Tag Archives: Nualláin House

Limited Edition: Carbon Data

Carbon Data

By Pat Nolan

 

carbon dataCarbon Data is a limited edition poetry selection published by Last Cookie Press in 2008, bound with 60# granite grey cover stock in the Japanese four-hole style.  35 pages, 8.5×5.5 

The poems in Carbon Data first appeared in Fell Swoop, Tight, Exquisite Corpse, Smelt Money, Kickass Review, Watching The Wheels: A Blackbird, Court Green, and Otolith as well as in volumes of selected poetry including Fly By Night (1992), The Nolan Anthology Of Poetry, Vol. II (2003), and Later (2007).  

Pat Nolan’s poetry and prose have been published in numerous magazines including Rolling Stone, The Paris Review, The World, Big Bridge, Poetry Flash, and Exquisite Corpse as well as literary magazines in Europe and Asia.  He is the author of fifteen books of poetry, including LATER from On The Fly Press (2007).  

This limited edition is still available for $10 plus shipping.  Get free shipping when you purchase a copy of either On The Road to Las Cruces or The Last Resort along with Carbon Data.  Click here to preview a pdf facsimile of  CARBON DATA 2008

Limited Edition: Random Rocks

Random Rocks

Haikai No Renga

By The Miner School of Haikai Poets

randrksfcRandom Rocks is a limited edition haikai no renga (linked verse) published by Bamboo Leaf Studio in 2007.  The size of the edition was linked to the number of stanzas in a kasen, a standard renga length employed by Basho and his disciples, and in the memorializing of the 36 immortal poets of Japanese literature.  Random Rocks measures 5.5x 7 (14x17cm), is hand sewn in the Japanese side stitch style, bound in heavy green chiri paper, momogami binding strips and features Japanese silk screen end papers.  The edition was divided evenly among the four haikai poets to distribute as they saw fit.                                                                                        

The Miner School of Haikai Poets have engaged in the practice of haikai no renga over a period of thirty years, written primarily through the mail and more recently, email.  They are Pat Nolan, Keith Kumasen Abbott, Michael Sowl and Maureen Owen. The Miner School’s haikai have been published in numerous magazine including Hanging Loose, Exquisite Corpse, Jack’s Magazine, Big Bridge, and Simply Haiku as well as in limited edition chapbooks and broadsides from Empty Head Press, Bamboo Leaf Studio, and Tangram Press.  Their kasen, All Ears, was included in Saints Of Hysteria, an anthology celebrating collaboration, from Soft Skull Press (2007).   

One of the unique features of Miner School haikai is that it includes a running commentary by the authors on each of their own stanzas as well as a stab at their collaborators’ links.  It functions in a way similar to commentary provided as a special features audio track on a DVD.  The introductory essay to another kasen, Bamboo Greeting, published in Simply Haiku (2008), further details some of the unconventional methods practiced by The Miner School of Haikai Poets.  

Haikai no renga is a form of renga (Japanese linked verse) practiced by Basho (1644-1694) and his disciples.  It consists of a 17 syllable verse and a 14 syllable verse provided in turn by the poets engaged in the collaboration.  In linking verses, a 31 syllable poem is produced, the latter verse of which (the 17 or the 14 syllable) will go on to join the next in the sequence to form its own unique poem, and so on until the requisite number of stanzas has been achieved.  Renga sequences can number into the hundreds.  Basho favored the economy of 36 stanzas.  Renku is diminutive for haikai no renga also known as haikai.  The more renowned Japanese verse form, haiku, is derived from the practice of amassing numerous hokku to vie for the privilege of opening a moon-viewing-sake-sipping evening of friendly literary collaborations.   Renga itself is derived from the courtly form of poetry exchanged by the aristocracy as exemplified in Lady Murasaki’s 11th Century The Tale Of Genji.  The rules of the composition for renga and haikai no renga are complicated and arcane, but like those of chess or go can be captivating and stimulating.  

For more on the intriguing subject of Japanese Linked Verse, see Earl Miner’s Japanese Linked Poetry (Princeton, 1979), Hiroaki Sato’s One Hundred Frogs (Weatherhill, 1983), and Haruo Shirane’s Traces Of Dreams (Stanford, 1998). 

A pdf facsimile of RandomRocks 2007can be found here.

 

 

 

 

Terms, Conditions & Categories

Nualláin − (pronounced Noo-al-ayne) Celtic for the family name, Nolan, meaning noble or famous.  The Irish writer Brian O’Nualláin was also known as Brian O’Nolan, as well as by his most famous pseudonym, Flann O’Brien, author of At Swim-Two-Birds, The Third Policeman and The Dalkey Archives.
House – a business organization of like minded folk, kindred in their interest in the creative, bringing together years of experience in writing, self-publishing, book design, and book selling under one roof, peaked, in the shape of an open book (see logo on the masthead).
Publishers – a business or profession intent on making available literature of a particular genre, be it fiction, poetry or non-fiction, and often entered into more for personal satisfaction than financial gain.  The year 2011 marked the centennial of Brian O’Nualláin’s birth, a fitting beginning for Nualláin House, Publishers, and the publication of ON THE ROAD TO LAS CRUCES, A Novel Account of The Last Day In The Life of A Legendary Western Lawman by Pat Nolan (November, 2011).  Nualláin House, Publishers, will proceed on the assumption that what appeals to the editors might well appeal to other reasonably literate, intellectually curious readers.
Fiction – that which is made up, imaginatively, under the assumptions of possibility more than its probability irrespective of the truth; in short, fanciful lies.  Under the heading of fanciful lies, coming soon: THE LAST RESORT, A Lee Malone Adventure by Pat Nolan (August, 2012).
Poetry – the evil of banality.
Non-Fiction – not fiction.
Whimsy – capricious, eccentric, unpredictable and erratic (see Quirky).
Quirky – an abrupt twist or curve, idiosyncratic (see Whimsy).
Future – that which has the potential of occurring but has yet to occur and which will come to pass through the present however at a point in time yet to be determined.  Or to repurpose Rabelais’ last words, the “vast perhaps.”  Future titles from Nualláin House, Publishers in the crime fiction/ neo-pulp genre include BLACK MASK, A Detective Story, A GOOD LOOKING CORPSE, GONE MISSING, and PH FACTORAlso under the “vast perhaps” heading, selected, collected poems, and limited editions.  All titles will eventually be issued as eBooks.  Blog posts of reviews, interviews and commentary by noted authors will be a feature of the Nualláin House, Publishers site as well.
eBooks – at present, the eBook format taxes the technologically challenged and DIY mentality of Nualláin House, Publishers’ production designer.  Suffice it to say, all titles will eventually be issued as eBooks (see Future).  In the meantime, pdf files of sample chapters and limited edition poetry books will be made available on a regular basis with the compliments of Nualláin House, Publishers (see Future, Sample Chapters, and Limited Editions).
Comments – while this site encourages feedback, the comments feature has been disabled.  If readers wish to register feedback and/or commentary, their responses are more than welcome via email or snail mail (see Contact).
Manuscripts – unsolicited manuscripts are discouraged.
Contact – nuallainhousepublishers@gmail.com or Nualláin House, Publishers  Box 798 Monte Rio, CA 95462
Sample Chapters – sample chapters will be available as posts and as a feature of that title’s page.
Expectations – Great.  However, many years of experience in the literary world (see House) has demonstrated the need for caution in this category.
FacebookNualláin House, Publishers has a Facebook page.  Tell your Facebook friends.
Limited Editions – In the months to come (see Future), Nualláin House, Publishers will make available pdf files of rare and limited editions of poetry books from such presses as Re:Issue Press, On The Fly Press, Last Cookie Press, Editions de Jacob, Bamboo Studio, Empty Head Press, Egret Moon, and Not My Hat Press featuring such titles as Fly By Night, Later, Carbon Data, Intellectual Pretensions, Thin Wings, Untouched By Rain, Ah Bolinas!, Exile In Paradise, and Jacks Or Better.
POS – the Nualláin House, Publishers site remains the primary point of sale.  Titles are available at their advertised price plus $5 shipping & handling.  Institutional, bookstore, and cash discounts are available upon inquiry.  Orders can be placed through email or via the postal address (see Contact).  Make checks or money orders payable to ‘Pat Nolan.’
Copyright – all material on the Nualláin House, Publishers site is copyright © byNualláin House, Publishers or by its specific authors and may not be used or reproduced without the express permission of the copyright holder.

 

 

 

 

 

ON THE ROAD TO LAS CRUCES

ON THE ROAD TO LAS CRUCES; Being A Novel Account of The Last Day In The Life of A Legendary Western Lawman

by Pat Nolan

Available Now from Nualláin House, Publishers  Box 798 Monte Rio, CA 95462   $16.99 + $5.00 shipping and handling

Pat Nolan’s first published novel, On The Road To Last Cruces; Being A Novel Account of The Last Day In The Life of A Legendary Western Lawman is the story of youthful bravado and an old man’s regret, and as much a dusty tale of buffalo hunts and shoot-outs as a politically driven “whodunit.”

Steeped in the lore of Western radio dramas, cliff-hanging serials, B Oaters, pulp shoot-em ups, and a steady diet of prime-time horse operas, it seems only fitting that Pat Nolan would have distilled his adolescent exposure into a seminal prose of understatement.  The violence in a man’s life, linked by subtle segues, passes as something not particularly unusual.  The consequences are not always evident on a path drawn by blind fate.  Nor is the identity of the Western lawman immediately apparent, as is obviously the author’s intent.  For those familiar with gunfighter sagas, catching the drift will be easy.

Pat Nolan starts right off by telling us what is going to happen, he then lays out the circumstances to what is about to happen, and finally we are privy to the last moment and its irresolution. Along the way, when the tools of law include deadly force, there are bound to be killings.  However there are no showdowns, no heroics, no fancy horsemanship, no arduous adversity, merely pain and regret, bitterness and rancor, and the consequences of another misstep.  It is a tragedy that lends itself to allegory.  It is lament as well as praise for a misunderstood legend of the Southwest.

            On The Road To Las Cruces is a work of fiction tethered loosely to historical fact.  It is the story of the relationship between two men, one garrulous, the other taciturn, the Mutt and Jeff of the old Southwest, and the tradition of storytelling and the authoring of ‘true’ accounts.  What is related on the road to Las Cruces is as much a retelling of some history as it is how such a retelling might come about, and is represented in the manner of a tall tale, the deadpan details of a crime story, melodrama, and a conspiracy to murder.

November, 2011 ~ $16.99 ~ 154 pages ~  978-0-9840310-1-6

Sample Chapters On The Road To Las Cruces Chapter 6  On The Road To Las Cruces Chapter 21   Author’s Note                       

“. . . a real old-fashioned Western.  Page-turner.  There are all sorts of funny sly mixes in the story, good Nolan humor, great repartee. . . .”
– Andrei Codrescu, NPR commentator and author of Whatever Gets You Through The Night.

“Pat Nolan is not only one of our finest living poets. . . but now surprises with a prose paean to the West.  Whatever Pat writes deserves to be read and remembered.”
– Barry Gifford, author of Wild At Heart and Sailor And Lula               

“. . . delight in the narrative style.  [T]ruly vivid. . . .  The book is damn good.”
– Eric Johnson, poet and master printer, Iota Press

“Pat Nolan has added a fresh chapter to our Western lore with this fine, crackling tale.”
– Bart Schneider, author of Nameless Dame and The Man In The Blizzard

“On the Road to Las Cruces takes us on a twilight journey through frontier history.  Nolan’s adroit and stylish prose intertwines death, betrayal, greed and conspiracy as each claims its victims.”
– Keith Abbott, author of Downstream From Trout Fishing In America