Footnotes To Algebra
Eileen R. Tabios is a prolific poet. In the past 14 years, she has released 16 print, four electronic and 1 CD poetry collections, an art essay collection, a poetry essay/interview anthology, a short story book and a novel. Yet these prior book releases do not capture the extent of her output. Spurred by the forthcoming release of her first Selected Poems project (THE THORN ROSARY, Spring 2010), she decided to look through her haphazard files and within hours was able to put together FOOTNOTES TO ALGEBRA, a new book from previously-uncollected poems written since 1995. These include a special trio of poems from a summer spent hangin' out with Philip Lamantia, the poem Pygmalion's Embrace which is a de facto architectural plan for a physical poetic space she is creating in Napa Valley terrain, her first (and so far only) translation of a poem into her birth tongue Ilokano, ekphrastic baby poems, the poem Justice through which she'd achieved a goal of garnering for her wine cellar a jeroboam of the Judds Hill Winery cabernet by winning its annual poetry contest, and the series Girl Singing which generated 141 multi-genre responses or translations from 37 poets worldwide to create the anthology 1000 Views of Girl Singing edited by John Bloomberg-Rissman and released by Leafe Press (U.K.). While the poems in this manuscript do not represent 100% of Ms. Tabios' previously uncollected poems (she's lost track of many poems through a poor filing system and a messy global e-desk), they provide an indication of the depth of the poet's commitment. The poet also hopes the new book is a source of reading pleasure. "Triptych for Philip" burns with love for the late great San Francisco poet Philip Lamantia. Written during the summer of 2001 when Tabios spent much time with Lamantia, the three poems prove that a meeting between poets can spark an incandescent fire of imagination. Rich with taken-from-life details and Tabios' own insights and images, "Triptych for Philip" marvelously evokes Lamantia's exceptional energy and spirit. ¡Viva Philip Lamantia! ¡Viva Eileen Tabios! --Steven Fama.
