Thursday, June 5, 2025

GAS Featured Poet: Ivan Pozzoni



Ivan Pozzoni was born in Monza in 1976. He introduced Law and Literaturein Italy and the publication of essays on Italian philosophers and on the ethics and juridical theory of the ancient world; He collaborated with several Italian and international magazines. Between 2007 and 2018, different versions of the books were published: Underground and Riserva Indiana, with A&B Editrice, Versi IntroversiMostriGalata morenteCarmina non dant damenScarti di magazzinoHere the Austrians are more severe than the Bourbons, Cherchez the troika. et The Invective Disease with Limina Mentis,Lame da rasoi, with Joker, Il Guastatore, with Cleup, Patroclo non deve morire, with deComporre Edizioni. He was the founder and director of the literary magazine Il Guastatore – «neon»-avant-garde notebooks; he was the founder and director of the literary magazine L'Arrivista; he is the editor and chef of the international philosophical magazine Información Filosófica; he is, or has been, creator of the series Esprit (Limina Mentis), Nidaba (Gilgamesh Edizioni) and Fuzzy (deComporre). It contains a fortnight of autogérées socialistes edition houses. He wrote 150 volumes, wrote 1000 essays, founded an avant-garde movement (NéoN-avant-gardisme, approved by Zygmunt Bauman), with a millier of movements, and wrote an Anti-manifesto NéoN-Avant-gardiste. This is mentioned in the main university manuals of literature history, philosophical history and in the main volumes of literary criticism. His book La malattia invettiva wins Raduga, mention of the critique of Montano et Strega. He is included in the Atlas of contemporary Italian poetsof the University of Bologne and figures à plusieurs reprized in the great international literature review of Gradiva. His verses are translated into French, English and Spanish. In 2024, after six years of total retrait of academic studies, he return to the Italian artistic world and melts the NSEAE Kolektivne (New socio/ethno/aesthetic anthropology).



IGNOTE TOMB


Corpse No. 2,
the shadow of the wave reflected in my right retina,
hands clenched to grasp Mediterranean sands
worn under red surfing bermudas.
Corpse n.7,
muffled screaming attempts at the pit of my stomach
Marrakech hash maps in my pockets,
scanty dirhams sown between my purse and trousers,
led me to the mouth of the abyss.
Corpse No. 12,
‘Eloi, Eloi, lemà sabactàni’,
I don't remember who was shouting it to whom
not being written in the Koran:
I too died invoking it in vain.
Corpse No. 18,
retreating on the roads between the dunes of Misrata,
in thirsty slalom between friendly and enemy missiles,
and dying of water.
Corpse No 20,
although nomads, like me, sway
on desert ships, detonated fluids,
never will they get used to drowning.
Every grave of the unknown migrant
whispers that it is hard to embrace
a death that comes from the sea.



Thursday, May 29, 2025

Collaborations With Poet/Photographer Jerome Berglund


 Jerome Berglund has worked as everything from dishwasher to paralegal, night watchman to assembler of heart valves. Many haiku, haiga and haibun he’s written have been exhibited or are forthcoming online and in print, most recently in bottle rockets, Frogpond, Kingfisher, and Presence. His first full-length collections of poetry were released by Setu, Meat For Tea, Mōtus Audāx press, and a mixed media chapbook showcasing his fine art photography is available now from Yavanika.


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Christina Chin

& Jerome Berglund

 

 

snow flurries –

 

nature through a window

same actors

different costumes

 

our pony buggy stops

 

snowbirds 

flock the red holly

pigeons on the ground 

 

by the inn

 

rabbit across sheet cake

placed

at a disadvantage

 







primeval forest

crowd unsuspecting 

slasher whirls like dervish

 

     between two Amazons

     wander hungry ghosts

 

Jerome Berglund

    & petro c.k.








Thursday, May 22, 2025

GAS Featured Musician and Poet: San Lin Tun


Belinda: When I first started getting bio info on you all I saw was your accomplishments as a writer. I have only heard your music.  Do you, in fact, play a guitar?



San:  Yes, I do. I play an acoustic guitar. I would like to create my own instrumentals. My debut instrumental album titled “Acoustic Recital” came out in 2024. A mini-album with my lyrics recently came out in early 2025.My music career is only three years old because I decided to be an acoustic guitarist in early 2023 while I started writing career in 2000.  






I have published over a dozen English books including “Reading a George Orwell Novel in a Myanmar Teashop and Other Essays” “An English Writer (novel)” “A Shirt and Other Poems” and my recent one is a publication of Penguin SEA and its title is Yangon Days.







Belinda: I don’t think you’ve ever posted written work in GAS.  At the end of these question please post at least two of your best poems.


San: No, I don’t. But, my instrumental appeared in GAS 20. 



Belinda: Which came first, the writing or the music?


San:  Actually, the music came first because I began playing the guitar when I was in my middle school days in 1987. I learnt to play the guitar firstly from my neighbor who had an acoustic

guitar. He taught me some basic chords such as C major, A minor, E minor and G major. Using those chords, I could play some Myanmar songs. Later, in our three-month long summer holidays, I took up a short guitar course with Ko Myo Sint to whom I came to know through a music instruments rental service in an uptown ward. KMS was a lawyer by profession, but he could also play the guitar well. He taught me the basic rhythm patterns and more chords. Luckily, when I was in my high school days in 1990s, I had a classmate who was interested in playing classical guitar and we became close friends. We met often at his place, practicing and playing classical guitars. Through him, I came to know Salai Zalyan, the legendary bassist of ACES music band and we both studied music with him. Also, we learnt playing the guitar from Ko Myo Tun, another legendary lead guitarist of The WILD ONES music band. In fact, I had another guitar instructor whose name is Aung Ko Ko who taught me music notations, and music theories. That time, heavy metal was very popular among youths and I had a great admiration for those speed guitarists such as Joe Satriani, Paul Gilbert, Richie Sambora, etc. Not only heavy metal, I also like rock, Spanish, blues and jazz too..



Belinda: I read that you are a translator.  What languages do you translate to and from?


San: Yes, I am a bilingual writer. My native tongue is Myanmar and so, I translate Myanmar works into English and English into Myanmar.



Belinda:Yangon, Myanmar seems to influence your work a lot. Is this the place of your birth and where you still live?  Have you traveled and worked in other countries? If so, where and what did you do?


San: Yangon is my birthplace, and I live downtown in which there are many heritage buildings. And famous international writers such as Rudyard Kipling, Somerset Maugham, H.G Wells, Pablo Neruda, George Orwell, etc visited and lived in Rangoon (the former name of Yangon). Those literary luminaries are my inspiration. I haven’t traveled other countries. 


In 2013, I participated in a literary project called H2 project organized by British Council and I became a short story writing instructor to conduct a short story writing workshop. Later, the first time ethnic short story book both in Myanmar and English was published locally and in U.K in 2015. In the meantime, I became a licensed tour guide after attending TTS (Tourism Training School) in 2018. Since then, I showed people around literary spots in downtown Yangon in which there are many heritage buildings. I feel quite happy to show people around those places. At the same time, I worked locally as a freelance contributor for local newspapers, journal and magazines such as Myanmar Times, Myanmore, My Yangon Magazine, Home and Service Journal, etc.I also submit my writings to literary magazines in the Asia Pacific Region, UK, and U.S such as Asia Literary Review, Kitaab, Mekong Review, Borderless Journal, etc.



 



A MONTH AWAY FROM MAY

Heat comes uninvitingly,

even more blatantly, patronizingly,

though rain should be amiably let in.


There is no choice,

as vox pop say,

It is best to accept what it is.


What will be for those

who could not afford A.C fully on,

who live in destitute and distress?


Blaring, prickling, scorching,

sweating, suffocating, nuseating,

cursing, swearing, complaining, withal condemning . . .


But, it is still in May,

just sporadic rumbling, thundering,

just signs they are.


Rain seems still far away,

though its only a month away,

to usher in a monsoon paragon damsel.




TO THE MAN WHO LIVED IN 29TH STREET


He who loved Yangon streets, not because Frasercitys plan,

Nor Lord Dalhousies dreams; simply, he fell in love with the 

cosmopolitan city.

What he found in it was amazing, he said to his best friend,

That there are treasures hidden in these streets,

Digging those up when he had a chance.


Among other things, authors like Rudyard Kipling,

George Orwell, Pablo Neruda, Paul Theroux, Ludu Sein Win,

And Aung Cheit

Inspired him greatly while he was living in Yangon.

He really loved the literary life, and being an author,

He even managed to finish his doctorate in creative writing.


He walked freely in the maze of streets, wide and small,

Slinging his red bag on his left shoulder, with his panama hat,

his Apple laptop and quick-to-smile expression,

Making friends with locals, no discriminations towards age or

gender,

He loved chatting, joking, philosophizing, and venturing,

A true global citizen and down-to-earth personality.


In his neighborhood in 29th Street, he was known as Mr Bob”,

And well-liked by his friends and peers, showing their 

willingness,

And comfort in his association; they saw humor in him, and

a quick wit,

He made their existence more meaningful and strengthened 

their identity.

To them, he was a sensible, true man.


Among his fascinations were Art House movies, 

Also, Raymond Carvers books; he had a liking for old books,

Post-cards, and posters which he managed to revive again,

On the stagnant walls of residents, expats and locals alike, 

With his creative sense, and human touch.


Among his many successes is Walking the Streets of Yangon”,

Which has become the Bible to those who like to explore the 

citys life, 

He embossed his name in the city of Yangon, fully living in it,

Never wasting his time, always exploring and discovering,

He is remembered, not just on 29th Street, not just in Yangon.