Shabdaguchha, the Current Issue

Contributors:

Abu Sayeed Obaidullah
Arun Sen
Asad Chowdhury
Ashis Das
Austin Alexis
Bob Heman
Bruce Weber
George Spencer
Hal Sirowitz
Hassanal Abdullah
Jahed Ahmed
JD Rage
Laila Ferdous Etu
Larissa Shmailo
Linda Lerner
Lori Rappaport
Madeline Artenberg
Mahmudul Haque
Matin Raihan
Michael Graves
Naznin Seamon
Partha Banerjee
Ptr Kozlowski
Rizwanul Islam Rudra
Robert Dunn
Robert Trabold
Sambhu Rakshit
Stanley H. Barkan
Stephen Stepanchev
Thomas Fucaloro
Tom Obrzut
Yuko Otomo
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Nomination for the Pushcart Prize

The editor of Shabdaguchha, Hassanal Abdullah has been nominated for the 2009 Pushcart Prize. He was nominated for his poem, When God is Dead, by Tammy Nuzzo-Morgan, the editor of Long Island Sound: An Anthology of Poetry( The North Sea Poetry Scene Press, 2008). In a letter to Hassanal Abdullah, she wrote, "Your poem is an outstanding piece and is worthy of such an award."

The New Consulting Editor of Shabdaguchha

Poet Leigh Harrison has been appointed to be the Consulting Editor of Shabdaguchha. She is the author of Tour de Farce (New Spirit Press, 1996, reissued by WordCrew in 2007) and Our Harps Upon the Willows (Cross-Cultural Communications, 1999). Ms. Harrison was the Associate Editor of Medicinal Purposes Literary Review. As a musician and songwriter, she has written hundreds of songs, taught songwriting, and released Leigh Harrison / Eclectic Chanteuse (SongCrew Music) in 2003.
With this appointment, Ms. Harrison has become the successor of Robert Dunn who recently died in a heart attack.

Back to Issue 41_42

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Issue 41/42 : July - December, 2008 : Volume 11 No 1/2

A Selection From the 14th Alternative New Year's Day Poetry Reading

Cover Art by Mahmudul Haque

Editorial:

1.
The world witnessed a history making election through which an emerging political giant, Barack Obama, was elected as the 44th president of the United States. It was such an election in which everyone, regardless the race and gender, participated in one way or another. Not only the US citizens, but the people from every part of the world somehow got interested in the process and inspired by the promises that made a huge move to elect a moderately young, energetic and intelligent man as the next leader of the country that is, in fact, the supreme power of the present world. There were no Papers in any corner of the world that did not draw the headline on the election, no coffee shops where people did not talk about the change that was coming and no educational academies where educators were not touched by the overwhelming involvement of the young voters. Even people who did not like politics for long, got involved and made sure that others would do the same. So, at the time when we thought that democracy was not working any more, it was not talking about the change that middle-class people needed to have; in the course of a few months, we, on the other hand, found hope to turn it over and got energy to move forward. We were convinced that it might be the turning point in the democratic process which have rescued the whole system, that valued experience over talent for centuries.
Now, in the literary field, we do believe that young people are the key of change. They are the force that creates new eras and brings a new standard over the old establishment. They are the ones who always have the guts to walk through a newly built road that is claimed to be their own. This newly built road takes us far, deep into the future where we would not be able to reach without the fresh energy of the young participants. We hope that politicians would also realize the fact and there would be more leaders in every corner of the planet, especially, in the so called third world, to bring change that is needed to bridge the future, that is needed to fill the gap, that is needed to secure the universe from the hand of the people who are not only greedy, but also occupied with their own ignorance and dominating ideas. So, let there be more Obamas in every sector of our social, political, cultural and literary world. As human beings, we proved that we could overcome all types of obstacles and miseries. We did it in the past, we have done it again, and we will continue to do it in the future.

2.
We are deeply shocked by the death of one of our colleagues, Robert Dunn, the consulting editor of Shabdaguchha and the founder of Poet to Poet. Robert was a fine man, a good friend and an inspirational figure for many. We hope to keep his literary estate alive.

3.
This issue of Shabdaguchha is pleased to present a selection of the poems read at the 2008 New Year’s Day Alternative event at Bowery Poetry Club organized by Bruce Weber. We express our gratitude to all the readers who submitted their work and thank Bruce for helping us in the selection process.
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Stephen Stepanchev

When I Died

When I died, my ancestors slept on.
Not one of them awoke to welcome me.
Moss had erased their names and dates on stone.
And, yes, all things on earth remained the same—
Notions and selves and ant condominiums.
And, yes, I heard the creak of galaxies
Playing the dice of hot reality.
And, yes, I saw my long-predicted soul
Rush wildly to the sky, just like the gas
That rises from an exploding inner tube.