011-04-18T14:46:00.001-07:00

A History of the Human Family

2011-03-22T13:41:00.001-07:00

We just got the chapbooks in for April's Year of the Poet book club! We will be reading and discussing A History of the Human Family by Sasha Steensen. This lovely hand bound book of poems is part of a larger project that considers, among other things, the author's experience as a back-to-the-lander child. Sasha Steensen is a creative writing professor at CSU and the author of The Method, A Magic Book, The Future of an Illusion and correspondence. Her poetry, essays and reviews have appeared in numerous journals including the Denver Quarterly, Free Verse and Boston Review. She is also co-editor of Bonfire Press and one of the poetry editors for Colorado Review.

Year of the Poet Book Club

Book: A History of the Human Family by Sasha Steensen ($8 at Matter Bookstore)

Date: Monday, April 25th, 7:30pm

Location: Matter Bookstore Loft

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat

2011-03-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

A book review by Anna Fagre

Hal Herzog's Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat provides an entertaining and thought-provoking critique of the moral inconsistencies governing the human-animal relationship. Drawing on years of research and sociological observations, the author's compilation attempts to explain the paradoxical nature of our feelings towards animals. The investigation surpasses the typical "psychology of meat consumption" and examines, among other factors, the importance of a creature’s eye size in determining its moral standing. Another section questions the ethics of pet ownership and how the United States spends billions of dollars on pet insurance while in other countries dogs are considered a pest that should be exterminated. Other topics include the difference that gender makes in the human-animal relationship, whether or not the discoveries made by mouse research are justified, and how the Nazis held dogs in higher esteem than many ethnic groups.

One particularly perplexing chapter is devoted to Herzog's dissertation topic: the psychology behind cockfights. After spending time on the underground "circuit", he shares with readers the handlers' justification of the sport and how many of them gushed about the love they have for their birds. He then raises a novel and unusual question in the arena of human-animal dynamics that I am still unable to answer: would you rather live the life of a gamecock or a broiler chicken?

2011-02-23T16:49:00.000-08:00

Join us for the 3rd annual Food Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, March 2nd from 6:30-8:30pm. The State of the Local Food System discussion will feature a panel of community members active in local food: representatives from Native Hill Farm, CSU, the Growing Project and Real Food Colorado. The panel will discuss the local food community, farm to school, small scale farming, and community gardening projects. Please come ready to share and discuss local food issues.

Year of the Poet Bookclub- Amiri Baraka

2011-02-16T13:44:00.000-08:00

This year we are dedicating our bookclub to poets. Our first choice is Amiri Baraka, a highly controversial writer and activist whose poem Somebody Blew Up America prompted the state of New Jersey to abolish their entire poet laureate position. Copies of his book Transbluesency are available at Matter Bookstore. Please call the store at 970.472.4284 to reserve a copy. You can also read some of his poetry online at http://www.amiribaraka.com/writings.html.

The bookclub meeting is on Monday, February 28th at 7:30pm in the Matter Bookstore loft. It's open to the public. We encourage you to the read the book but it's not necessary.

Here is an excerpt from Transbluesency:

Political Poem

BY AMIRI BARAKA
(for Basil)

Luxury, then, is a way of
being ignorant, comfortably
An approach to the open market
of least information. Where theories
can thrive, under heavy tarpaulins
without being cracked by ideas.

(I have not seen the earth for years
and think now possibly “dirt” is
negative, positive, but clearly
social. I cannot plant a seed, cannot
recognize the root with clearer dent
than indifference. Though I eat
and shit as a natural man ( Getting up
from the desk to secure a turkey sandwich
and answer the phone: the poem undone
undone by my station, by my station,
and the bad words of Newark.) Raised up
to the breech, we seek to fill for this
crumbling century. The darkness of love,
in whose sweating memory all error is forced.

Undone by the logic of any specific death. (Old gentlemen
who still follow fires, tho are quieter
and less punctual. It is a polite truth
we are left with. Who are you? What are you
saying? Something to be dealt with, as easily.
The noxious game of reason, saying, “No, No,
you cannot feel,” like my dead lecturer
lamenting thru gipsies his fast suicide.

More info on Matter Bookstore's Year of the Poet at
http://www.wolverinefarmpublishing.org/matter-bookstore/book-club.html.

New to Matter

2011-01-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

Bird Cloud by Annie Proulx

I've been eyeing this book ever since it came into the bookstore. Although I am not (yet) a huge fan of her fiction, I am a sucker for memoirs and this promises to be a good one. [New Hardcover $26.00]

Publisher Comments:

Bird Cloud is the name Annie Proulx gave to 640 acres of Wyoming wetlands and prairie and four-hundred-foot cliffs plunging down to the North Platte River. On the day she first visited, a cloud in the shape of a bird hung in the evening sky. Proulx also saw pelicans, bald eagles, golden eagles, great blue herons, ravens, scores of bluebirds, harriers, kestrels, elk, deer and a dozen antelope. She fell in love with the land, then owned by the Nature Conservancy, and she knew what she wanted to build on it — a house in harmony with her work, her appetites, and her character, a library surrounded by bedrooms and a kitchen.

Bird Cloud is the story of designing and constructing that house — with its solar panels, Japanese soak tub, concrete floor and elk horn handles on kitchen cabinets. It is also an enthralling natural history and archaeology of the region — inhabited for millennia by Ute, Arapaho and Shoshone Indians — and a family history, going back to nineteenth-century Mississippi riverboat captains and Canadian settlers.

Proulx, a writer with extraordinary powers of observation and compassion, here turns her lens on herself. We understand how she came to be living in a house surrounded by wilderness, with shelves for thousands of books and long worktables on which to heap manuscripts, research materials and maps, and how she came to be one of the great American writers of her time. Bird Cloud is magnificent.

Live Music January 14th

2011-01-06T07:31:00.001-08:00

One-Day Sale at Matter Bookstore!

2010-11-22T10:08:00.001-08:00

Fill a bag with books for $5.00 and take 10% off everything else in the store. Some restrictions apply. Stop by between 8am-10pm to take advantage of this perfect gift buying opportunity.

Matter Bookstore Gift Guide: For the DIYer

2010-11-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

All of our Gift Guide books can be found at Matter Bookstore/ The Bean Cycle Coffee Shop.

The Self-Sufficient Life by John Seymour

Make Your Place: Affordable, Sustainable Nesting Skills

by Raleigh Briggs

Made From Scratch by Jenna Woginrich

Possum Living by Dolly Freed

The Urban Homestead by Kelly Coyne & Erik Knutzen

Matter Bookstore Gift Guide: For the Poet

2010-11-16T16:58:00.000-08:00

Owls & Other Fantasies by Mary Oliver

In Search of Small Gods by Jim Harrison

The Essential Rumi by Rumi

Ariel by Sylvia Plath

The Pleasures the Damned by Charles Bukowski

Cupcake Cook-off!

2010-10-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

WHAT: HammerTime!'s Cupcake Cook-off!

WHEN: Saturday, November 6th, 7-9pm

WHERE: The Bean Cycle/ Matter Bookstore

WHO: Participating businesses include Café Ardor, Tasty Harmony, Butter Cream Cupcakery, Mama Said Sew, Starry Night, Hide Away Bakery, The Bike Co-op, Center for Justice, Peace, and Environment, Campus Feminist Alliance, Environmental Action Collective, and the Coalition for Animal Advocacy.

HOW: Local businesses and the general public can enter the contest via hammertimeprojects@gmail.com. If you want to taste all the cupcakes and vote on the best, just show up and pay the sliding scale fee of $3-10.

WHY: Help HammerTime! raise funds to keep their projects going. Read more about what they're doing at Matter Daily or visit their website.

What's New at Matter Bookstore

2010-10-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here at Matter Bookstore, we love, love, love literary journals. And not just our own! We have a soft spot for (almost) all anthologies, short story collections, and collaborations. This month we have a few new gems we'd like to share with you and a couple of older ones that are on super sale!

These two little hardbacks are from The Alphabet City Series, which is co-published with the MIT Press. According to their website, Alphabet City "challenges us to rethink ideas central to our lives." Both Foodand Fuel are available for $15.95.

Another store favorite is Dave Eggers' The Best American Nonrequired Reading. This year's edition comes with introduction by the hilarious David Sedaris and fiction and nonfiction by Sherman Alexie, Lili Carre, Stephen Colbert, George Saunders, Kurt Vonnegut, and many more. And don't forget to peek at the front section where you can find "the year's best short things" like Best American Tweets and Best American Farm Names.

If you are a fairy tale lover, this next anthology is for you! My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me is a collection of forty new fairy tales by authors such as Aimee Bender, Neil Gaiman, Kelly Link, John Updike, and Joyce Carol Oates.

Each new fairytale is inspired by an old one-- The Little Mermaid, Rumpelstiltskin, and Snow White, to name a few. These stories are strange, magical, beautiful, scary, and well worth reading late into the night.

And finally, a few titles from Rocky Mountain Land Library are a massively massive 50% off and they contain some of the best writing by the best authors we have in Rocky Mountain West. For a limited time, you can buy Pulse of the River, Home Land: Ranching and a West that Works, and The Landscape of Home for $8.50 each at the bookstore. Time for some Christmas shopping!

The Eleventh Annual Sustainable Living Fair

2010-09-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

is this weekend! Find us in Todd's yurt at Legacy Park where our volunteers will be peddling books by the keynote speakers, mystery used book grab bags, and some wonderful new Chelsea Green titles. The fair is 10-6 on Saturday and 10-5 on Sunday. And, remember, there is no parking so bike, walk, or take a shuttle bus.

Living Downstream

2010-08-31T13:52:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon to Matter Bookstore!

Free screening and discussion on September 12th at 6pm.

BIKESTRAVAGANZA!

2010-08-23T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Off the Chainring Tour will be rolling into The Bean Cycle/ Matter Bookstore this Friday at 7pm. There will be movies, zines, and lots andlots of talk about the bike activism and alternative transportation. Don't miss it! More info at http://bikestravaganza.wordpress.com.

Matter Daily Pitch-A-Thon

2010-08-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

Join staff and volunteers of MatterDaily.org for our first Pitch-a-Thon—where we listen to the community tell us what content they would like to see on MatterDaily.org. Admission to the fundraiser is a story idea—an investigative news story, a community profile, a photo essay, or whatever you feel has been missing from local media coverage. As you enjoy finely crafted Odell’s beer, we’ll go into more depth about our hopes and dreams for MatterDaily.org, the state of local media, and then toward the end of the evening we’ll let the community vote on the top 3 stories or ideas that we’ll focus on for the next few months.

What: MatterDaily.org’s Pitch-a-Thon When: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 8-10pm Where: Odell Brewing Company Admission: An idea for a news story.
Wondering why the trees at the Lincoln Center had to go for the new expansion/remodel? Wondering why North Fort Collins is undergoing such rapid change? Care to know how the Poudre will be saved? Come pitch us an idea, and help us fill the gaps in local media coverage.

Proceeds from the sale of Odell’s beer will be used to partially fund the stories that are selected.

Journalists, writers, photographers and artists are encouraged to come to the event to learn how to become involved with MatterDaily.org.

MatterDaily.org is published by Wolverine Farm Publishing, makers of Matter Journal and proprietors of the Matter Bookstore in downtown Fort Collins. Wolverine Farm Publishing is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that exists to invite the world back to its senses. We publish books and a community website, organize events, and host literacy programs and workshops.

More information: Please contact Todd Simmons at wolverinefarm@yahoo.com or call 970.472.4284.

Pretty pretty books...

2010-07-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

and zines. Here's another peek at what's new at Matter Bookstore. We don't order a whole lot so if you've got your eye on something, you'd better buy it fast! Thanks for continuing to support your local volunteer-run, nonprofit bookstore. We love you.

*I'm reading this now, and it's fantastic.

Revolutions on Pedals and Tractors @ Matter

2010-06-30T13:08:00.000-07:00

Be sure to stop in and check out some great new books this summer at Matter Bookstore!

Jeff Mapes’ Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists are Changing American Cities is part manifesto, part practical how-to guide. It traces the history of cycling in the US as a political movement aimed at remaking our cities, suburbs, and small towns as well as ourselves, and sees what we can learn from places as diverse as Amsterdam, Davis, Portland, and New York. It includes a plan for moving forward, including bringing kids along for the ride.

Temra Costa’s new anthology, Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat, argues not only that we need to change what we eat, but also that women should play a greater role in its production. It profiles twenty-six women in the sustainable food industry working to produce locally-grown, organic food in a sustainable, environmentally and socially responsible way.

Ed Abbey has taken over Matter Bookstore!

2010-06-26T08:29:00.001-07:00

Not only do we have the fantastic, newly published journal from Wolverine Farm Publishing...

but we also have this amazing poster (printed on 100% recycled paper) with the famous Abbey quote "Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul."

Stop by the bookstore to pick up either (or both). You can also purchase both of these items on our website. Happy reading!

The Wolverine Farm Homestead via Bike Cart

2010-06-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Check out Todd Simmons delivering our homestead to the New Belgium's Tour de Fat team! First stop: Chicago, 6/26. Find the rest of the dates here and mark your calendar for this summer's bike parade fun.

Urban Gardening Festival

2010-06-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who came out to the Urban Gardening Festival at the Gardens on Spring Creek this weekend! We had the yurt set up, which provided some much needed shade on two very hot, very sunny days. If you missed it, you can still stop by the bookstore and check out some our new gardening and sustainable living books. Hope to see you soon!

Mountain Gazette's Editor Comes to Fort Collins

2010-06-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

Join Matter Bookstore as we welcome and celebrate a great new book: Bottom's Up: M. John Fayhee's Greatest Hits From the Mountain Gazette. Fayhee will read from the book and sign copies on Thursday, June 10th at 7:30pm at New Belgium Brewing. Free to the first 100 people.

Fort Collins of the Future?

2010-05-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Okay, that may be a stretch but we can hope, right? This is a video of a busy bicycle intersection in the Netherlands. One third of all the traffic in this city is from bicycle.

Welcome to the World!

2010-05-11T16:02:00.000-07:00

Boneshaker BA 42-500 is our largest issue yet—weighing in at over 150 pages—which is both unexpected and yet totally awesome. In it you will find and enjoy a brilliant ride journal from a trip across British Columbia, an intelligent musing on vintage cycling posters, considerations of the state of cycling in Cleveland and Pittsburgh (riding in the Rust Belt!), an article about the retro-direct gearing system, a review of BikeSnobNYC’s new book, pieces on bike lights, guilt, Breaking Away, bamboo bicycles, Russia, reformations, “the bicycle face,” and best of all—a lengthy and engaging profile about two bike-powered farms in the West. Far and away the most fascinating and varied issue of the almanac to date, 42-500 is both visually rich and literarily marvelous—a collection from artists and writers across the land that further lights the way of the weary.

Tour de Coop Recap

2010-05-07T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday's Tour de Coop sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living turned out to be a great event. Forty people showed up to check out local chicken coops, some even sported chicken attire and hats. Many people on the bike ride were interested in having chickens, others were just along for a good time. At each of the five stops the residents shared their methods and answered questions. The day ended in Laporte at the Old Feed Store where we were served fresh foods and two different kinds of egg quiches, made of course with eggs from the owners' chickens. I'm not quite ready to start my own coop, but if I did not participate in this event, I would never have learned all of the great benefits to raising your own chickens. These benefits not only serve the individual, but the community, something we should all care more about!

-Julie Collins, Matter Bookstore Volunteer

Read more about this year's Tour de Coop at MatterDaily.org.

Small Measure

2010-05-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

Man, I love finding a good blog. It's like reading a free, brand-new, glossy magazine... but better. You get to follow links and read comments and share what you find on your own site or facebook page. And a big bonus- no guilt about trees being cut down to feed your consumerism!

So here's what I found today- Small Measure from author, crafter and do-it-yourselfer Ashley English. Her fantastic photos and writing on topics ranging from bike schools and beekeeping to preserving and composting make this a definite bookmark-worthy blog. We have her two Homemade Living titles at Matter right now, and I love, love, love the design of these books. Stop by soon and check them out!

Photos from Small Measure

Possum Living

2010-04-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

First published in the 1970's, Dolly Freed's Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and (Almost) no Money has made a resurgence in book world. With the current economic state and the rise of the do-it-yourself movement, Freed's examples of living with less and doing without are still just as relevant as ever. You can find this book (unless it's sold out) and other titles about self-sufficiency at Matter Bookstore.

From the Volunteer Log

2010-04-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

April 1, 2010 First shift, learned how to use the credit card machine, ha! Sold some books. A guy came in making all these April Fool's jokes, they were ok. Organized Travel Writing and Philosophy, a good combo. -D.S.

April 3rd, 2010 Noticing what's new since I was last in, a ton of new books mostly. Somewhat preoccupied with the Rawhide ride this Wednesday, as I'm not in the Bicycle Army condition. We have a ton of fiction, and as I begin shelving I start wondering about the back room and how we might make an attractive nook for scoping out the indie-indie-fiction collection, sipping on tiny cups of coffee paired with chocolate & cheese, etc. I am impressed with how the fiction section overfloweth. I contemplate adding some literature classes over the next few years. Do we have a section for new fiction arrivals? I was trying to recycle from the office bin but couldn't find the combo- just bagged and put out. Slow evening cash register-wise but managed to stay busy. -D.H.

April 7th, 2010 Organize. Alphabetize. On the shelf. Off the shelf. Stacks and stacks and stacks and different stacks and more stacks. And oddly enough, no customers all morning. Tons of cute toddlers with parents in tow. It's my first daytime shift... Definitely a different vibe. Been finding the coolest books all morning! Now off to enjoy this warm weather...

ps- did my first staff pick, for Off the Map. This zine-turned book totally changed my (14 yr old) life. :) Glad we have it. It sent my life in a completely different direction... thankfully (?)

-J.S.

April 7th, 2010 This was my first shift here. I organized and alphabetized books. I moved some books around. I sold me some books. And some shirts. I sold me some books and some shirts. But apparently that comes with the territory here, they tell me. Till next Wednesday, log book. -R.

P.S. I sold me a magazine. Yes I did.

April 8th, 2010 This was my first time working since last summer! I'm glad it wasn't busy because I needed some time to re-familiarize myself with the store. Pretty simple, though. I sold one book (wait! Just sold three more!), checked out some newer books, read old GER's and checked a few sections for books older than 3 years. It was great- great to be back! -M.

Matter 13: EDWARD ABBEY

2010-04-08T13:23:00.000-07:00

The thirteenth issue of Matter Journal, celebrating and exploring the life, work, and legacy of author Edward Abbey (1927-1989) and that sacred, dangerous, crazy canyon-carved region of the West many call “Abbey's Country,” is due out June 2010.

Here are just a few of the many terrific pieces you can look forward to: Interviews featuring Charles Bowden, Doug Peacock, and Katie Lee; new fiction by Maximilian Werner, Michael Lewis, and Ned Mudd; nonfiction by Steven Schwartz, Ana Maria Spagna, and Laura Paskus; and poetry by Noah Eli Gordon, Dennis Fritzinger, Faith Walker, Andrew Schelling, Drum Hadley, Jane Miller, and Antler, among many talented others. We're including a novella, written by Dylan Quint and illustrated by Lauren Howell, and, for the first time in Matter's history, we're going full-color throughout in order to do justice to the photographs of Ed Abbey by John Blaustein and Lyman Hafen/Milo McCowan—and to the stunning canyon country of the Colorado Plateau by many local photographers as well.

The editorial collective at Matter Journal is pleased to offer this, our “Ed Abbey” issue, to those who adore Cactus Ed, to those who take issue with this controversial novelist and essayist, to those who may not have read an Abbey book in a few years, and to those who may be just now discovering this eloquent, passionate author and feisty defender of the wild American West. We hope that the collected voices in this issue provoke, inspire, agitate, infuriate, redirect, and get more folks out on the river, back in the woods, up in the mountains to fall in love all over again with the wilderness. So that we understand what we're losing before it's too late. Now, more than ever, we need Edward Abbey.

And don't forget to check our website in late May and June to find out when and where the Matter Release Party will be this summer.

Five Reasons to Visit Matter Bookstore

2010-03-27T14:34:00.001-07:00

The weather is (supposedly) getting warmer and that means you may be thinking of outdoor adventures, gardening or even spring cleaning. But before you do anything, you should probably stop by and browse our new books for inspiration. See you soon!

LITTERULL Zine

2010-03-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

What: A journal dedicated to featuring young and old artists in depth rather than breadth.
Who: Grant Souders and Eric Woolsey
When: Sometime in April
Cost: Free, but donations are accepted.

BLOG: litterullzine.blogspot.com

What book do you most want to read again for the first time?

2010-03-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

Here's how our volunteers answered this question:

One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix

1984 by George Orwell

Post Office by Charles Bukowski

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Skinny Leggs and All by Tom Robbins

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving

Life of Pi by Yann Martell

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Naked Lunch by Burroughs

Our Bookclub is Going Green in March

2010-03-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Poster by Jordan Twiggs

Book: Going Green edited by Laura Pritchett

Bookclub Discussion: March 24th, 7pm, Matter Bookstore loft

Matter Has a New Batch of Buttons for YOU!

2010-02-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

Posted by Jordan Twiggs

Come in and check out our new selection of buttons. Hot off the press. Get 'em while they're still around!! Only a buck!

Bike Co-Op's First Art Show!!!

2010-02-17T14:24:00.001-08:00

Tricycle Zine Cart

2010-02-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

Whoa! Check out this tricycle zine display cart from the folks at Microcosm Publishing. Wolverine Farm sure could use something like this! We do have a nifty gypsy bike cart that made the rounds on New Belgium's Tour de Fat, but this seems a little easier to ride.

BikeHacks.com posted a piece about this bike last month. You can find it here.

New Used Books!

2010-02-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

One of our wonderful volunteers has been doing some spring cleaning lately and Matter Bookstore is reaping the benefits! She has generously donated over 100 books- all great titles and in excellent condition. You should probably plan a trip down here to peruse our shelves and display racks (before it's too late and I buy them all up!).

Here's a little sample of this awesome donation:

Basic Writings of Existentialism
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Swan's Way by Marcel Proust
Sodom and Gomorrah by Marcel Proust
Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Nietzsche
The Odyssey of Homer
The Double and The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
Siddartha by Hermann Hesse
Invitation to a Beheading by Nabokov
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
Paradise Lost by John Milton
The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories by Franz Kafka
The Sirens fo Titans by Kurt Vonnegut
Illuminations by Walter Benjamin
The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov by Nabokov
Laws for Creations by Walt Whitman
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
The Myth of Sisyphus: And Other Essays by Albert Camus
Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

So. What are you reading?

2010-01-28T18:46:00.000-08:00

A list of what our volunteers are reading this week (and if they love it or hate it).

Snuff by Chuck Palahnuik- Hate it. But the part about the numbers was cool.

McSweeney's 32- Love it. The enduring nature of the bromadic is written like nothing I've read before.

Superfreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt-Love it. You just have to read it.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. by Chelsea Handler- Love it . Completely hilarious and inappropriate.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy- The guy just has a talent at making the extraordinary seem like every day reality. Read it in a day.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver- Love it? Still early to tell, interesting story.

A Lover's Discourse by Roland Barthes- Love it. Makes you completely rethink the language of love and dread hearing those fatal 3 words "I love you".

Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor- Love it! I love food science books, great read for anyone who loves cooking.

Return From the Stars by S. Lem- Fantastically visual, difficult for my television stretched mind, but also intensely relatable as a story about desperate alienation and meaninglessness along with the corrosive nature of the social conditon. Very good.

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin- Love it. For the line "The king was pregnant" and also because Le Guin's science fiction is always excellent for actually challenging status quo.

Finding Beauty in a Broken World by Terry Tempest Williams- Love it. Did you know people are studying prairie dog language? Need I say more?

Moon Palace by Paul Auster- Very Good. Post-modern writing about a man living his own tumultuous story that is framed with tons of other good stories.

How the Hula Girl Sings by Jo Meno- Hate it! Started reading it because I love his other books but this one isn't that great. Feels like it's at a 2nd grade reading level.

102 Ways to Make Money Writing 1500 Words or Less by I.J. Schecter- Love it. Very practical info on the topic. I feel encouraged to give it a go.

A Great and Terrible Beauty- A New York Times best seller which moves a little slow, but its so charming that I actually like it.

Excerpts from the Volunteer Handbook

2010-01-16T18:47:00.000-08:00

During each shift our volunteers write a little about their day or thoughts in the Volunteer Handbook. Here's what four different volunteers had to say this month. If this doesn't make you want to volunteer at Matter, I don't know what will! Check out our website for information (and a pretty awesome slideshow) on volunteering.

1/3/10
Just talked to a visitor- asked her ethnicity because she was so stunningly beautiful- she was born in Egypt and one of her grandmothers was Spanish. But she has lived in the states since she was 11 so she had no accent. I'm so glad they changed the paintings- I despised and loathed the last ones. Slow, slow afternoon.

1/13/10
Absolutely new here- first shift. Started out feeling a little nervous, but it feels so warm and friendly, and so not system-oriented, I feel really relaxed. What a great place... Wow, my first sale-!! Even tho it was pre-ordered... still a thrill. I really like it here. Thanks!

1/14/10
Looked up "misanthrope" and "anthropocentric" and I think I'm both. Damn agricultural society. There was a woman making business calls in the corner behind the stairs, sounded like she was consulting with someone about their schooling options. That's nifty that she can do that work here, but I wonder how enjoyable the job is. It would be nice to help people get into higher education, see them plan out a life they hope will do them well. Wish I could do that for my homie Zach who is too dislexic to read but loves his daughter more than anything. The dish washer sprayed me.

1/14/10 .
Super long shift today: 4-10!!!
Just found out from a guy who boulders on a building @ csu campus (shhh...It's not really that legal) about a tree you can climb up eighty feet to a platform some kids built and hang out and see really far and relax and stuff. It's on the NE corner of Garfield and Matthews. Just finished "The Lovely Bones" last night. I guess it was o.k... It gives me some hope. Apparently after I die I can hangout and spy on my friends and family and then *SPOILER* take over some living dudes body and shag the girl I had a crush on when I was alive... so that's kinda cool.

COLLAPSE trailer

2010-01-13T14:54:00.000-08:00

Showing at the Bean Cycle/ Matter Bookstore January 21st and 23rd at 7pm.

Boneshaker 42-400

2009-12-04T15:38:00.000-08:00

Just Released- Boneshaker 42-400!

Continuing Boneshaker's literary and utilitarian tradition, the editors are proud to present BA 42-400, the fourth installment of our bicycling almanac. In this issue you will be stunned by a sparkling new translation of Charles-Albert Cingria's beautiful 1938 essay "In Praise of Cycling," as well as extremely useful advice for commuters by the co-founder of the St. Louis Regional Bicycle Federation. Bursting with some stellar new poems (including two by one of the Best New Poets 2008), an interview with the author of Pedaling Revolution, Jeff Mapes, and of course a full moon ride schedule, lists, reviews (including David Byrne's Bicycle Diaries), a commuter diary from the least bicycle friendly state, and even love letters from the saddle, BA 42-400 fulfills our promise to encourage the silent soldiers of the bicycle army.

Available for Six Dollars at Matter Bookstore and on our website.

The Complex of All of These

2009-11-18T14:50:00.000-08:00

Check out this amazing stop-action video from the Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY.

Gift Books 2009, Part 1

2009-11-10T14:37:00.000-08:00

Gift Books 2009, Part 1

The Bicycle Army Update from Wolverine Farm Publishing

2009-11-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

The Bicycle Army Update from Wolverine Farm Publishing

Rare, Beautiful, and Strange

2009-10-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

(posted by Paul Binkley)

Aside from Matter's cozy nook in the back of the Bean Cycle, we also sell some of the rare, valuable books we get in donations on a site called Abe Books. Being one of our main Abe posters since last July, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about some of the more interesting books that we have online.

Slaves of Sleep and Science Fiction Short Stories, Volume 1 both by L. Ron Hubbard

I'm no Scientologist (and not even a Hubbard fan, really) but these are two of the most beautiful books we've ever had. Both books are in near flawless shape, bound in teal imitation leather, with the edges of every page, as well as all inscriptions and illustrations on the covers, gilt in gold. Neither of these books being Scientology's pivotal book Dianetics we haven't really had Hubbard faithfuls rushing to get these two, but the books being as nice as they are and being a general science fiction fan myself, I'm hoping they find a good home soon.

The Continent: An Illustrated Weekly Magazine, Volume II

Now, what makes this one so noteworthy, is that this book was published way back in 1882, very possibly making it the oldest book we have. For better or worse, the book definitely has signs of it's age, but we should hope we still look as pretty as this book at 127. The book has a fading, dark red cover with gilt lettering. Inside is a collection of all the issues of The Continent, a collection of various writings: prose, poetry, and articles. Many of these are accompanied by ink illustrations. With an aging binding and yellowing pages, this book won't be around forever, but it has many years of a life left in it.

Haiku, Volume 4: Autumn-Winter by R. H. Blyth

A great, like-new collection of the traditional Japanese poetic form. This collection of poems from many different authors (primarily dating from 1902 to 1952) is presented in English with standard haiku formatting, as well as the poems written in Japanese, and accompanied by a paragraph of annotation and further exploration. Together with Blyth's preface, this book is a great introduction to and demonstration of this classic Japanese art form.

Well, those only three of the hundreds of interesting books we have online, let alone our thousands in our store. Some of my other favorites are books such as Animated Cartoons, a book on animation published during animation's early life, in 1923: the Walt Disney Company's first year in business. Two other books I found interesting were volumes I and II of The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published in 1959 that as far as I have been able to determine (with no luck finding any other copies) is in Hungarian.

So, if you want to see what other rare, beautiful, and strange books we might have, take a look at what we have listed on Abe or come on down to the Bean Cycle to see what we have in our store.

Number One Reason You Should Join Twitter.

2009-10-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

(Besides Matter Bookstore's sporadic and self-promotional tweets)

http://twitter.com/McSweeneysBooks

Propeller Oct 09

2009-10-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

Check out Boneshaker editor Evan P. Schneider's piece in Propeller Magazine. It's a great little photo essay covering our involvement with this year's Tour de Fat.

Here's the link:
Propeller Oct 09

The Broken and the Damned

2009-10-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

Jason Hardung's first full length book of poetry is available for pre-order through Epic Rites Press.

90 pages

perfect bound$15

"The Broken and The Damned by Jason Hardung is a love poem for the schools of lost children. The story of a boy waiting at the corner of lost and found for the light of his mother's eyes to change to gold, a long drive into that dark episode we call father that always finds us where we live. These hungry poems will inhabit you like a junkie's old leather coat, the fix is verse. They need to be held and read out loud to your delinquent heart. Hardung's history packs a .38, does time, rides shotgun with a Cadillac moon singing liberation lyrics that will provide a solid rush, that healing you get when you first feel the poem enter the bloodstream." - S.A. Griffin, Editor of the Outlaw Bible Of American Poetry

Order it here:

http://www.epicrites.org/52501/56907.html

Excerpts from the Volunteer Handbook

2009-09-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Sept. 4th Been a while since sitting behind the ol' desk. Slow upon walking in. Backslid to an old addiction of rearranging chairs/tables. Placed a few Nabhan books on the front bowling alley table and Year of the Farm flyer to draw attention. Placed Tom Cruise bio back where it belongs, next to General Custer bio. Faced other books upstairs, and then the slam began. Homeboy Rob-we need to make a movie featuring this guy- everything was laid down to one dimension after his true spoken word, except for the one gal who made reading/eating (?) books positively sexy. Closed her down so that Claire would get to moonlit road...
~D.H.

Sept. 13th Not sure what I was thinking in signing up for a four hour shift after Tour Denver! Thanks to New B. & Matter for a wonderful TDF- even though the ride was kind of brutal- what a slow ride- fun, but I kept wanting to just cruise, especially when pulling a 30 lb trailer after 3-4 coctails before 10am- oh, ef... went home before the rain hit and was crashing on the couch by 8- great times! Anyway- b/c of this madness, I may be a bit slow today so don't be mad, you contributed! ~M.P.

Sept. 16th Did a lot of shelving and facing. Thought about my new bike. Doodles like I do on the reg. ~G.A.

Sept. 17th Assembled some Matter 11's until I ran out of "The Woods". I "sold" a book to a man who wanted to pay for a book that he read in the store (the entire thing) but wanted to leave it here b/c he said he enjoys & appreciates the place to do it. Nice. Be back in a few hours. ~ D.K.

Sept. 21st Hallo, Thar, Fall! Arrived dripping and shivering after 8 miles of headwinds and cars splashing me :( Hot coffee & hot bagel = warm JoAnne. Contemplating the thundering approach of colder weather and other contemplative things. Organized, dusted fiction. Put books back from the fair. Ran receipts. ~J.C.

MY PARAKEET by Jason Hardung

2009-09-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

I open the door to the birdcage. The sun is heavy and wet. I want the green parakeet to feel what its like to be in its native land, wherever that may be. I hear there are flocks of wild parakeets hanging from telephone wires in the streets of Brooklyn, flying through the Tenderloin in San Fransisco, building nests in the cracks of the Sears Tower to stay warm in Chicago winters, but this one has a tropical accent, maybe Jamaican. On the back of the bird food box it says that natural sunlight is just as important as food and water. I feel bad for penguins and owls. Last winter I found him on the coldest day of the year, ten below zero. I walked out to the car, can't remember where I was going, but there in the snow something fluttered like bright trash in breeze. The sky a blind man's cataract, the horizon wasn't any different. No beginning and no end, everything was white. I walked towards the movement, it was scared and shivering. It tried to fly but its feet were frozen to the pavement. I pulled it free and took it home. Two months later its feet turned black, and one by one they fell off somewhere in the bottom of the cage I bought at Wal Mart. So now the cage sits on top of my book shelf, overlooking my living room. He watches me while I watch T.V., eat, talk to myself and change my clothes among other things.

The bird, flies straight out, circles the room and slams into the window. I cup it in my hand and gently toss it back in the cage. With its beak it pulls itself onto the edge of the food dish. It looks down at me and begins to sing along with the birds outside.

volunteering... fun , entertaining, and always rewarding

2009-09-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

(posted by Schuyler Gantert)

Hey y'all just to prove that volunteers stay busy and have a good time doing so here is a few excerpts from the daily log to enjoy. Just think about how much fun you can have volunteering and stop by to join us.

8/4- I chatted up matter publications, sold books, organized science and had fun.

8/6- Well, Matter Bookstore, it's been fun! Tonight is my last shift and I'm keepin' busy! I'll admit I played a couple sudoku games at the start of my night but then I organized several sections and faced pretty much the whole upstairs! While I was organizing three kids came and just stood behind me... talking amongst themselves... and it was rather awkward for me. Therefore I quit the organizing and proceeded upstairs for facing. I think I may buy a shirt to represent FoCo and Matter back in the fabulous o'l Central Illinois! Wassup! Wassup! haha! Thank you matter employees and volunteers for an exciting summer and I'm certain I'll be back again! Good luck and I'll spread the word about the website! ... at least in the Midwest.
(editors note: insert numerous smiley faces wherever you feel appropriate)

8/24- I am listening to two guys and one woman speaking broken Spanish to each other in the plush seating across the way. Mala muerto means third rate in Spanish. No mention of anything third rate yet. Smooth sailing this evening, not much selling but no fires or floods.

cheers.

Boneshaker is famous!

2009-08-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

First Utne then Readymade... seems the blogoshere really loves Boneshaker!

http://www.readymade.com/blogs/readymade/2009/08/05/the-weekly-forecast-86-812/

Zines, zines, and more zines...

2009-08-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hey Zinesters,

You certainly did clean us out last month. Our little zine wall was looking so sad for awhile there. But don't worry- I ordered a bunch more and they just arrive yesterday. Hurray! So here's what's new:

9 1/2 Left #10
Against Prisons
Brew Not Bombs
Community Bike Cart Design
Eight Letters #2
Firewood #1
Home Composting Made Easy
La La Theory #6
Ride On #7
A Rough Guide to Bicycle Maintenance
Snakepit #12
Wild Fermentation Zine
Xerography Debt #25
949 Market Zine
Chainbreaker #2 & #3
A Gentrification Reader
Bipedal, By Pedal!
Journalsong #6

And we are always looking for more local zines so if you make one, bring it in!

2009-08-07T19:53:00.001-07:00

Please join us for the first official Wolverine Farm Publishing/Matter Bookstore fundraiser on August 29th at 6pm. Tickets are $70 per person (whole table discounts available, please inquire) and include a four-star local meal, beer pairings with each course courtesy of New Belgium Brewing, live music, and a State of the Wolverine Farm address by our director, Mr. Todd Simmons. We will also have creative displays and information regarding WFP, Matter Bookstore, and the local farmers and businesses that join us that evening.

Chef Kyle Chriestenson, fresh in town from Sel Gris restaurant in Portland, Oregon and currently of Kitchen in Boulder, will be preparing a four course farm-to-table dinner. Specializing in simple preparations of peak season ingredients, either raw or cooked with open flame, Kyle's attention to detail comes through in every rustic dish. Be ready to taste local foods like you have never tasted them before!

This is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the late summer tastes the Front Range has to offer in a beautiful setting and to support our communities’ only non-profit bookstore and publishing company.

Please come celebrate Wolverine Farm’s many thriving programs and help to keep these and more programs successful into the future.
The fundraiser will be held at the beautiful Art342 property located at 342 Douglas Rd across from Terry Lake. From downtown Fort Collins: Go North on College and make a right on Terry Lake Rd (Hwy 1). Turn left on Douglas Rd, about 2 miles down. 342 Douglas will be on your right.

Limited tickets available online at www.wolverinefarmpublishing.org

Email bookstore@wolverinefarmpublishing.org or call 970-472-4284 with questions.

More Excerpts from the Volunteer Handbook

2009-08-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

July 11th Hello All! Today has been fun talking to all of those bargain shoppers! Yeah $1 books. I did the usual cleaning and facing (some downstairs). I organized a couple sections and folded t-shirts and organized them all back to their sizes. I'm glad to see some more evolution shirts. I read a bit of Goat Trees and looked up a couple authors online and gave out an application. -Miranda

July 12th It's been a great shift! Thanks Laurie for asking me to volunteer today! I first completed all of my assigned tasks, and straightened up some shelves. When I was selling books, I noticed that I was a bit slow at making change, so I did a sheet of subtraction problems to help sharpen my skills. People were very friendly today, so I bet I made $3-$4 in tips which I put in the GER jar. I love Matter. -Dan E.

July 13th Pretty quiet today. Not much going on, just shelving and some selling. Took an order for an abnormally long title (see orders). Cleaned unoccupied areas of loft.
*Note: If anyone is going to watch a movie anytime soon, DON'T watch Bruno. You'll hate yourself for seeing such a completely immoral and obnoxious movie, save your money and your soul from defilement. -Mahmoud

July 20th Got lost in the construction at the University and thought I was late. My clock on my bike is fast- I was 5 minutes early! Dusted & organized a bunch, faced upstairs, etc. Talked history with a couple of guys and told them where used bookstores were in Denver. They said "The Matter Bookstore is the literary center of Fort Collins." Swept the store. 2 hours to go. I have to say that volunteering here is good for my soul. So different from working in the hospital. My boyfriend notices how relaxed I am after. And... I HAVE LOST 8 pounds rinding my bike since June 1st!!! -JoAnne

Utne Great Writing Blog

2009-07-28T19:15:00.001-07:00

Boneshaker on Utne website. Check it out!

Utne Great Writing Blog

Shared via AddThis

Matter 12: Press

2009-07-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

A review by Jason Hardung

The days when newspaper men pinned the word Press to their fedoras, carried big flashbulbs and sucked big cigars are gone, but we press forward in a nation of attention and economic deficit.

Matter 12 Press is a progressive literary journal sticking to paper while many others run to the web format. The poetry, fiction, art and essays press the reader like dried leaves between the pages and won't let them go until another pair of hands picks it up to flip through again.

Jesus was right and George Orwell got it backwards as Bonnie Prince Billy strums folk songs on the world's smallest femur, the ink on big time newspapers papers has dried-so we grieve and move on, a man gets hit by a car reading a letter from a biographer, a father and son fish at dawn with slugs and snails and the women are revolutionary with their ironing boards, there is a blue mirage in Mongolia and still we wait for the long reach of whale songs.

This is Matter 12 Press.

Why Buying Local Matters

2009-07-09T08:29:00.000-07:00

Resident Poet

2009-07-01T07:43:00.000-07:00

I AM A ROCK
by Jason Hardung

Tampons hang from heaven by surly strings,

they open up to thunderstorms across the front range.

The Rocky Mountains tower west

the upturned stratified formations

have been worn down by a woman,

call her mother nature call her bitch a whore-

call me geology.

I drive with one arm hanging out the window,

I'm having a mid-life crisis

on the expressway to your skull,

beating my head on the steering wheel

clenching my teeth my fist the road-

the smoky tongue in your kiss.

Ask me to eulogize you now,

I don't have time for it later.

So small am I on the thunderheads back;

a tick in the soft underbelly of a mutt-

metamorphic rock

gradually washed away

by centuries of rain.

Blogs I Like

2009-06-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

So this is me blogging about blogs. And yes, blogging one blog who blogged my blog. Feel free to send me links to your favorite blogs. Super.

CJ MALONE

Here's a blog by one Mr. Charlie Malone- http://www.cjmalone.com/

Read the posts, browse the pictures, sip your coffee and get inspired.

He even wrote about this blog, so you know it must be good. Plus, unlike me, Charlie is a Writer with a capital W and his thoughts are original and well formed which means you get smart points for reading his work.

Re: Learning. Thinking. Viewing.

Another spiffy wordpress blog can be found at http://twinlakes7.wordpress.com/. It's not updated terribly often and I'm not even sure who this guy is, but I like it. The local farm resources post is one I keep going back to for info.

On a sidenote, I found this blog on twitter- yet another reason for embracing social networking thingies on the web!

Kash's Book Corner

http://kashsbookcorner.blogspot.com/

For the hard-core bookstore nerd. This is a blog about publisher's catalogs, and upcoming titles, and meeting with reps, and buying for author events. It's exciting stuff, if you ask me.

Field and Table

http://fieldandtable.wordpress.com/

Another great local blog about food and farming also found via the Twittermachine. The most recent post talks about the hail damage small farms have suffered and poses some really good questions.

Excerpts from the Volunteer Handbook

2009-06-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

6/19/09 Finished of that bottle of cab sauvignon, bussed some tables, read to the sweet sound of Tom Waits, did the recycling, organized a few sections, closed her down.
~Danny

6/20/09 Organized Fiction, sold some books (finally have the tax thing down!), answered questions, etc. I just looked outside and it's raining! Doesn't seem too strange, n'est pas? BUT it's completely sunny out, like as bright as can be, sun rays bouncing all over the place, but it's raining! Ok- that's my intellectual comment of the day... See y'all next time, not for a week or so. I went to sign up for hours and everything's completely full this week! Smiles to everyone... ~Marlee

6/22/09 Beautiful morning! Swept store, filled displays, sold an "irreverent" travel guide to a couple leaving for Paris! Re-separated books on red shelves near stairs into new and used, as Todd requested. Enjoy the lovely day! ~Katherine

6/24/09 Happy Bike to Work Week! I hope everyone is enjoying the events as much as I am. Breakfast tacos at New Belgium were worth the early rising this morning. I should mention, I had a great time at the Matter Release party last week- thanks to everyone that made it happen. As for today I faced books upstairs & down and organized women studies and sociology sections. Have great days. ~Megan

From the Shelves

2009-06-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some random staff picks from our shelves. They are all written by our lovely volunteers. Thanks volunteers!!

Handmade Nation: The Rise of Diy, Art, Craft, and Design
by Faythe Levine and Cortney Heimerl

A great book for Etsy lovers! This book features artisans across the U.S. - their stories, art & purpose. Inspirational for crafters and wannabes. ~Kristy

Desert Solitaire
by Edward Abbey

From his first morning there in Arches to silent windswept nights in Canyonlands NP, Abbey's writing speaks as a memoir on wildlands and their intrinsic importance, and their importance in WAKING US UP. There is as much to be discerned from the dialogue as from the solitude and silence that we all need and would find if we dared to glimpse these pages or perhaps even live the life. We will enter our rich desert and riparian habitats with a yearning to discover. VIVA LA VIDA ~ anonymous volunteer

The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold

An excellent fiction novel for a quick summer read. A haunting story of a young ghost who faces her loss and her tragedy. Very compelling! You won't be disappointed. ~Sherise

Day by Day
by Robert Lowell

This is a wonderful example of Lowell's poetry. Late in life he writes with a dark truth. Plus, it's already penciled up to show you the important parts. ~Bussmann

Guide to the Colorado Mountains
edited by Randy Jacobs with Robert M. Ormes

A VERY GOOD Guide. It refrains from heavy jargon so even I can use it. It remains timely with new found information. And, it takes nothing to chance. I only got lost once, and only because my compass broke! ~Jennifer

Matter 12 Press Release Party

2009-06-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

Join us for the release of our 12th issue, PRESS. We'll have music, poetry & fiction readings, fine drinks and food, and the usual literary antics and surprises.

When: Friday, June 19th, 8-11pm

Where: The Bean Cycle/Matter Bookstore (closed to the public.)

More Info: Release Party Tickets are limited and are now on-sale at the Matter Bookstore. $20 gets you a copy of the journal, drinks, food, and all the entertainment you could hope for. This is our primary reason for being, please come support us. More info: 970.472.4284 or wolverinefarm@yahoo.com.

Volunteer Corner

2009-05-27T12:00:00.000-07:00

Cadillac Desert
by Marc Reisner
a review by Jennifer Clarke

The true topic of this book is not water, but, "conservation".

America, in its quest to flee the world, became its own nation, and as any nation does creates its own definitions of things.

In a period of WWII heroics, industrial invention, and new economic freedoms, expansion to the west seemed not only inevitable, but, "American". The only way a nation can thrive is to make as much use of its land as possible, or so forefathers believed.

We had enemies in Japan and a vulnerable West Coast was frightening. In the meantime, the East Coast was clogging up just like Europe. And, there was money to be made. Money that would sever our tether to Europe once and for all. We could not let all this land go to waste. We had to use it and use it now!

It started innocently enough with FDR and his public works projects which did pull us out of the depression (more or less depending on whose books you are reading). Dams were thought to be a good public work because it brought not only cheap fuel to poor people, but, it brought cheap water to many farmers, which in turn brought cheaper food to the rest of the nation, and to war-torn Europe.

It’s like when a horse can no longer work and needs to be put to pasture that it’s time to retire an ideology. But, the ambition of a young nation does not go quietly. Floyd Dominy, the notorious Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation proved that when he turned the once noble public organization into a self-perpetuating Frankenstein that veered from necessary works to making it necessary to make works. His influence succeeded in putting the government on welfare by building dams.

But, the trouble started long before that when Owens Valley in California was destroyed when rich land owners and corrupt officials could not come to terms on water rights. It was Los Angeles versus the Eatons with no victims but the thirsty fools living in a metropolis that should never have been built. And, the ideology still plagues the nation, a gross example was when the Carter administration tried to kill the Frankenstein only to have his presidency marred by a greedy Congress too tied to all the "public works" through their private enterprises. But, what probably hurt the water table more than anything was the schism that finally solidified between the public and the private realms in the corresponding Cage Match between their champions, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Corps of Engineers. They tore up the rivers, flooded towns and spent gazillions trying to take over the public works sector.

This book, through its sheer adherence to facts (yes, there is some editorializing) is a case where content is captivating. I learned so much about how difficult, and probably necessary some development was, and the context of the country during those times. I found everything so in context that it was easy to read between the lines and detect what it means to build a nation, run a government organization with no real public influence, unite thinking of diverse groups, and how hard a public body is to justify to a land full of private citizens. What a frightening thing it is, after all how we are still so carefully balanced between a potential Socialist state, a Plurocracy, and an Incorporated State. There is no Utopia.

Although the books reads slowly, it is only because of the wealth of information. Reisner seems he was there, at every meeting and maneuver as he makes clear muddy history. He is well informed almost to the point of occasionally forgetting he is speaking in terms and jargon. But, the facts themselves are what are almost entertaining at times, illuminating most times, and poignant at all times, as developers see water left alone as wasted, and the Sierra Club sees water as left alone as conserved.

Only in America.

Resident Poet

2009-05-25T19:44:00.000-07:00

KID STORY

A mother and daughter
visit the bookstore regularly.
The mother enters numbers into her laptop
(I think she's an accountant. She has black rimmed glasses
and no sense of humor.)
the daughter, seven years old, reads books.
She bounces around the store
reading to complete strangers
the gap where there was a tooth whistles
when she speaks,
pride fills her eyes when she
makes it through a big word.

When I was her age
I remember my mother-
face always buried in a new horror story.
“I don't mind spending money on a book,” she'd say
as she pulled her bartending tips from the previous night
out of her purse and handed them to me
so I could buy Mickey Mantle's biography.
The written word was something
we had in common.

The smell of my mother's cigarette stained hand
as we walked through library doors
the scent of history
of dust
of those yellowed leaves
stitched into a spine
lined up against the wall
like dreams that escaped the executioner's command-
her perfume.

The daughter sits down
and reads silently
her mouth still moves,
her mother
doesn't look up-
just taps the keys.

-Jason Hardung

Volunteer Corner

2009-05-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

a review by Jennifer Clarke

Describing the future is simply the process of extending our impression of the present. It appears that is the purpose of this book. Kunstler has a reputation for the here and now and what it will become. And, for the most part, he achieved that goal. It was a good story that flowed well and had lots of convincing detail and accurate societal references. But, it kind of came up against a wall.

The problem with futuristic tales is that mirroring the present is a gamble. We still don't know if we are yet right about ourselves. And, this era is after all, a new era. We are not the people we once were. Perhaps we are still strangers to ourselves, and, logically, our works will also seem awkward for a while. At least until we have some context of true change in which to place the narrative.

I did recognize in the story our unchecked criminal personalities as new age petty tyrants. I did recognize the problematic and controversy folded into "religious" types who seem to show up just when a group of people start to get it together. I did recognize the truth in human weakness in these lonely people with a circumstance thrust upon them.

What I did not recognize was a real reason to resign myself to falling head over heels into this work. It seems the one thing that always gets left out is that we do not have to be a product of our environment. The author sensed it too, the problem was he always stopped short of letting his characters offend his readers. Unfortunately, to portray reality in hard times, you have too. Otherwise, what you have is a novel that is hand-holding the reader and there is no true sense of reality. It remains hermetic.

Kunstler thought he was doing the world a favor because he tried to sterilize the events and try to build a "moral of the story" using our current set of trendy values as an axis for this exercise and keeping it reasonable and digestible so as not to lose readers who might otherwise be turned off. He was always stopping in the middle of the action to justify something. I say, screw it and let the chips fall. Let the reader decide for themselves, otherwise it's just another op-ed piece in narrative form.

Perhaps its value lies in what it postulates rather than what it illustrates.

It was no doubt entertaining, and impressive in detail and accurate reference. But, it did not tear at my insides like the old masters. Even the bad guys were a little too carefully crafted. A beautifully made table may never get bought if no customer simply likes it.

When reading this, a person has to be aware that this is not simply fiction with fiction objectives. It is an educational piece in narrative form.. There are moments when the word "propaganda" fits the text. True, that is the prerogative for writing, but, people should know this, for if there is one thing true about our current literary culture, we do not read for fun anymore.

Because even though there is nothing too shocking, there is nothing too joyous about it either. I think Kunstler would move more people if he would just let go once in a while. There is such a thing as being too reasonable.

But, I finished because I did want to know what would happen. It was exciting. I was hopeful for what the author hopes for. But, he tried too hard to idealize the future. His diversions into the beauty of the experience were almost nagging, and, placed at times in front of more important matters. He started to portray a set of values that just aren't base enough for a real emotional experience. It's enjoyment was in its fact; you can design your life if you choose, despite adversity.

Read with this in mind.

New books, get 'em while they're hot!

2009-05-06T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here's what's new at Matter Bookstore this week:

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk

If you love being shock and awed by Mr. Palahniuk, this is supposed to be one of his best books so far.

Product Description (via the inside flap)...

The Manchurian Candidate meets South Park—Chuck Palahniuk’s finest novel since the generation-defining Fight Club.

“Begins here first account of operative me, agent number 67 on arrival Midwestern American airport greater _____ area. Flight _____. Date _____. Priority mission top success to complete. Code name: Operation Havoc.”

Thus speaks Pygmy, one of a handful of young adults from a totalitarian state sent to the United States, disguised as exchange students, to live with typical American families and blend in, all the while planning an unspecified act of massive terrorism. Palahniuk depicts Midwestern life through the eyes of this thoroughly indoctrinated little killer, who hates us with a passion, in this cunning double-edged satire of an American xenophobia that might, in fact, be completely justified. For Pygmy and his fellow operatives are cooking up something big, something truly awful, that will bring this big dumb country and its fat dumb inhabitants to their knees.

It’s a comedy. And a romance.

The Earth Sheltered House: An Architect's Sketchbook by Malcom Wells

Thanks, Chelsea Green, for sending us this amazing sustainable-building book! Markedly different than most architectural books you'll find, this inspiring work will have you planning out your next underground home.

Also, it's Be Kind to Animals Week, so go feed your pet goat and then come by the bookstore and check out our display of animal books. See you soon!

Looks like a Moleskine, tastes like a Piccadilly

2009-05-06T07:55:00.000-07:00

We recently made the switch to the journal you see here (three different sizes, plain, ruled or graph) due to Moleskines being so freakin' expensive. If we can't afford to purchase the stuff we're carrying- what, then, is the point? So. If you need someplace to write your bad poetry or that novel that's been cooking in your head, stop on by and pick up your very own Picadilly Journal.

Small- $6.95
Medium- $9.95
Large- $12.95

Review: 'Going Green,' edited by Laura Pritchett: Book touts the virtues of living off leftovers : Books : Boulder Daily Camera

2009-04-25T20:21:00.001-07:00

Review: 'Going Green,' edited by Laura Pritchett: Book touts the virtues of living off leftovers : Books : Boulder Daily Camera

Posted using ShareThis

2009-04-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm really enjoying the tiny blog postings so here's another. Just placed a new Microcosm order today so get ready for a fresh stock of tees, patches, stickers and zines. If you want to check out all their stuff or you're just really bored, peruse their newly designed website- http://microcosmpublishing.com/. It's much more visually appealing and only slightly less user-friendly (for the biased wholesale buyer).

And if you need one more reason to plan a visit to Matter Bookstore in the next few weeks, I just made a huge order for Picadilly's Moleskine look-a-likes. All the functionality of Moleskine, but half the price.

2009-04-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the Going Green book release and Matter's Eco Book Fair this sunday at New Belgium from 3-6pm. We will be selling tons of our favorite eviro-books and, of course, Laura Pritchett's new book Going Green: True Tales From Gleaners, Scavengers, and Dumpster Divers.

Earth Day Fair at CSU.

2009-04-22T14:38:00.001-07:00

If you were too busy sorting recyclables to stop by, we understand and just want you to know that every day is Earth Day at Matter Bookstore.

Tree House

2009-04-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Check out our ever evolving kids section. Mr. Artistic Volunteer, a.k.a. Chase, did a little painting and modge-podging recently, highlighting one of our favorite Shel Silverstein poems. We now have the best kid's section in Fort Collins, possibly the world...

Volunteer Corner

2009-04-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ghetto Plainsman
by Jarid Manos

review by Jennifer Clarke

Ghetto Plainsman is a story of a man split in two. Since a concussion from a childhood accident, his world became two; the real world, and the shadow world of earthly spirits the ultimately led him to his transformation.
A New York inner city survivor, he, like many of his contemporaries was fortunate enough to wake up to the self-destructive behaviors of his youth. His shadow world showed him something better than the endless and grinding narrative that became his life in the dark world of vice. He spends a great deal of paper helping the reader feel the hopelessness of that life, and a great deal more paper showing just how hard it was to leave something he hated behind.

For the true subject of the book is just what tears us all in two; addiction, or rather, complacency. If something provides a sense of regularity, no matter how bad it is, we tend to herd toward it. Manos sees his own addictions and falls into the inactive trap of self-hatred for many years before the shadows of his dream world finally give him the strength to escape. It is not some supernatural transformation, or any ring of power, but simply a man finally making the ultimate decision; to be a better person.

He sees it as a cosmic matter of health and pursues the dreamscapes of his mind as he blunders west into the great plains and quiet places. He sees along the way even greater reminders of the destruction he thought he left behind in New York. He sees that no animal, no plant, no soul is safe from wanton hatred. And, he realizes he has nothing to lose by trying to save no only his soul, but the soul of the earth as well. He sees that healing must start from "the ground up".
Much of what remains of the story from this point on is a series of misadventures, realizations, illuminations and scary moments confronting the North American Redneck. The reader will be surprised what passes for genteel behavior out west. As you follow his tales of fence cutting, peaceful protest, and racism and harassment, you are reminded of his days on the streets, and see that he is destined to endure danger for the greater good.

And, dangerous it is, especially when he finds himself pulled back and back again into the nightlife of the human world where he finds himself being drawn further and further into the world of drug dealing, prostitution and other ills. It is a miracle when he finally escapes in the end to stay out west in Texas and found the Great Plains Restoration Council. He starts a family and continues to have confrontations, but, they are now the healthy and restorative kind.
The book finishes with an account of accomplishments to date that give the reader one final shot in the arm that says; "don’t ever give up".

This book is narrative and journal, giving a distinct timeline and sense of its passage. His life wears purposefully on the reader to impart the emotional drain of the life-style he was trying to beat. When he speaks of the natural world, the reader feels washed clean by the poetic description and cerebral impressions the sky and trees make on his soul. He speaks from two minds; the dirty hard reality of accounts, and the dreaming soaring pool of prose. It’s like two people talking at once. Something we can all relate to.

Resident Poet

2009-03-25T10:54:00.001-07:00

DEALING IN HISTORY

by Jason Hardung

Pricing books in the used book store.

A woman sits across from me reading Death

In Venice. Her calf is exposed, soft curves

pumping like a roadside oil rig just outside of Abilene.

Her legs are crossed.

She flexes her ankle up and down

twirls her hair with index finger

blows the heat from her coffee

and looks up from her book when she

is sure I'm not looking.

But I am always looking.

I want to make some elaborate metaphor

for her eyes

but they aren't that special. I've seen them

before on a thousand crowded streets.

I price a book worth a hundred and fifty dollars.

She doesn't know I deal in antiques.

We play eye tag. She pulls her dress

up a little more to reveal scabbed knees.

I am intrigued.

I don't show it i just

flip pages of dusty books

and think of all the eyes

that have scanned these pages.

This book here made it out

of Germany alive, through rockets red glare,

collapse of empires, genocide,

each line traced by the gloved hands of gentlemen.

Does the woman across from me know

we are making history

right now.

Sunday night 7:45 Fort Collins Colorado.

She runs her fingers through her hair.

I spread the book open in my hands.

She looks up

I look up.

We both look

back down.

Volunteer Corner

2009-03-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

The Long-Legged House
Essays by Wendell Berry

book review by Jennifer Clarke

Popular for his simple but brilliant insight in the 50's and 60's, essayist and writer Wendell Berry makes a return in this nice edition of some of his most profound works about humanity's ever changing and distressing modern environment. He serves us yet again by bringing back to the table what so many of us have forgotten; hope.

Mr. Berry reminds us through his works that it is not a matter of mindless revolution to change a faltering world, but, a simple matter of conscious individual evolution. He says we must live in the image of what we so desperately desire for our children's, children. He, in his soft-spoken narrative delivers to us lessons that string together an understanding that we cannot bring about change without first changing how we live, from what we do with our trash, to not only protesting violence, but, actively working against it, without giving in to it.

He also shows us that all these things can be accomplished by simply returning to a more native relationship with our world. In the process of simply living simply, we will find that everything will fall into place. For a world without possession and environmental dominance has no need for war, resource destruction, or even politics. It is a world of simple people just living as we were intended by the natural world.

Included in this collection is the story of the Long-Legged House in which he as a young man endeavors to rebuild and reuse the river house his solitary uncle built right on the rivers edge. (Hence the long legs) In this single summer he lives without rules, time, or civilization and feels his mind rise to a greater awareness-an illumination of what humanity is truly responsible for in a world where we have the ability to nuke our home and perform genocide in a matter of weeks. We see through his gentle laments our place in taking care of our biggest dependent; life. He revives this house, a quiet marker of human harmony with nature, lives the harmony and narrates a collection of experiences that are profound, and beautiful to read. Like a rare stone, the house is something that will never exist again. It is rare, as are his experiences, and priceless to the human understanding of the human condition.

He also includes a potent, but passion-filled protest of the Vietnam war. He prays out loud for the end of the arrogance that led to such an act of useless and doomed violent intervention in foreign affairs. He states will simple eloquence that he is not unpatriotic, but, most patriotic when he wishes for his beloved country to act with greater honor.

Throughout these works the reader is relieved to know that they do not have to belong to a particular group of people to participate in a solution. They can be from any walk in life and help if they are willing to make the walk of peace. He is very easy to read, and delightful. Descriptions of sweeping landscapes and youthful observations of human artifacts of the old days are like opening presents-each a surprise and discovery.

But, most important, these essays are a hand on the shoulder of a challenged youth of today from the reverberating ghost of protest past that stands by them as they carry on the noblest of traditions in the name of the human spirit.

Upcoming Poetry Reading

2009-03-15T08:03:00.000-07:00

Don't miss the poetry reading on Wednesday, April 1st, at 8p.m. A few of the best underground poets in America will be in town to speak the words of truth for your listening pleasure. John Dorsey from Toledo, Ohio, Jacob Johansen from Kansas City, Luc Simonic from Denver and our own Jason Hardung. It will change the way you write poetry forever.

Jason Hardung has two chapbooks out and a third in the works and poems in numerous small press journals including the New York Quarterly and also edits for the Matter Journal and The Front Range Review.

John Dorsey has 12 chapbooks and was mentored by Gregory Corso before his death. He is one of the most sought after poets in the small press.

Jacob Johansen is the publisher of Off Beat Pulp Magazine, a literary arts journal out of Kansas City and organizer for the Unregulated Word Festival.

Luc Simonic is an editor for Denver Syntax and has been published widely.

They are all members of the poetry group, "The Beards." This is poetry in the tradition of Bukowski, Levy, Micheline, no academic stuff here. Read the Outlaw Poetry Bible. Leave your suit coats and turtle necks at home.

(written by Jason Hardung)

New books!

2009-03-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

It's an exciting time at Matter Bookstore... new books, t-shirts, zines, stickers and buttons, signage (courtesy of designer extraordinaire Susan Rich), events and multitudes of volunteers to help you find what you are looking for. Why, you may wonder, are we doing all this extra work? Because we have always wanted to make the bookstore better, brighter, bolder and this stupid little recession is making itself heard, even here where used books are the cheapest of the cheap! So cash in all your change and designate a portion of that tax refund to supporting your local, non-profit bookstore. I'm sure we have something down here you can't live without!

BOOKS TO GARDEN, BOOKS TO GROW

How will you ever plan your beautiful garden without beautiful books to pine over? We solved that problem by picking our best gardening books and displaying them at the front of the store. We've got everything form seed books to permaculture to preserving! Plus, my ultimate favorite gardening book of all time- The American Woodland Garden by Rick Darke, which admittedly is mostly pictures of trees (really pretty trees, though). So before you stonescaping or planting blackberries in the backyard, check out this awesome collection. And don't forget to wander upstairs for more gardening books.

Resident Poet

2009-03-07T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here are a few poems from Matter Bookstore volunteer/poet Jason Hardung. Come cheer him on at the Poetry Slams (first friday of every month).... enjoy!

MIRROR IN THE DARK

Summer nights on roof tops pinching stars
with thumb and fore finger
the gears of the city click one cog
closer to death.
Earth rotates one minute to the left
like a hairdresser cocking your neck.

I realize.
I am not the American dream
just wet flesh pulled over bones
held together with rubber bands
and six penny nails.

I am not weekend trips
to hardware stores, fresh beer, plasma T.V.s and mortgages.

I am.

northwest winds painting landscapes with broad strokes, arpeggios and
minor chords layered over heart beats. My days are
radiohead
videos slowed down.

I am not wooden smiles and strings
on the arthritic fingers of lady liberty,
big cars loud stereos and false love.

I am spring morning lightning,
meadowlarks at dawn.
I am nights on rooftops.
I am a mirror in the dark.

RIDING MY SCHWINN THROUGH CONCEPTION

I look down at the handle bars
my hands the road my arms.
The nautical star disguises the track marks
of corrupt doctors missing the mark.
Carnies and their saw-toothed grins calling out
Win one for the lady!
So I layed out my cash
I never won but was close
every fucking time.
Thunder Road comes through
a satellite transmission in my head. A 1973 Tele weeps
in the calloused hands of the roughneck poet his
Jersey shore is awash in colostomy bags again
like eighties late night news.
When i was young
the world seemed so big
and love rode on the tail of squirrels.
In the park
confederate cannons stand tall mouths rusted shut
where we played in blue evenings
and the future was just a threat
to lay us down.
We laid down our swords
we left our pistols at the door.
My insides are painted on a grain of rice
by a one-eyed farmer from Nagasaki.
A thousand black streets
patrolled by dark horses and from the ashes
came life like a dandelion blown
from the silenced lips of babes.
My ghost gave up long ago
and my shadow doesn't
have the balls to match my steps anymore.
I carry my mattress on my back
up the steps
sweat out nightmares
unsymetrical visions of a brave new world
put a prayer plant in the window
leave the light on.

LOVE IS

Love is the blank space
in a magician's hand.
It used to be a red ball
maybe a coin
the queen of spades
a dove
so disoriented
by fingers
it flew
towards the sun
only to be eaten
by a hawk.

Volunteer Corner

2009-03-06T18:09:00.000-08:00

A Post from Sally Knudsen....

February 3, 2009 Journal Entry: Witnessing the Birth of the Bag Lady

It was an auspicious morning. I arose at 5:30, did my yoga practice, and my quiet sitting (my body is quiet, my mind is a monkey) and even had a luxurious shower before heading out for my 8-11 volunteer shift at the Matter Bookstore. I was so smug about my newly minted morning routine! I waltzed into the shop and there was Allie, perched at the cash register. I said, jubilantly, “I’m here!” She said, “Excuse me?” I said, “I’m the 8-11 volunteer!” “Uh, I think I’m signed up for this morning,” she said. Sure enough, one glance at the calendar revealed that I’m signed up for NEXT Tuesday from 8 to 11. Ooooookkkkaayyyy. So, I had a latte, wrote my niece, Michaela, a birthday card, read a little and headed home.

I got my walking shoes on, and put Charlie on a leash and headed on foot to the post office to mail Michaela’s birthday gift. On the way home, we walked by the donut shop. It had been forever since I had been do-nutted, and feeling somewhat less sweet than usual, I decided to indulge myself. Charlie and I parked ourselves alone on the patio with my maple/glazed donut and coffee. I took my phone out of my pocket and set it on the table. It was time to contemplate posting my pithy text messages to my children while enjoying my sweet confection.

I said out loud: “Well, what crazy thought can I give Birgitte today—what would make her smile?” (Here’s the message I sent to her later from the privacy of my home: “Your smile lights up the planet. Have you thought about offering this gift to Obama’s administration as part of his energy saving plan?”) I kept talking to myself, composing my thoughts to the air and glanced over through the window and noticed the sturdy woman who owned the shop staring at me with a quizzical look. I looked back at her, with my own puzzled face until I realized that she had just been watching me talk to myself. This is a very normal thing for me now that I live alone, but rarely gets witnessed. I smiled, licked the frosting off my mouth, waved and left.

On my way home, it dawned on me; this is quite possibly how a bag lady is birthed. It starts innocently enough. Living alone, an occasional outing for a donut. Then before you know it, she is rooting around the donut dumpster for half eaten confections, muttering to herself. Next thing you know, she’s decked out with a shopping cart filled with a ratty blanket and rug and talking to herself from the inside of the donut dumpster.

And then it dawned on me—if this is my path, why the heck am I busting my fanny with this humiliating search for a job? So, it’s settled. I’m calling off the job hunt. The only hunt I’m on is for an exquisite battery operated scooter with a sizable basket for my toiletries. Thank God I still have my teeth. Well, most of them.

Volunteer Corner

2009-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

Poor People by William T. Vollmann

review by Jennifer Clarke

This engaging book is not just important, but, illuminating in the author’s elusive search for a kind of truth. Mr. Vollman traveled the world in search for a cause for poverty, and found out more than he intended. It is an archeological dig with all the curiosities and confirmations that come with investigating something so ubiquitous, and yet so seemingly so far away.

Vollmann trots the globe and discovers right away that there is no generic poor person that can be assisted in the hegemonic UNICEF fashion. It seems that people are poor for a variety of reasons, because, poor people are first and foremost-PEOPLE. And, as we all people are like snowflakes, no two are alike.

So instead of writing what could have been a simple piece of propaganda for the charity machine became a quest to understand the six degrees of circumstances that shows just how lucky we here in America are.. And, how unaware we are of how rapidly things can change. This quest also passes the fork in the road of cause, and turns onto a new path; defining exactly what poverty is. Vollman comes to realize he must do this when he sees that despite deprivation, not all of these people, in fact, all of them to a certain extent, do not see their physical poverty as their true poverty.

Curious?

Then read. It’s not that big of a book, and his writing talent keeps you from falling into a diatribic eddy. He is focused, and sure of his impressions. His careful metaphors, weighty paragraphs and multilayered remarks just require you pay a little more attention. But, once you absorb his deep thoughts, you feel you have discovered a new way to understand something that is at once a prison in futility, while at the same time a cultural safety zone for the lost, such as in portrayed in the popular Oprah pick "A Fine Balance" Almost a lot, caste, or "place of belonging" in society. For many, it is a choice between lack of, and having what you don’t want.

What really gets the blood going is the speed in which the mind is escorted across cultures, politics, histories, and into the arms of the most embracable characters. The individuals stand out as dramatic relief against the simmering conditions that made them.

He adds colossal undeniably into this complex process of realization when he deliberately strings stories together by subconscious italicized flashbacks to previous stories. This offers the valuable comparisons, commonalities and developments that illustrate his growing awareness. A "stir of echoes" if you will.

Ultimately, the question is answered, and unanswered at the same time. The author himself is a property owner with direct interaction with the poor, and struggles still with the question; "why are they there"? For, he realizes ,as we all do that to know how they got there is to know the person themselves. And, do any of us have that much time to find out?

In the meantime, the reader is invited by his superb writing style-and intellect to read this book and see where his journey takes you.

Tales are riveting such as the chapter about the dreaded Japanese gangs call the Snakeheads, who are worse than the worse mob call the Yakuza. They escort human cargo fleeing China into Japan, for the most incredible price. Or sad, such as Sunee, the Thailand drunken woman who knows she is either drunk because she is poor, or poor because she is drunk. What she knows for sure is she most survive to protect her daughter from her fate.

Sometimes, tales are outrageous, such as the Taliban women beggars who are, as the chapter heading deems, "invisible", and cannot work if their husbands die, out of "respect" for their gender, and must beg, without begging, since they are invisible. Tales are amusing even, such as the American rider in the Philippines, there by choice, thinking he is important because he is free to risk his life in the name of crime, and getting the best dope in return.

Or, inspiring as in the case of Big Mountain, and Little Mountain, two proud former Japanese professionals, who by circumstances not of their doing, find themselves living with dignity under a bridge, for the first year anyway. And, of course, the all to often hopelessness of Natalia, the Russian beggar outside a church she cannot pay to enter. All because of a tick bite in the tundra of her home. She cannot hold a thought, other than to keep begging-for the children.

Enticed?

Then, don’t delay. You can spare the time. It is a good book with all the elements for fascinating reading, and all the rich information for time well spent.

Volunteer Corner

2009-01-29T17:17:00.001-08:00

Our veteran volunteer, Jennifer Clarke, has been diligintly doing reviews of anything and everything she can get her hands on. Here is one for your reading pleasure. On a side note, this was a selection of last years 'Year of the Vote' bookclub. Thanks Jennifer!

What Was Asked of Us by Trish Wood and Bobby Muller

Review by Jennifer Clarke

No one wants to know about the battlefield. They just want to know who won. They don’t want to know about the face to face difficulty of enforcing a directive, just whether or not it worked. They don’t want to see blood, just flags.

But, Wood and Muller did. And, so did I. Those that fought in the Iraq war are not "yes" men, or robots. They are people. A brotherhood that supersedes even the reality of war. A family. They are the reason we can sit in coffee shops and even debate war issues. Our forgotten heartbeat. Pro or anti-war, it doesn’t matter. These people are worth knowing. Their reasons are worth considering.

What lies in this book is perspective. There are no hidden agendas, propaganda, or rhetoric. These are a series of organized accounts, by the soldiers, officers, civilians, and others that were in the Iraq war. These slices of war reality show just how much of a prism such an event is when viewed through so many different eyes. The same events seen from one viewpoint or another make the reader wonder that it was the same event.

A startling bonus are the people themselves, falling apart and coming together, going through chrysalis, or shutdown, loosing love, and discovering a bigger brethren.

Who Are We?

These writers are the best kind of writers. They edit for sense, not aesthetic. In doing so, you get the actual voice of the person.. Bad grammar, stuttering, cursing, crazy-talk, and contemporary slang. You get a vivid image of today’s youth and attitude, and a memory of a soldier from another time. You hear the Harvard education, and the Husker simplicity. You know the familiar references. You chuckle at common humor. You are slightly taken aback by the almost Nihilistic Jason Neely. You are warmed by the compassionate Alan King. You are outraged with Jonathan Powers.

Left, right, and down the middle

Each section groups stories that mark the major aspects of the war. You can find the section that is of most interest to you and explore it. Every conceivable concern is on the lips of Ken Davis who worries that he forgot to pray for the Iraqis, and Joseph Hatcher who thought it was all a mistake. Toby Winn who wrestled with enemy hatred, and Brady Van Engelen who wanted someone to pay for such ingratitude toward the soldiers by the locals. No matter your stance, it becomes clear that there are so many sides to an issue-especially when you are in the field.

The top and the bottom

Like all enterprises, shit trickles downhill. And, a war is no different. In fact, it becomes apparent to Alan King, and others like him that the war might not have ended so badly if the aftermath was not riddled with Rumsfieldian abstraction when dealing with the local population..

Enemy as human

Since we have not seen war on our sold since the Blue and the Grey, it is easy to forget just how it feels to be occupied. And, not just by us, but by insurgents, the national forces, and third party forces.. All over the place; guns, guns, guns. Try to do wash with mortar dust in your eyes. Or watch as your children are forced to run guns, and get shot as a threat. Or, seeing a soldier walk up to your cab and demand a ride to "work"., and get shot with him when he gets there.

Never forget!

What's new at Matter Bookstore?

2009-01-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

Here's a peek at some of the new books we have recently acquired...

A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan

Old book, spiffy new cover. Originally published in 1997, this Waldenesque exploration of architecture is the perfect backdrop to Pollan's more recent bestselling books like The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.

The Mad Farmer Poems by Wendell Berry

This collection of poems is a must-have for the Berry fanatics out there. We are thinking of working this into our Year of the Farm bookclub. Perhaps a reading before each discussion... hmm.

Builders of the Pacific Coast by Lloyd Kahn

One of our new selections from Shelter Publications. It shows a variety of dwellings all created by the industrious and creative folks of the Pacific Coast. Homes so unique and ambitious you just have to see them for yourself.

2666 by Roberto Bolano

This posthumously published, 800 page tome has been hyped to death. I'm not going to pretend like I read it or even act like I'm going to read it, but I am prepared to be very impressed if you fork over the 30 bucks at the bookstore and buy it. I've heard it's the best book of the year so hurry and get your copy- we only have one left.

New Bookstore Pics

2009-01-23T18:20:00.000-08:00

Poe, Kerouac, and Ms. Roy are hard at work these days watching over our Matter volunteers.
(I have to admit, I get a little creeped out when I'm behind the counter and Jack is giving me the eye.)

The zines just got a new home...

I really think they like it here, but hopefully they will be getting a bunch of new brothers and sisters in the future in which case they will have to find yet another residence. In the mean time, come in and take a look. The one in the center called Seeds is my new favorite. It's a collection of food related comics that has a packet of mysterious vegetable seeds in the back. Zines are not just for the punk rock anarchists anymore...

Volunteer Corner

2009-01-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

In attempt to bring to light the fact that we are the only place (to the best of my knowledge) in Fort Collins to sell zines, I have decided to post some reviews of the ones we carry. This in no way means we will actually have the particular zine by the time you make it to the bookstore to buy it so if you want it, act fast. Or you can always submit an order or recommendation. Or better yet, make your own darn zine, write a summary of it, and deliver it in person to the bookstore and I'll post it on this blog.

Our volunteer/Matter poster child Nikki Cox was kind enough to do the first review of a zine we sometimes order which you may or may not find at the bookstore for the bargain price of four dollars.

The Secret Files of Captain Sissy Zine No. 5
by Andy Cornell
I’m usually not the biggest fan of personal zines but Andy’s wit cracked me up throughout the entire zine. Andy’s a union nerd who traveled around the country in a bookmobile and loves old school punk. While he recognizes the downfall of civilization he doesn’t deny the “sheer grandiosity, the singular delectability, the utter, objective, perfection of the Flaming Hot Cheeto,” in his four page write up of creating “cheatos.” So if you’re in for a well read laugh read the Secret Files of Captain Sissy Pants zine and you’ll love it.

-Nikki Cox

Look at the walls!

2008-12-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

Our kids section was recently given a facelift courtesy of local artist Amanda Marie. Bring your tots (or just yourself) down to browse our used kids and young adult book selection. Before the bike riding grasshoppers completely take it over!

*****

And, of course, the Bean Cycle always has a rotating selection of local art on display.

Just in case you ever wondered what to do with all that extra blue painters tape.

2008-12-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting review of Matter 11: The Woods...

which you can purchase at Matter Bookstore or by clicking here.

Chelsea Green

2008-11-21T08:11:00.000-08:00

Opening a book order is one of the best parts of my job here at Matter Bookstore. Pulling those shiny, brand spankin' new books out one by one, sorting them into piles, planning how I'm going to display them... it just doesn't get much better that that. I have even been known to come in on my day off just to open a order of books, which admittedly is a little sad but we are a non-profit bookstore and don't place nearly the amount of orders of regular bookstores. So when I arrived at work a little after 7 in the morning to see two unopened boxes waiting for me in the office, I knew it was going to be a good day.

The book order was from a publishing company called Chelsea Green. They do mostly sustainable living related books: permaculture, beekeeping, seed collecting, rainwater harvesting, earth oven building, hot tub making, etc. We can get all these books from our regular distributer but choose to order them directly from the publisher for a few reasons. Chelsea Green offers a bigger discount for booksellers who do not return their books. Returning books is an industry wide practice that is in no way sustainable or good for the environment. Also, their sales representative bribes us with candy. Anyway, the books you see in the above picture are all from Chelsea Green and they are definitely worth a second look, so stop by the bookstore soon before they all sell out!

Recently released from Chelsea Green Publishing:

Obama's Challenge
by Robert Kuttner

Barack Obama approaches the Presidency at a critical moment in American history, facing simultaneous crises of war, the environment, health care, but most especially in the economy. If he is able to rise to the moment, he could join the ranks of a small handful of previous presidents who have been truly transformative, succeeding in fundamentally changing our economy, society, and democracy for the better.

Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money by Woody Tasch

Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money investigates an essential new strategy for investing in local food systems, and introduces a group of fiduciary activists who are exploring what should come after industrial finance and industrial agriculture. Theirs is a vision for investing that puts soil fertility into return-on-investment calculations.

Gaia's Kitchen: Vegetarian Recipes for Community and Family, Second Edition
by Julia Ponsoby

Updating the first edition—winner of the Gourmand World Cookbook award for best vegetarian cookbook of 2001—the cuisine featured in Gaia’s Kitchen calls upon the best of Mediterranean, Californian, Indian, and Mexican vegetarian cooking. It celebrates old favorites rich in cheese and eggs and offers a variety of tempting new vegan dishes using ingredients such as pulses, tofu, and tempeh. Besides soups, main courses, and salads, there’s a mouthwatering selection of desserts, breads, cakes, and biscuits. Gaia’s Kitchen also explores the issues of nutrition, special diets, and the ecological dimension of food production. The recipes are the tried and tested creations of Julia Ponsonby and her colleagues at Schumacher College in Devon, England, which for almost twenty years has been brewing up a unique potpourri of human connections, raising ecological awareness, and stimulating taste buds.

Reviews from http://www.chelseagreen.com/

A Brand New Blog

2008-11-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

Hello and welcome to my most exciting and informative blog. That is, if you are absolutely riveted by nerdy bookish details and the going-ons of a little non-profit bookstore. Well, I'm just going to assume you are and begin my venture into the blogosphere. Here we go...

Yesterday the talented poet/ songwriter/ singer Mr. Tom Kimmel did a poetry reading at our bookstore and I have to tell you, I was impressed. He has written songs for such icons as Johnny Cash and Joe Cocker, so you pretty much know he's going to be good. I'm not going to try to describe his poetry- I wouldn't know where to start. Go to his website and hear for yourself. But at the end of the reading when he pulled out his guitar and played a few songs, my jaw definitely did the figurative dropping. It was better than cozying up in front of a fireplace with a cup of cocoa, a cozy blanket, and a newborn kitten. If you want to experience this for yourself, he will be at Avo's Saturday at 7:30. If you don't live in Fort Collins, well, it sucks to be you.

Book of the Day: The Sweetest and the Meanest by Tom Kimmel
Buy a signed copy today at Matter Bookstore!

"Tom does with poems what Eudora Welty did with short stories..."
-Pierce Pettis

"Tom Kimmel is a treasure." - Marshall Chapman

Upcoming Event: We will be joining Rabbit Creek Country author Jon Thiem for a book signing at Bas Bleu Theatre (401 Pine Street) on Sunday, November 16th, 2008 at 7:30pm.