Contempt of Gravity: The Complete Published Poems, 1981–2020 - by William Merricle (CC#114)

Crisis Chronicles Press is pleased and privileged to celebrate the new year with the publication of Contempt of Gravity: The Complete Published Poems, 1981–2020 by Ohio treasure William Merricle. William is one of the sharpest, smartest, funniest writers we've ever had the pleasure of working with. And this book is everything including (to steal a phrase from one of his poems) "a massive sensory experience"!

Contempt of Gravity is 425 pages, perfect bound, 5.5 x 8.5". ISBN: 978-1-64092-952-4. Front cover photo by Steven B. Smith of a mural by Donald Black, Jr. Published 1 January 2022. 125 copies in print.

 

U.S. or Elsewhere?

United States $20.00 USD Elsewhere $30.00 USD

Contempt of Gravity is available for only $20 from Crisis Chronicles Press, 535 Parkside Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio 44143 (plus $4 for shipping in the USA).

 

Or subscribe to our entire 2022 series (at least ten titles, plus a surprise or two) for $100 with free shipping. 

 

Contempt of Gravity: The Complete Published Poems, 1981–2020 includes several volumes of Merricle's work in one:

 

Living On Wormholes & Beer (previously uncollected poems from 1981-1990)

Love & Food By-Products (originally published by Iron Press in 1991)

Why Should I Suffer Alone? (originally published by Green Meadow Press in 1993)
Slubberdegullion Sonata (originally published by Big Easy Press in 1995)

Eye Sickles (originally published by Timelapse Press in 1997)

The Constellation Called Forget (previously uncollected poems from 1991-2000)
A Delicious Friction (previously uncollected poems from 2001-2010)
Heimlich the Donut (originally published by Pudding House Publications in 2010)

Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam (originally published by Crisis Chronicles in 2011)

Chaos Theory (originally published by NightBallet Press in 2013)

Fractured Fairy Tales (originally published by Crisis Chronicles in 2016)

The Tongue Depressor Incident (previously uncollected poems from 2011-2020)

William Merricle was once the assistant manager of a ramshackle soft-porn movie palace. He would open the observation window and glide paper airplanes inscribed with quotes from Heidegger over the engrossed congregants below.

 

1981 copier-art portrait by Grace O’God. 

 

2020 portrait in radiation treatment mask by Jerri Merricle.

Our 2018 Ohioana Book Award and Pushcart Prize Nominations

It's so hard for me to choose from among the many excellent works Crisis Chronicles Press has published recently. I love them all, and each book has one or more pieces I think supremely worthy of an award. I came close to having to flip a coin before making my ultimate decision. But here we go:

Pushcart Prize nominees (from books we published in 2017):

• "America, Land of the Brittle" - a poem by George Wallace, from Oct Tongue 2
• "The Black Between Stars" - a nine-senryu sequence by Elliot Nicely, from The Black Between Stars
• "Crystal" - a poem by Meg Harris, from Inquiry into Loneliness
• "Houglass Studies" - a twelve-part poem by Krysia Jopek, from Hourglass Studies
• "Jane in Her Business Suit" - a poem by John Greiner, from Turnstile Burlesque
• "Love Letters" - a poem by Victor Clevenger, from Sandpaper Lovin'

2018 Ohioana Book Award nominees (from Ohio-related books/authors we published in 2016-2017):

• Diary of a Feminist Thug, Volume I: His[tories] of Her Land by Lyz Bly (co-published by Crisis Chronicles and Guide to Kulchur Books)
• The Black Between Stars by Elliot Nicely
• Scraping the Sky by Luba Gawur
• Age of Aquarius: Collected Poems 1981-2016 by Dianne Borsenik
• Fractured Fairy Tales by William Merricle
• Special Watch by Richard M. O'Donnell

Good luck, everyone!

Fractured Fairy Tales - by William Merricle (CC#79)

Crisis Chronicles Press gleefully announces the publication of Fractured Fairy Tales, a new chapbook by William Merricle, on 26 February 2016.  Merricle has long been one of my favorite writers, with incomparable wit, wordplay, dark humor and insight. And this collection of 29 poem tales showcases his work at its finest. 

Fractured Fairy Tales is 34 pages, hand assembled and saddle stapled, with red card stock cover, black card stock end papers and white pages. Laser printed. 8.5 x 5.5". ISBN 978-1-940996-31-8. Limited first edition of 99 copies. Nominated for a 2018 Ohioana Book Award.

The chapbook is currently out of print, but all of its poems (in some cases, slightly revised) appear in Merricle's Contempt of Gravity: The Complete Published Poems, 1981–2020.

 

Merricle in Cleveland [photo by Chandra Alderman]

William Merricle, of Lima, Ohio, has had many poems published in this and a previous century. His most recent chapbooks are Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2011) and Chaos Theory (NightBallet Press, 2013).

Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam - by William Merricle (CC#16)

cover foto/collage: Downstairs by Steven B. Smith

Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam is a 16 page poetic knock out by one of Ohio's own, the unboxable William Merricle.  Published 1 November 2011.

Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam is 8.5 x 5.5", handbound, saddle stapled and inkjet printed on white cover stock and ivory pages with burnt orange endpapers.  Approximately 75 copies in print.

 

The chapbook is currently out of print, but its content appears (in a newly revised form) in Merricle's Contempt of Gravity: The Complete Published Poems, 1981–2020.

Click here to see ratings of Grace, You Let the Screen Door Slam on Goodreads.

Poet's bio (as of 2011, from the chapbook): 

William Merricle is a poet living in Lima, Ohio. His chapbook, Heimlich The Donut, was published in 2010 by Pudding House Publications. He also published several chapbooks, including Love & Food By-Products, Why Should I Suffer Alone?, and Slubberdegullion Blues in a previous century.