Publishing: Santa and CD

Charles Deemer's new book of poetry, his fifth publication for RBP, is primed and ready for release, Oct. 26.

We selected this date to coincide with CD's 74th birthday (you're kidding me; only yesterday we were young and raising hell in Northwest Portland) and this season's big UCLA vs. Oregon football game, capping what the one-time Cal Tech quarterback imagines will be a crowning triptych of the mind--a celebration of survival, a humiliating loss to his Bruins by Nike University, and the appearance of the poems in "A Majority of One."

Two for three ain't bad.  I can't blame him for being sentimental, even delusional, but I hope he is not too disappointed when Oregon crushes UCLA that day.

While we both understand football to be an entertainment and convenient diversion, we also know that the publication of a good book takes precedence--in this case it also becomes a shield, a salve to the wounds CD will suffer when Oregon puts up 50 before halftime and his team calls it quits.

As we move closer to publishing--and the bloody battle--I'll post a few of the poems here and attempt to explain why I like them so much, along with my obnoxious analysis of what makes Oregon so darn good.

Meanwhile, I also have the photos and text for Lee Santa's jazz memoir, "A Journey Into Jazz: Recollections of a Jazz Fan, with Photos," at hand.

Busy editing that.  Look for its appearance in January, a profound way to begin a new year, RBP's fourth in its remarkable quest to enrich your lives.


TS