Moonrise Press - News and Events
Read About our Books on Moonrise Press Blog:
Deszczowy Chleb - 40 poems from The Rainy Bread by Trochimczyk (2024)
Celebrating Modjeska in California by Maja Trochimczyk (2023)
Praise for Bright Skies by Escoubas, Hitt, Galasso, Skiles (Feb 2023)
Pushcart Prize Nominations for 2022 from Crystal Fire and Bright Skies
50th Anniversary Album of Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club, 2021
We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology edited by Trochimczyk & Hitt (Sept. 2020)
An Alphabet of Birds by Toti O'Brien Explores Nature in the Garden (Oct. 2020)
Deszczowy Chleb - 40 poems from The Rainy Bread by Trochimczyk (2024)
Celebrating Modjeska in California by Maja Trochimczyk (2023)
Praise for Bright Skies by Escoubas, Hitt, Galasso, Skiles (Feb 2023)
Pushcart Prize Nominations for 2022 from Crystal Fire and Bright Skies
50th Anniversary Album of Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club, 2021
We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology edited by Trochimczyk & Hitt (Sept. 2020)
An Alphabet of Birds by Toti O'Brien Explores Nature in the Garden (Oct. 2020)
Alchemy of Words - A New Poetry Book by Ella Czajkowska (September 2024)
The "Alchemy of Words" is the first English-language poetry book of Ella Czajkowska who previously published a book of poems in Polish. These 70 poems deal with themes of nature, divinity, human emotions, existential contemplation and the complexities of life. The poems explore the beauty and terror of natural world, the fleeting nature of joy, the struggles of existence, and the interplay of love and hate. Through vivid imagery and entrancing verse, the poems evoke a sense of wonder and introspection. They invite readers to an adventure of exploring human experience, reflecting upon the intricacies of life and the power of language and art. According to Piotr D. Siemion, Ph.D., a Polish-American writer and essayist, “Ella Czajkowska ushers a voice of sublime sincerity into our increasingly outlandish human realm.”
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-80-1, paperback, 98 pages, $22.00.
Ella Czajkowska's love of creative writing was born in high school, where she first wrote poetry and short stories. In 2015, Ella started to write poetry in both Polish and English, and from 2017 she writes only in English. Her book of Polish language poetry, entitled “Tam, gdzie umierają marzenia”, was published in Rzeszów by Sowello in 2019. Her English-language poems appeared in the California Quarterly and the Crystal Fire anthology (Moonrise Press, 2022). She was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2022 by the California State Poetry Society for her poem "The Calling”. A graduate of two music schools, Elzbieta learned to play piano, clarinet, and percussion—piano remains her favorite instrument to this day. A true Renaissance person with a wide range of interests, talents, and knowledge, she was born in Warsaw, Poland and lives in Los Angeles, California.
Deszczowy chleb. Wiersze z wygnania - 40 poems in Polish from Trochimczyk's The Rainy Bread (2024)
Moonrise Press issued a Polish translation and revision of 40 poems from Maja Trochimczyk's The Rainy Bread of 2021; in two format, paperback and E-book in PDF Format (the latter available only on lulu.com due to the presence of Polish fonts other ebook format are not supported by the distributor).
Ebook. ISBN 978-1-945938-78-8, PDF, 68 pages, $10.00
Paperback. ISBN 978-1-945938-77-1, 68 pages, 40 poems, $20.00
The book contains Polish translations of 40 poems from Maja Trochimczyk's volume of poetry, "The Rainy Bread: More Poems from Exile." Published in 2021 (first edition in 2016), the collection of 63 poems describes the tragic experiences of Poles during and after WWII, especially the author's family, originating from the country's eastern Borderlands (Baranowicze and the surrounding areas). Some poems capture the trauma, resilience, ordeals, and miraculous survival stories of the author’s immediate family. Their experiences of displacement, hunger, cold, and poverty during the war are typical of Polish civilians. They were killed, deported, imprisoned, or starved after the invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union on September 17, 1939.. They were deported to Siberia, the Arctic Circle, or Kazakhstan. Some left the Soviet Union with the Second Corps of the Polish Army under the command of General Władysław Anders. Others were transported to refugee camps in India or Africa; and ended up in Argentina, Canada, Australia or the U.S. The focus is not the tragedy itself, but the power of will, the resilience, and the strength of character that safeguarded their survival. The English-language book is an expanded edition of "The Rainy Bread: Poems from Exile" (30 poems, 2016) and a companion to "Slicing the Bread" (25 poems, 2014).
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Dramaty Zebrane. Collected Plays. Tom 2. Volume 2. Teatr Niezgody. Theater of Discord by Kazimierz Braun
ISBN 978-1-945938-67-2 E-book, PDF format, $10.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-66-5, hardcover, 312 pages, $60.00
"Dramaty Zebrane. Collected Plays. Teatr Niezgody. The Theater of Discord" is the second volume of a bilingual collection of dramas by Kazimierz Braun. It contains five plays in Polish and English recounting stories about people who did not agree to enslavement, to restraining human freedom in both spiritual and practical dimensions, including political considerations. "The Wind of Independence" presents the struggle for the liberation of the city of Tarnów from the unwanted rule of Austria in 1918, when Poland regained its independence after 123 years of being divided between Austria, Russia and Prussia. The author's family played a vital role in the independence movement. The play "Lanckorońska" tells the story of Karolina Lanckorońska’s opposition to totalitarian regimes—the Soviet’s and the Nazis’—during World War II. The heroine, a noted art historian and a Polish patriot of the highest ethical standards, became a soldier in the underground Polish Home Army and was incarcerated by both hostile invaders. "The Internees" and "The Boycott" are a testimony to the resistance of Poles against the introduction of martial law in 1981, a totalitarian action ostensibly designed to protect the country from a potential Soviet invasion, but actually having a purpose of destroying the anti-communist opposition and ending the peaceful revolution of the Solidarity movement. Both plays present a range of moral choices made by their protagonists, including heroes and cowards, patriots and traitors. Finally, "The Quarantine" depicts the resistance to the enslavement imposed on people in the times of the so-called global “pandemic” of the 2020s, that was nothing but a global power grab by enemies of humanity. While focusing on different periods of Polish history, "The Boycott" and "The Quarantine" portray moral dilemmas and difficult choices to be made by actors, faced with options of either resisting or succumbing to economic and political challenges imposed on their careers by totalitarian government policies.
ISBN 978-1-945938-66-5, hardcover, 312 pages, $60.00
"Dramaty Zebrane. Collected Plays. Teatr Niezgody. The Theater of Discord" is the second volume of a bilingual collection of dramas by Kazimierz Braun. It contains five plays in Polish and English recounting stories about people who did not agree to enslavement, to restraining human freedom in both spiritual and practical dimensions, including political considerations. "The Wind of Independence" presents the struggle for the liberation of the city of Tarnów from the unwanted rule of Austria in 1918, when Poland regained its independence after 123 years of being divided between Austria, Russia and Prussia. The author's family played a vital role in the independence movement. The play "Lanckorońska" tells the story of Karolina Lanckorońska’s opposition to totalitarian regimes—the Soviet’s and the Nazis’—during World War II. The heroine, a noted art historian and a Polish patriot of the highest ethical standards, became a soldier in the underground Polish Home Army and was incarcerated by both hostile invaders. "The Internees" and "The Boycott" are a testimony to the resistance of Poles against the introduction of martial law in 1981, a totalitarian action ostensibly designed to protect the country from a potential Soviet invasion, but actually having a purpose of destroying the anti-communist opposition and ending the peaceful revolution of the Solidarity movement. Both plays present a range of moral choices made by their protagonists, including heroes and cowards, patriots and traitors. Finally, "The Quarantine" depicts the resistance to the enslavement imposed on people in the times of the so-called global “pandemic” of the 2020s, that was nothing but a global power grab by enemies of humanity. While focusing on different periods of Polish history, "The Boycott" and "The Quarantine" portray moral dilemmas and difficult choices to be made by actors, faced with options of either resisting or succumbing to economic and political challenges imposed on their careers by totalitarian government policies.
Dramaty Zebrane. Collected Plays. Tom 1. Vol. 1 by Kazimierz Braun (April 2024)
Hardcover: ISBN 978-1-945938-62-7 ($60). Paperback: ISBN 978-1-945938-63-4 ($40), ISBN 978-1-945938-64-1 (eBook, PDF format, $10).
Moonrise Press is pleased to present the first of four volumes of Braun - Plays, Vol. 1, Collected Plays by Kazimierz Braun, containing his plays for one actress and one actor, in a bilingual, Polish and English edition and a large format (8.5 by 11, 364 pages), hardcover and paperback. Collected Plays Volume 1, Plays for One Actor, is the first volume of dramas by Kazimierz Braun in a bilingual, Polish-English edition. It contains two dramas for an actress and five for an actor. "Emigrant Queen" tells the story of the fate and journey of the great actress Helena Modrzejewska (Modjeska), a star of Polish and American stages in the second half of the 19th century. "Hollywood Means Sacred Forest" depicts the attempts of a Polish actress to make a career in America in the 1980’s. The texts about Tadeusz Kościuszko, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Saint Maximilian Kolbe are biographical dramas about these great Poles who—each in their own field—had a huge impact on the course of Polish history, its literature and culture, as well as Polish spirituality; they also made their mark on history in its broadest sense.
Moonrise Press is pleased to present the first of four volumes of Braun - Plays, Vol. 1, Collected Plays by Kazimierz Braun, containing his plays for one actress and one actor, in a bilingual, Polish and English edition and a large format (8.5 by 11, 364 pages), hardcover and paperback. Collected Plays Volume 1, Plays for One Actor, is the first volume of dramas by Kazimierz Braun in a bilingual, Polish-English edition. It contains two dramas for an actress and five for an actor. "Emigrant Queen" tells the story of the fate and journey of the great actress Helena Modrzejewska (Modjeska), a star of Polish and American stages in the second half of the 19th century. "Hollywood Means Sacred Forest" depicts the attempts of a Polish actress to make a career in America in the 1980’s. The texts about Tadeusz Kościuszko, Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Henryk Sienkiewicz, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and Saint Maximilian Kolbe are biographical dramas about these great Poles who—each in their own field—had a huge impact on the course of Polish history, its literature and culture, as well as Polish spirituality; they also made their mark on history in its broadest sense.
Call for Submissions of Poems to a New Ekphrastic Anthology Genuine SW Blue - by 4 April 2024
Moonrise Press will publish a collection of ekhprastic poems inspired by the work of Slawek Wisniewski, especially his Genuine Yves Klein Blue series. Poets are now asked to submit their work by email to maja@moonrisepress.com, with 150-word bio. English and other languages with English translations. Poems up to 48 lines, previously unpublished or with publication details enclosed, will be considered. Haiku, haibun and tanka submissions are welcome. Poets may write about one or more paintings reproduced on this blog. The collection is edited by Maja Trochimczyk. Payment to poets will be one copy of the published book. A reading will take place in June 2024. The painting above, in Genuine Yves Klein Blue is entitled a ritroso dal passato... and bears an inscription translated on the back. Information about the artist is below. The book will be published in paperback and ebook versions. Images are found on the Moonrise Press Blog: https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2024/01/call-for-poems-for-ekphrastic.html
SLAWEK WISNIEWSKI
Born in 1959 in Poland, Wisniewski is an American artist, living in Southern California, Los Angeles area. He studied medicine in Poland (M.D. Diploma), however was always involved in the creative arts, mostly oil painting on canvas. His first shows date back to the 1980s (Honorata Gallery in Lodz, Poland). He is a member of Zwiazek Artystow Plastykow Rzeczypospolitej-Polska. Wisniewski successfully showed his art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was affiliated with the gallery ARSG for five years; he is currently represented by Saatchi Art Gallery, saatchiart.com. For several years, he worked with a group of NOHO-artists called EVA. His paintings in surrealist styles include trompe l'oeil still life imagery. Currently, he works on a series of paintings showing expressions of Los Angeles, using color for its emotional impact in his interpretations of the city. In new works he uses also scribbles, as automatic form , intuitive and emotional ,non-linguistic visual signs to display reference to landscape or semiotic expression of thoughts. There are also some lines of poetry chosen from Rilke. Some of the works are done in genuine Yves Klein Blue/IKB/.
SLAWEK WISNIEWSKI
Born in 1959 in Poland, Wisniewski is an American artist, living in Southern California, Los Angeles area. He studied medicine in Poland (M.D. Diploma), however was always involved in the creative arts, mostly oil painting on canvas. His first shows date back to the 1980s (Honorata Gallery in Lodz, Poland). He is a member of Zwiazek Artystow Plastykow Rzeczypospolitej-Polska. Wisniewski successfully showed his art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and was affiliated with the gallery ARSG for five years; he is currently represented by Saatchi Art Gallery, saatchiart.com. For several years, he worked with a group of NOHO-artists called EVA. His paintings in surrealist styles include trompe l'oeil still life imagery. Currently, he works on a series of paintings showing expressions of Los Angeles, using color for its emotional impact in his interpretations of the city. In new works he uses also scribbles, as automatic form , intuitive and emotional ,non-linguistic visual signs to display reference to landscape or semiotic expression of thoughts. There are also some lines of poetry chosen from Rilke. Some of the works are done in genuine Yves Klein Blue/IKB/.
Celebrating Modjeska in California: History of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club, December 2023
Celebrating Modjeska in California: History of Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club is a 440-page case study by Maja Trochimczyk of one Polonian organization, active since 1971, that reveals the interests, activities, successes and challenges of successive waves of Polish immigrants to America, especially the generation of the Displaced Persons (survivors and veterans of World War II, mostly interwar Polish intelligentsia), and of the Solidarity-era (activists of anti-communist movement, "tourists" who came to work and overstayed their visas, and creative/enterprising individuals seeking to further their careers). The book is dedicated to "all Polish émigrés and exiles dispersed throughout the world who remained faithful to the Polish language and culture, especially to all the volunteers of the Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club in Los Angeles, promoting Polish culture in California." This volume consists of ten chapters starting from a biography of the Club's patron, actress Helena Modjeska (1840-1909); a survey of Polish Americans and their organizations in California; and a biography of the Club's founder, actor Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetynski (1910-1989). Six chapters are dedicated to "eras" in the Club's history, from the Kingdom of Leonidas (1971-1978), through the times of Solidarity immigrants (1978-1989), the birth of the Third Republic of Poland (1989-1998), the period of stabilization and status quo (1998-2010), the arrival of new people and ideas (2010-2018), to surviving challenges (2018-2023). The tenth chapter is a summary with conclusions and recommendations. The book includes index and many illustrations from the archives of: Helena Modjeska Art & Culture Club, Polish Museum of America in Chicago, Valerie Dudarew-Ossetynska Hunken - the founder's daughter, American Council of Polish Culture (formerly "of Polish Cultural Clubs"), Institute of National Remembrance, Maja Trochimczyk, and other private and public archives. All net revenue is donated to the Modjeska Club. More information: https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2023/10/celebrating-modjeska-in-california-new.html
ISBN 978-1-945938-55-9;Paperback $125 ISBN 978-1-945938-56-6, hardcover $140.
ISBN 978-1-945938-55-9;Paperback $125 ISBN 978-1-945938-56-6, hardcover $140.
Michael Escoubas Praises the "Crystal Fire" Anthology in Quill and Parchment (April 2023)
Moonrise Press is very pleased to receive such a positive review of its new anthology "Crystal Fire. Poems of Joy and Wisdom" edited by Maja Trochimczyk and published in 2022. The review by Michael Escoubas was included in Quill & Parchment Vol. 262, April 2023 and is reprinted on Moonrise Press Blog and in California State Poetry Society's quarterly Poetry Letter in its entirety. It is even nicer that this issue commemorates the Poetry Month with a series of poems about great poetic masters of the English language. So it is a double honor - to be so praised and to be placed in such great company. http://quillandparchment.com/archives/April2023/vol262.html
Escoubas writes: "The book is illustrated by the multi-talented Ambika Talwar. One of her works precedes each featured poet’s contribution. I mentioned earlier that growing in Joy and Wisdom requires slowing down, taking a pause. Ambika’s paintings play a key role … they whisper Joy. [...] As I reflected on Ambika’s painting, paired with Marlene Hitt’s poems, something struck me: Painters and poets share similar concerns, namely, bringing Nature’s message of beauty and spirituality alive in people’s hearts. Da Vinci said it, Poets paint pictures with words; artists write poetry without words. [...] Before launching into the poems themselves, I was blessed by Maja Trochimczyk’s two and one-half page preface. This personally revealing summary of her motivations for giving birth to Crystal Fire is indispensable reading. In it she explains her use of "Crystal," and "Fire," in the title. Don't pass over this enlightened writing. I also appreciated reading the extended biographies of each poet at the end of the volume. Each contributor offers a unique take on the subject matter, thus adding a touch of virtuosity to the whole. In an age of vitriolic talk, of political and moral uncertainty, amid the dark clouds of Covid-19, Crystal Fire draws back the curtain on Love, Joy and yes, Wisdom. As art and poetry work together, I’ve come to an ever-deeper appreciation of Wallace Stevens’ very practical saying, “Poetry [and painting] is a response to the daily necessity of getting the world right.” I can’t help thinking that Maja Trochimczyk, Ambika Talwar, and the talented contributors to Crystal Fire would agree.
Escoubas writes: "The book is illustrated by the multi-talented Ambika Talwar. One of her works precedes each featured poet’s contribution. I mentioned earlier that growing in Joy and Wisdom requires slowing down, taking a pause. Ambika’s paintings play a key role … they whisper Joy. [...] As I reflected on Ambika’s painting, paired with Marlene Hitt’s poems, something struck me: Painters and poets share similar concerns, namely, bringing Nature’s message of beauty and spirituality alive in people’s hearts. Da Vinci said it, Poets paint pictures with words; artists write poetry without words. [...] Before launching into the poems themselves, I was blessed by Maja Trochimczyk’s two and one-half page preface. This personally revealing summary of her motivations for giving birth to Crystal Fire is indispensable reading. In it she explains her use of "Crystal," and "Fire," in the title. Don't pass over this enlightened writing. I also appreciated reading the extended biographies of each poet at the end of the volume. Each contributor offers a unique take on the subject matter, thus adding a touch of virtuosity to the whole. In an age of vitriolic talk, of political and moral uncertainty, amid the dark clouds of Covid-19, Crystal Fire draws back the curtain on Love, Joy and yes, Wisdom. As art and poetry work together, I’ve come to an ever-deeper appreciation of Wallace Stevens’ very practical saying, “Poetry [and painting] is a response to the daily necessity of getting the world right.” I can’t help thinking that Maja Trochimczyk, Ambika Talwar, and the talented contributors to Crystal Fire would agree.
Marlene Hitt's Second Poetry Book, Yellow Tree Alone. Selected Poems (March 2023)
Moonrise Press announces the publication of Marlene Hitt's second full-size poetry volume, Yellow Tree Alone. Selected Poems. Written between 1998 and 2022, these 129 poems bring together the fruit of a lifetime of wisdom and creativity. Some poems are reprinted from earlier publications; the poet's favorites have appeared in print several times. Others are either new or have never been published. The poems have been selected by Marlene Hitt, Alice Pero, and Maja Trochimczyk from Marlene's vast output of well-crafted and insightful verse. Alice organized poems into seven chapters, borrowing their titles from Marlene's poems: 1. That Silken Wisper, 2. Threads, 3. Along the Path, 4. Fallen Words, 5. Thunder under the Ground, 6. The Web, 7. Pillars of Motes. The title is borrowed from the last poem in the book, a description of a bright yellow tree, lonely in a vast empty field - a symbol of the loneliness of the poet, often misunderstood by those around her. It is a universal condition of every poet, every creative and inspired soul that reaches beyond the mundane, beyond their immediate surroundings, transmuting the chaff of experience into the gold of words. Marlene Hitt's poetry perfectly exemplifies this alchemy of creative craft. 182 pages (xviii pp. prefatory matter, and 164 pp.); 6 in x 9 in. ISBN 978-1-945938-34-4, paperback, $22 plus S & H. ISBN 978-1-945938-35-1, ebook, ePub format. Cover photo by Karen Winters, by Maja Trochimczyk
Praise for Trochimczyk's Bright Skies. Selected Poems by Escoubas and Galasso
Bright Skies. Selected Poems by Maja Trochimczyk, published in May 2022 continues to attract positive attention and praise.
Michael Escoubas, in a February 2023 review in online journal Quill and Parchment complimented the poet's idea of writing a book for her two new granddaughters, to read when they grow up and wrote: "Moonrise Press has produced Bright Skies on high quality stock, perfect for reproducing fine typography and full-color artwork. Featuring seasonal transitions supported by landscape and botanical imagery, Bright Skies rewarded me with each turn of the page. Wallace Stevens, among the premier poets of the last century has written, “The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” Bright Skies is structured, whether consciously or not, with Stevens’ dictum in mind. Trochimczyk quite literally offers “her” world in word and image. [...] Maja Trochimczyk asserts “I am a positive poet.” She means that she looks for and finds the good in life: good in family, good in faith, good in nature and the world. How refreshing, this infusion of light, in a world that oftentimes seems dominated by bad news. For Trochimczyk, the world is beautiful and has value. She highlights a world that is worth redeeming. While acknowledging the flawed nature of existence, she does not “live” there. She dwells in light.[...] Trochimczyk’s body of work bears witness to a mature writing style which uses all the tools in a poet’s toolbox. Most importantly, however, is the mind and heart from which her poems spring. Her substantive ideas are accessible."
Another positive review appeared in CSPS Poetry Letter No. 3, 2022. William Scott Galasso also found plenty to praise in this colorful volume of poems and photographs: "In these uncertain times, when the world wobbles on its axis between pandemics, climate change and war, taxing our ability to cope, Maja Trochimczyk, presents us with her antidote, Bright Skies, Selected Poems. The book is divided into five sections: Spring, Summer, Babie Lato, Autumn and Winter. She created this generous volume (her ninth) as a gift to her children, grandchildren and for those of readers fortunate to read it. Every poem celebrates the incomparable beauty, diversity and healing power of nature--giving us reason for hope.[...] In addition, she compliments her literary art with a visual artist’s eye for light, color, shape in the exquisite detail of her photography. The photographs on glossy paper present in minute detail every subject she turns her attention to. Further, her knowledge of local flora and fauna verges on the encyclopedic presenting us with an abundance of riches, which inform her life and work, writing poetry is like growing artichokes from a seed of invention. Whether one perceives dewdrops on a rose, the wind swirl of a kite in cerulean skies or, an incoming wave bursting from a turquoise sea, one is moved and that’s the point. She presents all five senses and dares you to fully engage—and to be moved."
Michael Escoubas, in a February 2023 review in online journal Quill and Parchment complimented the poet's idea of writing a book for her two new granddaughters, to read when they grow up and wrote: "Moonrise Press has produced Bright Skies on high quality stock, perfect for reproducing fine typography and full-color artwork. Featuring seasonal transitions supported by landscape and botanical imagery, Bright Skies rewarded me with each turn of the page. Wallace Stevens, among the premier poets of the last century has written, “The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.” Bright Skies is structured, whether consciously or not, with Stevens’ dictum in mind. Trochimczyk quite literally offers “her” world in word and image. [...] Maja Trochimczyk asserts “I am a positive poet.” She means that she looks for and finds the good in life: good in family, good in faith, good in nature and the world. How refreshing, this infusion of light, in a world that oftentimes seems dominated by bad news. For Trochimczyk, the world is beautiful and has value. She highlights a world that is worth redeeming. While acknowledging the flawed nature of existence, she does not “live” there. She dwells in light.[...] Trochimczyk’s body of work bears witness to a mature writing style which uses all the tools in a poet’s toolbox. Most importantly, however, is the mind and heart from which her poems spring. Her substantive ideas are accessible."
Another positive review appeared in CSPS Poetry Letter No. 3, 2022. William Scott Galasso also found plenty to praise in this colorful volume of poems and photographs: "In these uncertain times, when the world wobbles on its axis between pandemics, climate change and war, taxing our ability to cope, Maja Trochimczyk, presents us with her antidote, Bright Skies, Selected Poems. The book is divided into five sections: Spring, Summer, Babie Lato, Autumn and Winter. She created this generous volume (her ninth) as a gift to her children, grandchildren and for those of readers fortunate to read it. Every poem celebrates the incomparable beauty, diversity and healing power of nature--giving us reason for hope.[...] In addition, she compliments her literary art with a visual artist’s eye for light, color, shape in the exquisite detail of her photography. The photographs on glossy paper present in minute detail every subject she turns her attention to. Further, her knowledge of local flora and fauna verges on the encyclopedic presenting us with an abundance of riches, which inform her life and work, writing poetry is like growing artichokes from a seed of invention. Whether one perceives dewdrops on a rose, the wind swirl of a kite in cerulean skies or, an incoming wave bursting from a turquoise sea, one is moved and that’s the point. She presents all five senses and dares you to fully engage—and to be moved."
Pushcart Prize 2022 Nominations from "Crystal Fire" and "Bright Skies" Books
Moonrise Press submitted its six nominations to Pushcart Prizes 2022 mostly from the Crystal Fire anthology. The editor stated: "Since all poems in the book are excellent, my focus was the jury: what poems do the Pushcart Prize committee NEED to read for their own spiritual benefit?" Therefore, five poems were selected from Crystal Fire. Poems of Joy and Wisdom, and one from Bright Skies.
The Crystal Fire anthology poems nominated for Pushcart Prizes 2022 are as follows:
1. “Migration” by Bory Thach
2. “A Room Full of Boxes” by Marlene Hitt
3. “If I Rise” by Alice Pero
4. “At Times, I Find Myself in Time” by Jeff Graham
5. “Joy in a Careless Breeze” by Ambika Talwar
The Bright Skies poem is "Matka Boska Zielna" by Maja Trochimczyk.
ABOVE: Poets at "Sky Garden" Exhibition on October 16, 2022: L to R: Mary Elliott, Bory Thach, Marlene Hitt, Alice Pero, Joe DeCenzo, Ambika Talwar, and Maja Trochimczyk
The Crystal Fire anthology poems nominated for Pushcart Prizes 2022 are as follows:
1. “Migration” by Bory Thach
2. “A Room Full of Boxes” by Marlene Hitt
3. “If I Rise” by Alice Pero
4. “At Times, I Find Myself in Time” by Jeff Graham
5. “Joy in a Careless Breeze” by Ambika Talwar
The Bright Skies poem is "Matka Boska Zielna" by Maja Trochimczyk.
ABOVE: Poets at "Sky Garden" Exhibition on October 16, 2022: L to R: Mary Elliott, Bory Thach, Marlene Hitt, Alice Pero, Joe DeCenzo, Ambika Talwar, and Maja Trochimczyk
12 Poets included in "Crystal Fire. Poems of Joy and Wisdom" (October 2022)
Edited by Maja Trochimczyk, and illustrated with paintings by Ambika Talwar, the “Crystal Fire” anthology gathers poems of joy and wisdom by 12 poets, 8 women and 4 men: Elżbieta Czajkowska, Joe DeCenzo, Mary Elliott, Jeff Graham, Marlene Hitt, Frederick Livingston, Alice Pero, Allegra Silberstein, Jane Stuart, Ambika Talwar, Bory Thach, and Maja Trochimczyk. The poets span all ages and diverse life experiences. They include émigrés from Poland, Cambodia, and India, and those born in the U.S. College professors join community poets. Native speakers appear alongside those for whom English is the second, or even the third language. Young graduates and retirees. Married, single, or widowed. The ”joy and wisdom” they write about are also different, as each poet follows their own path and gathers unique reflections to share with their readers.
More about this book with poetry samples:
https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2022/09/moonrise-press-publishes-crystal-fire.html
https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2022/09/moonrise-press-and-scenic-drive-gallery.html
BUY IT NOW:
ISBN 978-1-945938-57-3 (color hardcover), $68.00 plus S&H
ISBN 978-1-945938-58-0 (color paperback), $53.00 plus S&H
ISBN 978-1-945938-59-7 (eBook), $10.00, instant download
More about this book with poetry samples:
https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2022/09/moonrise-press-publishes-crystal-fire.html
https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2022/09/moonrise-press-and-scenic-drive-gallery.html
BUY IT NOW:
ISBN 978-1-945938-57-3 (color hardcover), $68.00 plus S&H
ISBN 978-1-945938-58-0 (color paperback), $53.00 plus S&H
ISBN 978-1-945938-59-7 (eBook), $10.00, instant download
Maja Trochimczyk's "Bright Skies" - Poem to Heal and Inspire (May 2022)
Maja Trochimczyk dedicates this collection of poems, “Bright Skies,” to her children and grand-children, asking them to read and enjoy her verse “when they grow up.” The volume features 85 poems written in 2009-2022 and organized into five sections – Spring, Summer, Babie Lato, Autumn and Winter. The seasons of poetry include reflections on nature, beauty, love, life, and spirituality. The focus is on positive emotions, learning to be calm and content, full of compassion and wisdom. It is a life-long quest, and these poems are an invitation.
The poems are illustrated with 160 photographs taken in the poet’s neighborhood – Big Tujunga Wash, Angeles National Forest, Descanso Gardens, and Oxnard Beach. The surprising “Coda” brings a set of recipes for old-fashioned Polish dishes mentioned in poems. Bringing together favorite memories of her Polish childhood – making and flying kites, plays with soap bubbles – and the delights of sunny Southern California gardens, parks, and beaches, the book includes lessons how to seek and find the daily dose of domestic bliss. This book is a legacy from a well-lived life, and a companion to "Into Light: Poems and Incantations" - another collection of positive, inspirational poetry illustrated with photos.
ISBN 978-1-945938-49-8, color paperback. S Trade (6 x 9 in / 152 x 229 mm), 184 Pages, 85 poems, 160 color photographs, 6 portraits. ISBN 978-1-945938-52-8, eBook in ePub format. ISBN 978-1-945938-54-2 color hardcover.
Maja Trochimczyk Reads "From Minium Chronicles", "Ocean of Jade" and "On Landscapes: A Guidebook" from the book on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m0i17jPRPLs
The poems are illustrated with 160 photographs taken in the poet’s neighborhood – Big Tujunga Wash, Angeles National Forest, Descanso Gardens, and Oxnard Beach. The surprising “Coda” brings a set of recipes for old-fashioned Polish dishes mentioned in poems. Bringing together favorite memories of her Polish childhood – making and flying kites, plays with soap bubbles – and the delights of sunny Southern California gardens, parks, and beaches, the book includes lessons how to seek and find the daily dose of domestic bliss. This book is a legacy from a well-lived life, and a companion to "Into Light: Poems and Incantations" - another collection of positive, inspirational poetry illustrated with photos.
ISBN 978-1-945938-49-8, color paperback. S Trade (6 x 9 in / 152 x 229 mm), 184 Pages, 85 poems, 160 color photographs, 6 portraits. ISBN 978-1-945938-52-8, eBook in ePub format. ISBN 978-1-945938-54-2 color hardcover.
Maja Trochimczyk Reads "From Minium Chronicles", "Ocean of Jade" and "On Landscapes: A Guidebook" from the book on YouTube: https://youtu.be/m0i17jPRPLs
Call for Submissions to a new Anthology - "The Year of Crystal Fire" edited by Maja Trochimczyk
The Year of Crystal Fire - Poems of Joy and Revelation, Anthology edited by Maja Trochimczyk
Deadline June 30, 2022, Submit via email to info@moonrisepress.com
Inspired by the “positive psychology” movement and the Great Awakening of spiritual enlightenment, Moonrise Press will publish an anthology of “positive poetry” in English to celebrate the beauty of inspiration and renewed understanding of life, nature, being, love, cosmos, and our place within. Send your poems, if you ever had a moment of feeling that blinders fell off your eyes, that you took off your dark glasses and suddenly saw the world as it truly is – sunlight reflected in the stream, unfurling leaves on peach tree in the spring, shooting stars, that twinkle in a grandma’s eyes, that taste of childhood in a mango slice, that joy of crossing the marathon’s finish line, that unforgettable kiss...
Submit up to 8 poems, no longer than 80 lines each, with your 100-word bio, mailing and email address to info@moonrisepress.com. Place all materials in one Word file with your last and first name in the title. Submissions not properly named or formatted will not be read. In terms of poem length, keep in mind the “trade” shape of the book, 6X9, font 12 - it will be published as a paperback, plus ePub ebook. Some poems can be previously published, but we prefer original, unpublished poetry. The selection is at the discretion of the editor. Authors receive one free copy as honorarium and may order extra copies at 30% discount.
Deadline June 30, 2022, Submit via email to info@moonrisepress.com
Inspired by the “positive psychology” movement and the Great Awakening of spiritual enlightenment, Moonrise Press will publish an anthology of “positive poetry” in English to celebrate the beauty of inspiration and renewed understanding of life, nature, being, love, cosmos, and our place within. Send your poems, if you ever had a moment of feeling that blinders fell off your eyes, that you took off your dark glasses and suddenly saw the world as it truly is – sunlight reflected in the stream, unfurling leaves on peach tree in the spring, shooting stars, that twinkle in a grandma’s eyes, that taste of childhood in a mango slice, that joy of crossing the marathon’s finish line, that unforgettable kiss...
Submit up to 8 poems, no longer than 80 lines each, with your 100-word bio, mailing and email address to info@moonrisepress.com. Place all materials in one Word file with your last and first name in the title. Submissions not properly named or formatted will not be read. In terms of poem length, keep in mind the “trade” shape of the book, 6X9, font 12 - it will be published as a paperback, plus ePub ebook. Some poems can be previously published, but we prefer original, unpublished poetry. The selection is at the discretion of the editor. Authors receive one free copy as honorarium and may order extra copies at 30% discount.
Moonrise Press Announces Pushcart Prize Nominations for 2021 - Cindy Rinne and Maja Trochimczyk
Nominations to Pushcart Prize for Best of the Small Presses were made for the following poems and short prose published by Moonrise Press in 2021. We issued four books this year and the nominations are as follows:
Cindy Rinne: “No Shortness of Breath” from Today in the Forest, 2021
Maja Trochimczyk: “A Song for a Key”, “Soap Bubbles,” and “The 23rd of July” From The Rainy Bread: More Poems from Exile, expanded edition, 2021. See information below.
Today in the Forest is a mysterious and inspired poetry and art book that will stir your imagination. This gem of a book has been created by Cindy Rinne, poet and fiber artist, and Toti O'Brien, artist, musician, and poet, with Cindy's poems and Toti's images in a delightful counterpoint of words and visions.
ISBN 978-1-945938-43-6 Color Paperback, 46 pages, $20
ISBN 978-1-945938-45-0 E-Book in PDF Format, in Distribution by lulu.com, $10
ISBN 978-1-945938-44-3 E-Book in e-Pub Format, Global Distribution, $10
The full text of nominated poems: https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-pushcart-prize-nominations-from.html
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Cindy Rinne: “No Shortness of Breath” from Today in the Forest, 2021
Maja Trochimczyk: “A Song for a Key”, “Soap Bubbles,” and “The 23rd of July” From The Rainy Bread: More Poems from Exile, expanded edition, 2021. See information below.
Today in the Forest is a mysterious and inspired poetry and art book that will stir your imagination. This gem of a book has been created by Cindy Rinne, poet and fiber artist, and Toti O'Brien, artist, musician, and poet, with Cindy's poems and Toti's images in a delightful counterpoint of words and visions.
ISBN 978-1-945938-43-6 Color Paperback, 46 pages, $20
ISBN 978-1-945938-45-0 E-Book in PDF Format, in Distribution by lulu.com, $10
ISBN 978-1-945938-44-3 E-Book in e-Pub Format, Global Distribution, $10
The full text of nominated poems: https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2021/12/the-pushcart-prize-nominations-from.html
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Expanded Edition of The Rainy Bread: More Poems from Exile by Maja Trochimczyk, November 2021
The Rainy Bread: More Poems from Exile, a poetry collection by Maja Trochimczyk, has been enlarged by 31 poems and reorganized into six parts. An updated e-book and color paperback editions are available. The book now includes 61 poems about forgotten stories of Poles living under the Soviet and German occupation during WWII, especially in the Eastern Borderlands of Kresy. They were killed, deported, imprisoned, or oppressed after the invasion of Poland by Germany on September 1, 1039 and by the invasion by the Soviet Union on September 17, 1939. Some of these brief portraits capture the trauma and resilience, ordeals and miraculous survival stories of the author’s immediate family. Their experiences of displacement, hunger, cold, and poverty during the war are typical of Polish civilians. These fictionalized fact-based memories are coupled with depictions of survival of other Poles deported to Siberia, the Arctic Circle, or Kazakhstan; those left the Soviet Union with the Second Corps of the Polish Army under the command of General Władysław Anders; those who were transported to refugee camps in India or Africa; and ended up in Argentina, Canada, Australia or the U.S. The book is a companion to “Slicing the Bread” (2014), with which it shares some poems, including vignettes from the author’s childhood in Warsaw. Organized into six parts - Destinations, Nowhere, Hunger Years, Resilience, There and Back, What Remains, the updated book follows a trajectory of descent into the hell of deportations, imprisonment, hunger, mass murder, and ascent into resilience and survival. The dark rain of sorrow changes into the diamond rain of delight with life.
ISBN 978-1-945938-47-4 Paperback with color photos, 124 pp. $40.00 plus shipping. ISBN 978-1-945938-01-6 EBook, expanded version $8.00. https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-rainy-bread-poems-from-exile-by.html
https://poetrylaurels.blogspot.com/2021/10/trochimczyks-rainy-bread-more-poems.html
ISBN 978-1-945938-47-4 Paperback with color photos, 124 pp. $40.00 plus shipping. ISBN 978-1-945938-01-6 EBook, expanded version $8.00. https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2021/04/the-rainy-bread-poems-from-exile-by.html
https://poetrylaurels.blogspot.com/2021/10/trochimczyks-rainy-bread-more-poems.html
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Album 50-lecia Klubu Kultury im. Heleny Modrzejewskiej | 50th Anniversary Album of the Modjeska Club
Moonrise Press is pleased to announce the publication of the history of the Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club, in Polish (July 2021) . Edited by dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Elżbieta Kanski and dr. Elżbieta Trybuś, this nearly 380-page volume documents 50 years of cultural activities of the Helena Modjeska Art and Culture Club in Los Angeles, established in 1971 by actor-director Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetyński and other Polish emigres in California. The volume consists of essays, interviews, lists of club's events and other documents, richly illustrated with color photographs taken over the 50 years of the Club's history. Texts by: Anna Maria Anders, Tadeusz Bociański, Krysta Close, Dorota Czajka-Olszewska, Zofia Czajkowska, Witold Czajkowski, Zofia Cybulska-Adamowicz, Leonidas Dudarew-Ossetyński, Jadwiga Inglis, Michal Jasień, Tomasz Kachelski, Elżbieta Kański, Krystyna Kuszta, Jarosław Łasiński, Andrzej Maleski, Dr. Mira N. Mataric, Marta Ojrzyńska, Maria Piłatowicz, Edward Piłatowicz, Dr. Kleofas Rundzio, Andrzej Seweryn, Katarzyna Śmiechowicz, Jan Świder, Dr. Maja Trochimczyk, Dr. Elżbieta Trybuś and Jolanta Zych. More information in Polish: https://klubmodrzejewskiej.blogspot.com/2021/07/album-50-lecia-klubu-kultury-im-heleny.html.
ISBN 978-1-945938-49-8. EBook in ePub format. $10.00. Or Free PDF download on the book's page, 33.8MB. 380 pages (368 pages of text plus xii pp. of introductions matter), large format 8.5 by 11 in. ISBN 978-10945938-51-1. Paperback, $55.00; 380 pages, large format 8.5 by 11 in. with color photos. . The publication of this volume was made possible by a grant from the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, and the generous support of Moonrise Press that published the PDF version on this website free of charge.
ISBN 978-1-945938-49-8. EBook in ePub format. $10.00. Or Free PDF download on the book's page, 33.8MB. 380 pages (368 pages of text plus xii pp. of introductions matter), large format 8.5 by 11 in. ISBN 978-10945938-51-1. Paperback, $55.00; 380 pages, large format 8.5 by 11 in. with color photos. . The publication of this volume was made possible by a grant from the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles, and the generous support of Moonrise Press that published the PDF version on this website free of charge.
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Today in the Forest - a Magical Poetry-and-Art Book by Cindy Rinne and Toti O'Brien
Moonrise Press announces the publication of Today in the Forest, a mysterious and inspired poetry and art book that will stir your imagination. This gem of a book has been created by Cindy Rinne, poet and fiber artist, and Toti O'Brien, artist, musician, and poet, with Cindy's poems and Toti's images in a delightful counterpoint of words and visions.
The first Zoom reading is on March 21, 2021 at 4:30pm. Email Maja@moonrisepress.com for the link and login information.
BUY IT NOW
ABOUT THIS BOOK
"I was mesmerized reading Today in the Forest. O’Brien and Rinne have created a luminous, mythical world inhabited by a Moon Goddess, wolf-people, and various imaginative delights. It is a world destroyed or horribly threatened, yet I felt protection, care, and survival here. Today in the Forest is a poetic journey illuminated with hope and memory."
~ Stacy Russo, author of Love Activism and We Were Going to Change the World
As if in the forest all the problems of our world are being solved under the bark of trees, in an unseen parallel world, a precise and healing mythology is acted out by half human half visionary figures. Here, illustrated with powerful hand by someone who has been there, and witnessed, Toti O'Brien as master-artist, embodies the magical words of storyteller Cindy Rinne whose characters, her intimates, have allowed her to share their secrets at work. Cindy has recorded and given us a magic scroll. Toti has drawn and given us the map. We need to be here for hope.
~ Kath Abela Wilson, leader of Poets on Site, author of Figures of Humor and Strange Beauty (Glass Lyre Press, 2019)
The first Zoom reading is on March 21, 2021 at 4:30pm. Email Maja@moonrisepress.com for the link and login information.
BUY IT NOW
- ISBN 978-1-945938-43-6 Color Paperback, 46 pages, $20
- ISBN 978-1-945938-45-0 E-Book in PDF Format, in Distribution by lulu.com, $10
- ISBN 978-1-945938-44-3 E-Book in e-Pub Format, Global Distribution, $10
ABOUT THIS BOOK
"I was mesmerized reading Today in the Forest. O’Brien and Rinne have created a luminous, mythical world inhabited by a Moon Goddess, wolf-people, and various imaginative delights. It is a world destroyed or horribly threatened, yet I felt protection, care, and survival here. Today in the Forest is a poetic journey illuminated with hope and memory."
~ Stacy Russo, author of Love Activism and We Were Going to Change the World
As if in the forest all the problems of our world are being solved under the bark of trees, in an unseen parallel world, a precise and healing mythology is acted out by half human half visionary figures. Here, illustrated with powerful hand by someone who has been there, and witnessed, Toti O'Brien as master-artist, embodies the magical words of storyteller Cindy Rinne whose characters, her intimates, have allowed her to share their secrets at work. Cindy has recorded and given us a magic scroll. Toti has drawn and given us the map. We need to be here for hope.
~ Kath Abela Wilson, leader of Poets on Site, author of Figures of Humor and Strange Beauty (Glass Lyre Press, 2019)
Moonrise Press announces nominations to Pushcart Prize 2021 from We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology
Moonrise Press is pleased to announce that the editors of "We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology" - Maja Trochimczyk and Marlene Hitt - nominated to the Pushcart Prize 2021 the following poems included in the anthology:
Marlene Hitt writes about her choices: "No one knows whether a poem is 'good.' The response of the reader is the important judgement. I chose Wheatfield With Crows because, at first, I was reminded, with emotion, of my own father's death. Upon reading I found enjoyment the dreamlike inward journey of the author. Sharon Alexander's language is more than pleasing and her images inspiring. Rick Lupert in Heat brings the reader into his world on a hot, hot day as he exaggerates a bit, then teases and pleases us as with a tall tale. Joe DeCenzo, with Conversing With the Shadows points toward the mystery of one woman' state of frailty in a memoir of her life as it has encapsulized in her failing memory as that memory then failed. It renders a kind and loving tribute to all life as it begins to end. Poetry is for the poet, yes, but more for the reader and the connection of thought and emotion between the two. A poem speaks to each person with the beauty and passion which only words can do."
Maja Trochimczyk explains her selections: "I was really perplexed about the nominations from our anthology. I know it is a service to poets, and should be done, but in We Are Here there are so many amazing poems by incredibly talented poets that I was at a loss, wondering, what to do? In poetry, I am not interested in competitions and awards, but rather in expressing the infinity of human experience. When Marlene sent me her three titles, I realized I could simply pick poems that I love and that resonate with me at this particular time. I've always loved Georgia Jones Davis's Monumental Dog - the compassion for the hapless animal, sent by her trusted caretaker into the orbit, to certain death; the vivid portrait of a communist country, where life is not valued at all. I'm from Poland and I remember stories about this dog on our national news; though, back then, nobody eulogized her sacrifice. There was just praise for the technological triumph of Soviets over Americans in the space race... Katerina Canyon's Feet is another perennial favorite, perhaps because my Mom had not washed my feet like that, and neither did I wash hers. There was something profoundly amiss in our relationship that I only understood after my Mom died and I found my desperate letters to her written when I was six years old. I learned to write in order to tell her how much I loved her when she abandoned us for some mysterious lover and was gone for almost two years. I completely blocked that memory and I only know it happened because I now have those letters. I guess it was through the longing of an abandoned child that found such intense beauty in filial love and devotion, captured so vividly by Canyon. Finally, Mariano Zaro's Synapse about the poignant last days of his father, expertly weaves personal emotion with scientific descriptions of the mystery of the brain at the end of life."
Edited by Marlene Hitt and Maja Trochimczyk, and entitled We Are Here: Village Poetry Anthology, this collection celebrates the 10th anniversary of Village Poets Monthly Poetry Readings. The volume presents 80 poets featured during the monthly readings at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga, CA as well as the group of current and former Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga who organize the readings. In addition to its home base at the Bolton Hall Museum, the Village Poets have also had occasional visits to the McGroarty Arts Center, the former home of the California Poet-Laureate in 1933-1944, John Steven McGroarty. His Poet-Laureate title inspired the local Poet-Laureate program, established in 1999. The editors are both former Poets-Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga: Marlene Hitt was the First, in 1999-2001 and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk served as the Sixth in 2010-2012 when the readings were initiated. https://lmoonrisepress.blogspot.com/2020/12/2021-pushcart-prize-nominations-from-we.html
- Sharon Alexander, “Wheatfield with Crows” -p.8
- Katerina Canyon, “Feet” -p. 171
- Joe DeCenzo, “Conversing with Shadows” p. 181
- Georgia Jones Davis, “Monumental Dog” – p. 63
- Rick Lupert, “Heat” – p. 87
- Mariano Zaro, “Synapse” – p. 157
Marlene Hitt writes about her choices: "No one knows whether a poem is 'good.' The response of the reader is the important judgement. I chose Wheatfield With Crows because, at first, I was reminded, with emotion, of my own father's death. Upon reading I found enjoyment the dreamlike inward journey of the author. Sharon Alexander's language is more than pleasing and her images inspiring. Rick Lupert in Heat brings the reader into his world on a hot, hot day as he exaggerates a bit, then teases and pleases us as with a tall tale. Joe DeCenzo, with Conversing With the Shadows points toward the mystery of one woman' state of frailty in a memoir of her life as it has encapsulized in her failing memory as that memory then failed. It renders a kind and loving tribute to all life as it begins to end. Poetry is for the poet, yes, but more for the reader and the connection of thought and emotion between the two. A poem speaks to each person with the beauty and passion which only words can do."
Maja Trochimczyk explains her selections: "I was really perplexed about the nominations from our anthology. I know it is a service to poets, and should be done, but in We Are Here there are so many amazing poems by incredibly talented poets that I was at a loss, wondering, what to do? In poetry, I am not interested in competitions and awards, but rather in expressing the infinity of human experience. When Marlene sent me her three titles, I realized I could simply pick poems that I love and that resonate with me at this particular time. I've always loved Georgia Jones Davis's Monumental Dog - the compassion for the hapless animal, sent by her trusted caretaker into the orbit, to certain death; the vivid portrait of a communist country, where life is not valued at all. I'm from Poland and I remember stories about this dog on our national news; though, back then, nobody eulogized her sacrifice. There was just praise for the technological triumph of Soviets over Americans in the space race... Katerina Canyon's Feet is another perennial favorite, perhaps because my Mom had not washed my feet like that, and neither did I wash hers. There was something profoundly amiss in our relationship that I only understood after my Mom died and I found my desperate letters to her written when I was six years old. I learned to write in order to tell her how much I loved her when she abandoned us for some mysterious lover and was gone for almost two years. I completely blocked that memory and I only know it happened because I now have those letters. I guess it was through the longing of an abandoned child that found such intense beauty in filial love and devotion, captured so vividly by Canyon. Finally, Mariano Zaro's Synapse about the poignant last days of his father, expertly weaves personal emotion with scientific descriptions of the mystery of the brain at the end of life."
Edited by Marlene Hitt and Maja Trochimczyk, and entitled We Are Here: Village Poetry Anthology, this collection celebrates the 10th anniversary of Village Poets Monthly Poetry Readings. The volume presents 80 poets featured during the monthly readings at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga, CA as well as the group of current and former Poets Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga who organize the readings. In addition to its home base at the Bolton Hall Museum, the Village Poets have also had occasional visits to the McGroarty Arts Center, the former home of the California Poet-Laureate in 1933-1944, John Steven McGroarty. His Poet-Laureate title inspired the local Poet-Laureate program, established in 1999. The editors are both former Poets-Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga: Marlene Hitt was the First, in 1999-2001 and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk served as the Sixth in 2010-2012 when the readings were initiated. https://lmoonrisepress.blogspot.com/2020/12/2021-pushcart-prize-nominations-from-we.html
An Alphabet of Birds by Toti O'Brien Explores the Natural World Found in the Garden (October 2020)
Moonrise Press is pleased to announce the publication of An Alphabet of Birds by Toti O'Brien in October 2020. This prose collection of 34 short stories describes the vagaries of birds, animals, plants, seen and described by a keen and talented observer. The author has patience, a gift of attentive focus on their behaviors and transformation, and a talent to write down the reflections on the meaning of these behaviors and transformation in the constant flow of daily life. Toti O'Brien author is a multi-talented poet, writer, artist, musician, and a friend of all living beings, the whole Earth.
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-41-2, paperback, 184 pages, $15.00
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-42-9, ebook in ePub format, $10.00
ABOUT THIS BOOK. An Alphabet of Birds encompasses an entire bestiary, from its namesake birds to the squirrel that owns the narrator’s backyard to the bears that own the salmon streams. The ground of these short prose pieces is everyday life, the “daily display of splendor.” Toti O’Brien invokes a world where what is wry and wise meets what is whimsical and surreal. Questions tumble, pile on top of one another, full of possibilities and speculation. O’Brien’s language has a rolling rhythm that unspools like an incantation. Fall under her spell and journey with her into the mysteries of the quotidian. ~ Cynthia Anderson, author of Now Voyager and Route
More information and Table of Contents: https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-alphabet-of-birds-stories-from-home.html
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-41-2, paperback, 184 pages, $15.00
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-42-9, ebook in ePub format, $10.00
ABOUT THIS BOOK. An Alphabet of Birds encompasses an entire bestiary, from its namesake birds to the squirrel that owns the narrator’s backyard to the bears that own the salmon streams. The ground of these short prose pieces is everyday life, the “daily display of splendor.” Toti O’Brien invokes a world where what is wry and wise meets what is whimsical and surreal. Questions tumble, pile on top of one another, full of possibilities and speculation. O’Brien’s language has a rolling rhythm that unspools like an incantation. Fall under her spell and journey with her into the mysteries of the quotidian. ~ Cynthia Anderson, author of Now Voyager and Route
More information and Table of Contents: https://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2020/09/an-alphabet-of-birds-stories-from-home.html
We Are Here: Village Poets Anthology edited by Maja Trochimczyk and Marlene Hitt (September 2020)
Edited by Maja Trochimczyk and Marlene Hitt, this anthology with work by over 80 American poets celebrates the tenth anniversary of Village Poets Monthly Readings, held since 2010 at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga, California - a Historical Landmark in the City of Los Angeles. The Village Poets have also held events at the McGroarty Arts Center, the former home of the California Poet-Laureate in 1933-1944, John Steven McGroarty. His Poet-Laureate role inspired the local Poet-Laureate program, initiated in 1999. The anthology's editors are both former Poets-Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga: Marlene Hitt was the First, in 1999-2001 and Dr. Maja Trochimczyk served as the Sixth in 2010-2012 when the readings were initiated. The book consists of two parts: Guests and Featured Poets, represented by 1-3 poems each; and Poets-Laureate, with 10 poets, represented by 6-9 poems each. A list of Village Poets Readings, a brief history of the program, and biographies of the poets are included. Read the list of poets and bios of editors on Moonrise Press Blog.
ISBN 978-1-945938-39-9 - paperback, 290 pages, $22.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-40-5 - eBook in ePub format, $10.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-39-9 - paperback, 290 pages, $22.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-40-5 - eBook in ePub format, $10.00
Gardens of Delight: According to Nature by Margaret Saine (September 2018)
Gardens of the Earth: According to Nature, by Margaret Saine was published in September 2018. This exploration of nature tamed and shaped by humans, nature that in turn shapes the gardeners and gives them a purpose, a cause for action, and a reason for reflection. Saine's trip to the garden includes the seasons, rain and sunlight, and lots of birds. She shares her delight in gardens and gardening with a host of her contemporary poets and friends and the renowned gardeners of the past. The book includes a separate section on trees, and is richly illustrated by Saine's own photographs, with the characteristic interplay of light and shadow, water, clouds and mists. Read about this book on Moonrise Press Blog.
ISBN 978-1-945938-25-2 (paperback), $18.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-26-9 (color paperback), $40.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-27-6 (ebook in ePub format), $10.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-25-2 (paperback), $18.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-26-9 (color paperback), $40.00
ISBN 978-1-945938-27-6 (ebook in ePub format), $10.00
Gorecki Penderecki Diptych - Essays on Music by Andrzej Wendland (October 2019)
Moonrise Press is proud to announce the publication of e-Book version (PDF Format) of a book by Andrzej Wendland, with two studies of music, published in Poland in 2018 and in the U.S. (e-book only) in 2019. Entitled Górecki, Penderecki - Diptych and celebrating the 85th birth anniversary of both composers. Born in 1933, Gorecki died in 2010 and Penderecki in 2020. The book consists of two extended essays: a) "Two Tristan Postuldes and Chorale. Górecki – Wagner, intelektual reflection" and b) "Elegy for the Dying Forest - Krzysztof Penderecki VIII Symfonia „Lieder der Vergänglichkeit” The paperback edition is only available in Poland, and includes essays in Polish and English. The PDF Book edition is available from lulu.com worldwide, and is in English only. Cover design by Maja Trochimczyk. The essays, translated into English by Maja Trochimczyk, deal with "Two Tristan Postludes and Chorale" by Henryk Mikolaj Górecki (1933-2010) and The Eight Symphony by Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020). They draw from philosophy, aesthetic and poetry of importance to each composer to place each work in a broad cultural context.
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-31-3 PDF ebook, $10.00
READ MORE: http://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2019/09/new-music-book-andrzej-wendlands.html
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-31-3 PDF ebook, $10.00
READ MORE: http://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2019/09/new-music-book-andrzej-wendlands.html
Call for Poems for the Village Poets Anthology Celebrating 10th Anniversary of Bolton Hall Readings
To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Village Poets Monthly Poetry Readings at Bolton Hall Museum, in Tujunga, CA, Moonrise Press will issue an anthology of Featured Poets and frequent guests sustaining the VP Readings over the past decade, 2010-2020. Edited by Marlene Hitt and Maja Trochimczyk, the anthology will provide a portrait of our poets and documentation of our readings. It will be published in paperback and ePub e-book formats, distributed by Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other booksellers, as well as via Moonrise Press. Each featured poet is invited to submit 1-3 poems (fitting on up to two page 6X9, standard trade book size), a brief biography (150 words), and a portrait. A favorite photo from the readings is also welcome. Guests who frequently read their work during the monthly events are also invited to submit their work. The poems may be previously published, if they are a favorite of their authors. Send your work to maja@moonrisepress.com. http://moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2019/10/call-for-submissions-to-village-poets.html
Marlene and Lloyd Hitt, Our Authors, Receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Village Poets, 7/28/19
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On Sunday, July 28, 2019, at the Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga, Village Poets presented its "Lifetime Achievement Award" to Dr. Lloyd Hitt and Marlene Hitt during a crowded poetry reading, MC-ed by poet Joe DeCenzo, and filled with loving tributes and gifts to the wonderful couple, retiring from their active duties as members of Village Poets, an organization that they co-founded in 2010 with Dorothy Skiles, Joe DeCenzo and Maja Trochimczyk.After the initial warm welcome by Joe DeCenzo and tribute poem by current Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, Pamela Shea, a representative from the office of State Senator Anthony Portantino, presented the Senator's Resolution in praise of the lives and achievements of the distinguished couple. In addition to their volunteering efforts for the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council, Bolton Hall Museum and Little Landers Society, they served as Grand Marshals of the Sunland Tujunga Independence Day Parade in 2017.
The manifold achievements of Marlene were later highlighted by poet KATHABELA WILSON in her post on Colorado Boulevard website: https://www.coloradoboulevard.net/poets-salon-simple-beauty/ Kathabela Wilson writes: "Marlene Hitt was recently honored, along with her husband Lloyd, for their decades of service to the Sunland-Tujunga poetic and historical community. Working as hosts and volunteer docents at Bolton Hall Museum there they host Village Poets and the Poet Laureate program. Marlene, an accomplished poet, tells me “I love to learn.” Her tanka in our Simple Beauty Salon are new. Inspired when I introduced tanka at Bolton Hall, a few months ago, her unique voice, so sensitive to detail, shines through like the moon through clouds. In her interview with Kath Abela, in 2015, she tells the story of her grandmother who was a fine poet. She called Marlene, as a child, “The Sunland Rose.” She recognized Marlene’s poetic talent speaking her “inner voices” aloud. Marlene went on from there, inspired to be a poet. She has published in anthologies and journals and her recently published book Clocks and Water Drops, published by Moonrise Press, is available on Amazon."
Marlene read an excellent selection of her poems, selected to serve as a counterbalance to poems by her husband Lloyd, read later by Joe DeCenzo. Her work is published by Moonrise Press in Clocks and Water Drops (2015). Lloyd's poems were collected by Marlene and published by Moonrise Press as The Earth Time in 2018. More information on Village Poets Blog. http://villagepoets.blogspot.com/2019/08/marlene-and-lloyd-hitts-lifetime.html
The manifold achievements of Marlene were later highlighted by poet KATHABELA WILSON in her post on Colorado Boulevard website: https://www.coloradoboulevard.net/poets-salon-simple-beauty/ Kathabela Wilson writes: "Marlene Hitt was recently honored, along with her husband Lloyd, for their decades of service to the Sunland-Tujunga poetic and historical community. Working as hosts and volunteer docents at Bolton Hall Museum there they host Village Poets and the Poet Laureate program. Marlene, an accomplished poet, tells me “I love to learn.” Her tanka in our Simple Beauty Salon are new. Inspired when I introduced tanka at Bolton Hall, a few months ago, her unique voice, so sensitive to detail, shines through like the moon through clouds. In her interview with Kath Abela, in 2015, she tells the story of her grandmother who was a fine poet. She called Marlene, as a child, “The Sunland Rose.” She recognized Marlene’s poetic talent speaking her “inner voices” aloud. Marlene went on from there, inspired to be a poet. She has published in anthologies and journals and her recently published book Clocks and Water Drops, published by Moonrise Press, is available on Amazon."
Marlene read an excellent selection of her poems, selected to serve as a counterbalance to poems by her husband Lloyd, read later by Joe DeCenzo. Her work is published by Moonrise Press in Clocks and Water Drops (2015). Lloyd's poems were collected by Marlene and published by Moonrise Press as The Earth Time in 2018. More information on Village Poets Blog. http://villagepoets.blogspot.com/2019/08/marlene-and-lloyd-hitts-lifetime.html
Grateful Conversations Anthology Edited by Trochimczyk and Stafford - Readings in 2018 and 2019
Readings from the "Grateful Conversations" anthology have taken poets to several locations in Southern California.
In October 2019, the first reading took place at the Flintridge Bookstore.
In November 2018, three poets, Susan Rogers, Sonya Sabanac and Maja Trochimczyk read at Village Poets Monthly Reading at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga (see photo). In February 2019, five poets presented their work at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice. The next group reading from the anthology is scheduled for April 4, 2019 in Ventura.
In October 2019, the first reading took place at the Flintridge Bookstore.
In November 2018, three poets, Susan Rogers, Sonya Sabanac and Maja Trochimczyk read at Village Poets Monthly Reading at Bolton Hall Museum in Tujunga (see photo). In February 2019, five poets presented their work at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice. The next group reading from the anthology is scheduled for April 4, 2019 in Ventura.
Moonrise Press Announces its 2018 Pushcart Prize Nominations - from "Grateful Conversations"
Moonrise Press announces its nominations to the Pushcart Prizes for the year 2018, all from the "Grateful Conversations" anthology of Westside Women Writers, edited by Kathi Stafford an Maja Trochimczyk, and published in May 2018. The nominations were selected jointly by both editors, who, obviously, could not nominate each other.
- Grateful Conversations Never Had, Millicent Borges Accardi (Page 5)
- Sophie and Vincent, Madeleine S. Butcher (Page 34)
- Harp Player, Susan Rogers (Page 18)
- In that Banat Land, Sonya Sabanac (Page 54)
- Sweet Fire Dance of Dissent, Ambika Talwar (Page 219)
Grateful Conversations: A Poetry Anthology edited by Maja Trochimczyk and Kathi Stafford (May 2018)
Moonrise Press is pleased to announce the publication of Grateful Conversations: A Poetry Anthology, edited by Maja Trochimczyk and Kathi Stafford. Grateful Conversations is a portrait of a group of female poets from California, who come together each month to hone their craft and share their verse. Known as Westside Women Writers and active as a group since 2008, they include Millicent Borges Accardi, Madeleine S. Butcher, Georgia Jones Davis, Lois P. Jones, Susan Rogers, Kathi Stafford, Sonya Sabanac, Ambika Talwar and Maja Trochimczyk. In the words of the WWW founder, Millicent Borges Accardi, this is “a community of women writers working together to support each other with strong attention to craft, to grow as writers and as people in community.” The volume, illustrated with photographs by the authors, includes poems written for seven workshops and self-portraits in poetry of the nine writers. The workshops inclde such themes as: writing on a prompt, ekphrastic poetry (inspired by Van Gogh, ancient Greek sculpture, and contemporary art at the Broad Museum), site visits (Norton Simon Museum, Getty Villa, The Broad, and Museum of Jurassic Technology), grandparents and rivers. The table of contents with a list of poems is posted on the Moonrise Press Blog. A sample of poems with the poets' bios are on the Moonrise Press Blog: moonrisepress.blogspot.com/2018/06/sample-poems-from-grateful.html.
May 2018, Paperback, 280 pp., black/white illustrations, ISBN 978-1-945938-22-1 ($24.80)
Color Paperback, 280 pages with color illustrations ISBN 978-1-945938-24-5 ($98.00)
E-Book in EPUB format with color illustrations ISBN 978-1-945938-23-8 ($10.00)
May 2018, Paperback, 280 pp., black/white illustrations, ISBN 978-1-945938-22-1 ($24.80)
Color Paperback, 280 pages with color illustrations ISBN 978-1-945938-24-5 ($98.00)
E-Book in EPUB format with color illustrations ISBN 978-1-945938-23-8 ($10.00)
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Gorecki in Context: Essays on Music Edited by Maja Trochimczyk Published in December 2017
This volume gathers interviews and studies of the music of the Polish composer, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010). Contributors include the composer himself – in a series of interviews spanning his entire career, from 1962 to 2008 – as well as leading Górecki scholars from Poland, the U.K., the U.S., and Australia. Chapters highlight three of the four symphonies: the Second Copernican (Kinga Kiwała), the Third, The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs (Maja Trochimczyk) and the Fourth Tansman Episodes (Andrzej Wendland). Two studies by eminent Polish scholar and Górecki’s personal friend, Prof. Teresa Malecka present the composer’s links to Polish musical traditions and an overview of his piano music. An overview of Górecki’s life and career and a case study of his visit to Los Angeles in 1997, when he conducted his Third Symphony for the first time outside of Poland, round up the volume. The collection includes also a list of works, music examples, portraits, photographs, and a bibliography.
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-10-8. Paperback. B/W interior, color cover, 420 pages, with bibliography, list of works, index and 66 illustrations (photos and music examples). You can also purchase separate E-Books from different parts of this book.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/maja-trochimczyk/g%C3%B3recki-in-context-essays-on-music/paperback/product-23454033.html
BUY IT NOW: ISBN 978-1-945938-10-8. Paperback. B/W interior, color cover, 420 pages, with bibliography, list of works, index and 66 illustrations (photos and music examples). You can also purchase separate E-Books from different parts of this book.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/maja-trochimczyk/g%C3%B3recki-in-context-essays-on-music/paperback/product-23454033.html
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Reprints of Classic Wisdom Texts Starts with Spinoza's Ethics - Full and Abridged Versions
Moonrise Press announces the publication of first two volumes in the new Classic Wisdom Series of reprints of classic philosophy, literature and wisdom texts, that will be available in paperback and eBook formats. The first two are dedicated to Benedict Spinoza's monumental "geometric" treatise on Ethics, available in a late19th-century translation by William Hale White as well as in an abridged version edited by Maja Trochimczyk and rendered gender-neutral. In this language God is not a He but God, so God, His, Him, is replaced by God, God's, God's... Similarly, there is no mankind but humankind and not man/men but person/people or human being/s. This is one way of salvaging the classic wisdom of Spinoza's treatise by rendering it palatable to women. After thousands of years of exclusion there is no reason to continue doing that and we hope to be able to continue publishing classic texts without the MAN, but with lots of generous, kind, and wise human beings. For more information, read our blog: moonrisepress.blogspot.com.
Ethics: An Outline is available in paperback, $12.00 and eBook, $4.00, formats: http://www.lulu.com/shop/maja-trochimczyk-and-benedict-spinoza/ethics-an-outline/ebook/product-23200408.html
Ethics by Spinoza is also available in paperback, $20.00, and eBook, $8.00, formats, http://www.lulu.com/shop/benedict-spinoza/ethics/ebook/product-23201939.html
Ethics: An Outline is available in paperback, $12.00 and eBook, $4.00, formats: http://www.lulu.com/shop/maja-trochimczyk-and-benedict-spinoza/ethics-an-outline/ebook/product-23200408.html
Ethics by Spinoza is also available in paperback, $20.00, and eBook, $8.00, formats, http://www.lulu.com/shop/benedict-spinoza/ethics/ebook/product-23201939.html
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Explore Poetry and Art in Margaret Saine's Lit Angels - Moonrise Press's First Book of 2017
Moonrise Press announces the publication of Lit Angels by California poet, Margaret Saine. "Lit Angels" (Literature Angels ~ Angels of Light) is a collection of poetry inspired by literature and the arts. Written in English, the volume includes several translations into German, Arabic, French and Italian.
Margaret Saine, writes about her work: “Lit, past participle of ‘to light’, and Lit, abbreviation for literature? Lit used by people who love it so much they breathlessly shorten it to one syllable? Light and Literature, the mainstays of human lives, wherever we are, whenever we are so privileged. Literature and Light are best friends.” The volume is illustrated with Saine's photographs.
Distributed by Lulu.com, soon on Amazon and other online sites:
Paperback, ISBN 978-1-945938-02-3, $15.00
Color Paperback, ISBN 978-1-945938-04-7 , $35.00
EBook, for iTunes, Nook, etc., ISBN 978-1-945938-05-4, $10.00
Margaret Saine, writes about her work: “Lit, past participle of ‘to light’, and Lit, abbreviation for literature? Lit used by people who love it so much they breathlessly shorten it to one syllable? Light and Literature, the mainstays of human lives, wherever we are, whenever we are so privileged. Literature and Light are best friends.” The volume is illustrated with Saine's photographs.
Distributed by Lulu.com, soon on Amazon and other online sites:
Paperback, ISBN 978-1-945938-02-3, $15.00
Color Paperback, ISBN 978-1-945938-04-7 , $35.00
EBook, for iTunes, Nook, etc., ISBN 978-1-945938-05-4, $10.00
Maja Trochimczyk Receives the 2016 Creative Arts Prize from the Polish American Historical Association
At the conclusion of its 74th Annual Meeting in Denver, CO, held on January 5-7, 2017, the Polish American Historical Association announced the winners of its 2016 Awards and Prizes. Prof. Grazyna Kozaczka of Cazenovia College, NY, PAHA President in 2014-1016 presented the awards, including the 2016 Creative Arts Prize to Maja Trochimczyk, Ph.D. for her achievements as a poet, especially her two books dedicated to Polish victims of WWII, Slicing the Bread (Finishing Line Press, 2014), and The Rainy Bread (Moonrise Press, 2016). Previous winners of the Creative Arts Prize include: painter Julian Stanczak, poets John Guzlowski and Linda Nemec Foster, writer Anthony Bukoski, and others. Trochimczyk's other books of poetry are Rose Always, 2008; Miriam’s Iris, 2008; Into Light, 2016; and two anthologies,Chopin with Cherries, 2010, and Meditations on Divine Names, 2012. She served as Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, Los Angeles in 2010-2012, and received many honors for her work, e.g. Polish government’s medal for the promotion of culture, fellowship from the American Council of Learned Societies, and PAHA’s Distinguished Service Award and the Swastek Prize. More information is on PAHA News Blog.
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The Rainy Bread: Poems from Exile by Maja Trochimczyk Honors the Polish survivors of Stalinist Repressions during and after WWII
This volume includes 30 poems about forgotten stories of Poles living in the Eastern Borderlands of Kresy, who were killed, deported, imprisoned, or oppressed after the invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union on September 17, 1939. Some of these brief portraits capture the trauma and resilience, ordeals and miraculous survival stories of the author’s immediate family. Their experiences of displacement, hunger, cold, and poverty during the war are typical of Polish civilians. These non-fiction poems are coupled with depictions of survival of other Poles deported to Siberia, the Arctic Circle, or Kazakhstan; who left the Soviet Union with the Second Corps of the Polish Army under General Władysław Anders; were transported to refugee camps in India or Africa; and ended up in Argentina, Canada, Australia or the U.S. The book is a companion to “Slicing the Bread: Children’s Survival Manual in 25 Poems” (Finishing Line Press, 2014), with which it shares some poems, including vignettes from the author’s childhood in Warsaw, permeated by the strange rhetoric of the Polish People’s Republic, yet still overshadowed by the war. ISBN 9781945938009, paperback, 64 pages, $10.00; ISBN 9781945938016, eBook, $8.00
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Into Light: Poems and Incantations Provides Inspiration for Meditation Uplifting the Spirit
This poetry and prayer collection presents 30 poems and 12 "incantations" that focus on the intertwined spiritual concepts of Light and Love. The poems, initially written within the Catholic mystical tradition of contemplation and adoration of the Divine presence, gradually evolved to encompass a broader scope of spiritual insights, without losing the main focus: reaching out in Love to the One Light, the Source of All. The simple and repetitive meditations and incantations are meant to inspire, uplift, and fill the heart with Light and Love. Available in Pocketbook Format (small book 4.2' by 6.8', $10.00), as a Paperback in a standard trade size 6' by 9' (ISBN 978-0-9963981-8-3, $10.00) and as E-Book in the EPUB Format (ISBN 978-0-9963981-9-0, $8.00).
From the Introduction: "The poems and incantations in this volume do not express any particular spirituality or religion, except my own mystical focus on the unknown Source of us all, the Light that draws us near, the Love that keeps us connected and dwells in our hearts. Baptized at 30 into the Catholic Church, after a long search for the right path, I also seek enlightenment where it can be found, so I attend “light-giving-and-receiving”sessions at the Sukyo Mahikari Spiritual Development Centers (with Susan Rogers as my guide) and spiritual healing sessions given by inspired healers,full of Divine Light and Grace, Kimberly Meredith and Ambika Talwar. Some of the “incantations” feature fragments of Catholic prayers,such as the Shield of St. Patrick. Other ones include words borrowed from diverse sources, while the poems have been written over the period of 20 years."
From the Introduction: "The poems and incantations in this volume do not express any particular spirituality or religion, except my own mystical focus on the unknown Source of us all, the Light that draws us near, the Love that keeps us connected and dwells in our hearts. Baptized at 30 into the Catholic Church, after a long search for the right path, I also seek enlightenment where it can be found, so I attend “light-giving-and-receiving”sessions at the Sukyo Mahikari Spiritual Development Centers (with Susan Rogers as my guide) and spiritual healing sessions given by inspired healers,full of Divine Light and Grace, Kimberly Meredith and Ambika Talwar. Some of the “incantations” feature fragments of Catholic prayers,such as the Shield of St. Patrick. Other ones include words borrowed from diverse sources, while the poems have been written over the period of 20 years."
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New Non-fiction Book on Polish Culture: The Maska Dramatic Circle: Polish American Theater in Schenectady, New York (1933-1942) by Phyllis Zych Budka
ISBN 978-0-9963981-4-5 (paperback), $30, x plus 254 pages
ISBN 978-0-9963981-5-2 (eBook – PDF format), $10 download
Moonrise Press announces a new publication in the series dedicated to Polish music and culture, The Maska Dramatic Circle by Phyllis Zych Budka. This volume was published in May 2016 in a large format (8 1/2 by 11 in), to accommodate its many facsimile of hitherto unknown historical documents. Designed initially as a family history and based on documents found in an attic, the book was inspired by the involvement of the author's parents Stanley Zych and Sophie Korycinski Zych in the Maska Dramatic Circle in the 1930s and 1940s.
While researching this project, Ms. Budka realized that: "no one has told the story of the Maska Dramatic Circle, this unique group of young people, mostly first generation Polish Americans, who contributed so much to the cultural life of their community in Schenectady, New York, between 1933 and 1942. The Maska members were multitalented, hardworking and full of fun. Their world was completely bilingual, with plays in Polish, a newsletter in both English and Polish, and newspaper articles in both the local English newspapers as well as the Polish ones."
In nine years the Maska Dramatic Circle staged at least 51 plays, complete with costumes, stage settings, music and dancing. The book documents these performances on the basis of a scrapbook of photos, Maska Buletyns and press clippings and thus fills in an enormous gap in the history of one of the Polish immigrant communities in America. Ms. Budka explains further: "While I’ve approached the Maska book as a family memoir and a local history, I am coming to realize that it is very relevant to current concerns in the wider community about the disappearance of the Polish American immigrant experience.”
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Moonrise Press Co-sponsors the Third International Szymanowska Symposium in Paris, November 2015
The 3rd International Symposium about the composer Maria Szymanowska (1789-1831) and her times will take place on 25-27 November 2015 at the Polish Academy of Sciences’ Paris Center (74, rue Lauriston, Paris 16e). The previous conferences took place in 2011 and 2014. This edition of the Szymanowska Symposium will be dedicated to "Talents of Women: The Borders between Myth and Reality." We will focus on the question: "What do we know about the cultural heritage of women (“matrimoine” in French) of this epoch?"
Researchers and musicians from 10 European countries and the U.S. will be discussing the recent scholarly findings and the current state of knowledge about Szymanowska and other women of influence from her time period. A rich musical program of works composed by women will be presented. For more information visit the Moonrise Press blog.
Researchers and musicians from 10 European countries and the U.S. will be discussing the recent scholarly findings and the current state of knowledge about Szymanowska and other women of influence from her time period. A rich musical program of works composed by women will be presented. For more information visit the Moonrise Press blog.
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Announcing the Publication of Across the Atlantic: The Adamowicz Brothers, Polish Aviation Pioneers
During the summer of 1934, two Polish amateur-pilots, Joe (Józef) and Ben (Bolesław) Adamowicz, who immigrated to the US more than twenty years earlier, flew over the Atlantic on a single-engine plane Bellanca. Their trip took them from New York to Warsaw; they were the first Poles to do so. They became instant celebrities, favorites of the journalists, photographers, and the public on both sides of the Atlantic. Alas, their triumph was short-lived, followed by a fall from grace, to imprisonment and bankruptcy. This richly illustrated book brings to life their forgotten story. Written by a historian, journalist and educator Zofia Reklewska-Braun and director, writer, scholar, and author of over 50 books, Dr. Kazimierz Braun, this book was originally published in Poland in 2011.
Moonrise Press, September 2015 ISBN 978-0-9963981-2-1, paperback, 240 pages, with 56 illustrations, a bibliography, and index, $20.00
ISBN 978-0-9963981-3-8, e-Book (ePub format), download, 4.97MB, $10.00
Moonrise Press, September 2015 ISBN 978-0-9963981-2-1, paperback, 240 pages, with 56 illustrations, a bibliography, and index, $20.00
ISBN 978-0-9963981-3-8, e-Book (ePub format), download, 4.97MB, $10.00
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Mud in Magic by Beverly M. Collins - Whimsy and Poignancy of Daily Life
Beverly M. Collins’s "Mud in Magic" is her second poetry book, filled with the wisdom of experience. Her skillful and often aphoristic or narrative poems portray a scene or a character that we could encounter on our streets, in our cafes. The poems are organized into three parts: Thought Bistro (Part I), Tinder Flames (Part II), and Elixir Café (Part III). The beauty and wonder of daily life fill these pages and delight the readers. Beverly M. Collins is fourth in a family of five daughters. Although born in Milford, Delaware, Bev is a Jersey-girl to the bone. She is also a graduate of Taylor Business Institute, a great admirer of Art who carries a deep appreciation and respect for other Artists. As a singer, Collins is a former national finalist for Talent America. As a poet, she is one of three 2012 prize winners for the California State Poetry Society. Her works appear in a growing number of publications, such as the California Quarterly, the San Gabriel Valley Poetry Quarterly, anthologies by Poets on Site, and more.
Paperback: 96 pp. $15.00, ISBN 978-0-996398-1-0-7. E-Boo:, $8.00, ISBN 978-0-996398-1-1-4.
Paperback: 96 pp. $15.00, ISBN 978-0-996398-1-0-7. E-Boo:, $8.00, ISBN 978-0-996398-1-1-4.
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Clocks and Water Drops - First Full-Length Poetry Collection by Marlene Hitt
"Clocks and Water Drops" is the first full-length collection of poetry by Marlene Hitt, the first Poet Laureate of Sunland-Tujunga, a former Director at the Bolton Hall Museum, a local historian, poet, and community activist. The book of reflections about her life, family and neighborhood changing through the decades, includes 73 poems in sections dedicated to: Children, Marriages, Portraits, Neighbors, Seasons, Small Things, Passages, and Farewells. The title captures the poet’s fascination with the flow of time, as relentless and powerful as drops of water that can shape rocks and move mountains. Poet Jack Cooper praises Hitt’'s "astute and thoughtful voice" while Kath Abela Wilson admires her “confident and consistent phrasing, and exacting vision."
More information: http://www.moonrisepress.com/clocks.html
More information: http://www.moonrisepress.com/clocks.html
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Ed Rosenthal's The Desert Hat - Survival Poems about Being Lost and Found in the Mojave
This elegant volume of poetry was inspired by a six-and-a-half-day ordeal of Ed Rosenthal, a Poet-Broker, who survived alone after being lost in the Mojave Desert in September 2010. An experienced hiker, he unexpectedly veered far away from his usual route and could not find his way back. He found refuge in Salvation Canyon, was several times missed by search-and-rescue aircraft and helicopters, and finally, miraculously was found by San Bernardino County Sheriff's Deputies. The wry, surreal, and reflective poems in The Desert Hat: Survival Poems describe the spiritual trajectory of a survivor living through a close encounter with death, starting from alienation in a corporate urban environment and ending with the post-trauma reflections about life and natural environment.
The book consists of over 30 poems organized in four sections, reflecting the distinct stages in the spiritual and personal journey, from getting off track, through searching for a way back, hallucination in a hostile desert environment, finding shelter in the shade of Salvation Canyon, being rescued, and experiencing the world after the return from the brink of death. The title alludes to a canvas hat that Rosenthal used as a notebook and helped the lost poet control his thoughts, capture emotions, and write down his last will and a farewell to his wife and daughter. This is Ed Rosenthal's first book-length publication. It was nominated for the 2013 Pushcart Prize.
Paperback print edition: ISBN 978-0-9819693-7-4, 74 pages, $15.00.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/ed-rosenthal/the-desert-hat/paperback/product-21238943.html
E-Book, $10.00, ISBN 978-0-9819693-9-8
http://www.lulu.com/shop/ed-rosenthal/the-desert-hat/ebook/product-21239406.html
"Just over three years ago, after making a wrong turn on a hike, Ed Rosenthal, The Poet Broker of Downtown L.A., was lost for 6 days in Joshua Tree National Park. ... The temperature climbed above 100 degrees every day that week. Miraculously, Ed survived. Now, three years later, he has processed the experience. Beautifully. Ed has just published The Desert Hat, Survival Poems (Moonrise Press). And reading it is an astonishing experience in its own right. If Ed has just recounted his dramatic story, that would have been a good read. But Ed is a poet. He gropes for elusive meanings in his transformational desert suffering. Recurring images broaden into symbols, link, and elevate the book into, essentially, one extended poem."
~ Jack Skelley, Downtown News, November 2013
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The book consists of over 30 poems organized in four sections, reflecting the distinct stages in the spiritual and personal journey, from getting off track, through searching for a way back, hallucination in a hostile desert environment, finding shelter in the shade of Salvation Canyon, being rescued, and experiencing the world after the return from the brink of death. The title alludes to a canvas hat that Rosenthal used as a notebook and helped the lost poet control his thoughts, capture emotions, and write down his last will and a farewell to his wife and daughter. This is Ed Rosenthal's first book-length publication. It was nominated for the 2013 Pushcart Prize.
Paperback print edition: ISBN 978-0-9819693-7-4, 74 pages, $15.00.
http://www.lulu.com/shop/ed-rosenthal/the-desert-hat/paperback/product-21238943.html
E-Book, $10.00, ISBN 978-0-9819693-9-8
http://www.lulu.com/shop/ed-rosenthal/the-desert-hat/ebook/product-21239406.html
"Just over three years ago, after making a wrong turn on a hike, Ed Rosenthal, The Poet Broker of Downtown L.A., was lost for 6 days in Joshua Tree National Park. ... The temperature climbed above 100 degrees every day that week. Miraculously, Ed survived. Now, three years later, he has processed the experience. Beautifully. Ed has just published The Desert Hat, Survival Poems (Moonrise Press). And reading it is an astonishing experience in its own right. If Ed has just recounted his dramatic story, that would have been a good read. But Ed is a poet. He gropes for elusive meanings in his transformational desert suffering. Recurring images broaden into symbols, link, and elevate the book into, essentially, one extended poem."
~ Jack Skelley, Downtown News, November 2013
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Chopin with Cherries: A Tribute in Verse
An anthology of poetry edited by Maja Trochimczyk. This volume celebrates the 200th birth anniversary of a Polish pianist-composer, Fryderyk Chopin (1810-1849) in a selection of 123 poems by 92 poets. The hightlights include the first English translation of Norwid's Fortepian Szopena by Leonard Kress. Published in February 2010. ISBN 978-0-9819693-0-5. Available in Paperback Edition ($23.00) or PDF Download ($10.00). Read more about this anthology, including review excerpts.
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Miriam's Iris, or Angels in the Garden
Poetry and Photography by Maja Trochimczyk. A poetry collection describing a personal, spiritual evolution, symbolized by appearances of six angels: Amor, the angel of romance; Eros, the angel of desire; Eloe, the angel of sorrow; Thanatos, the angel of death; Ellenai, the angel of consolation; and Sophia, the angel of wisdom. Paperback (First Edition): ISBN 978-0-578-00166-1 - $12.00. Hardcover with Color Photos (Second Edition, 126 pp.): ISBN 978-0-9819693-2-9 - $48.00. PDF Download: ISBN 978-0-9819693-2-9 - $10.00. Read a sample of poems and see photographs here.
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2012 Pushcart Prize Nominations for Six Poets Published in Meditations on Divine Names
Six talented poets have been nominated for the 2012 Pushcart Prize for poetry published by small press publishers and journals. The nominations are for poems included in the anthology “Meditations on Divine Names” edited by Maja Trochimczyk and published in 2012. The nominations recognize the following poets and poems:
The Color Blue – Amy Falvey
The Twenty-Second Name of God – Oriana Ivy
The Second John Paul – Radomir Luza
The Poet Goes Fishing – Mary Kay Rummel
What Does the Sky Know – Susan Rogers
Gift of the Sea – Dale Sprowl
MEDITATIONS ON DIVINE NAMES (ISBN 9780981969381, Moonrise Press, 2012) is an anthology of contemporary poetry, edited by featuring 140 poems by 64 poets associated with diverse spiritual traditions. Their poems represent: various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Wicca, Sukyo Mahikari, and ancient Greek, Egyptian, Hawaiian, and Slavic religions. The book is divided into ten paired sections: Naming, Names, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, He, She, Being, and Loving.
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The Color Blue – Amy Falvey
The Twenty-Second Name of God – Oriana Ivy
The Second John Paul – Radomir Luza
The Poet Goes Fishing – Mary Kay Rummel
What Does the Sky Know – Susan Rogers
Gift of the Sea – Dale Sprowl
MEDITATIONS ON DIVINE NAMES (ISBN 9780981969381, Moonrise Press, 2012) is an anthology of contemporary poetry, edited by featuring 140 poems by 64 poets associated with diverse spiritual traditions. Their poems represent: various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Wicca, Sukyo Mahikari, and ancient Greek, Egyptian, Hawaiian, and Slavic religions. The book is divided into ten paired sections: Naming, Names, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, He, She, Being, and Loving.
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Gorecki in Context: Essays on Music - Volume of Studies edited by Maja Trochimczyk
The premature death of Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki in November 2010 shocked the music world and inspired the assembling of this volume of studies and interviews with the composer. The richly illustrated volume includes research papers about the music of Gorecki and his contemporaries, list of works, chronology of life, bibliography and index. Forthcoming. For more information, visit Gorecki in Context.
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Meditations on Divine Names - An Anthology
Meditations on Divine Names is an anthology of contemporary poetry on religious themes, featuring 140 poems by 64 poets, associated with diverse spiritual traditions. Their poems represent: various branches of Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Kabbalah, Wicca, Sukyo Mahikari, and ancient Greek, Egyptian, Hawaiian, and Slavic religions.
The book is divided into ten paired sections: Naming, Names, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, He, She, Being, and Loving. ISBN 978-0-9819693-8-1 - $21 (lulu.com). The editor, Maja Trochimczyk, a poet and music historian, describes herself as a Catholic mystic.
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Space and Spatialization in Contemporary Music
Completed in October 1994 and not available in print until now, this groundbreaking dissertation by Maria Anna Harley presents the history of space in the musical thought of the 20th-century and outlines the development of spatialization in the theory and practice of contemporary music (after 1950). Based on original interviews, the dissertation presents a theory of the use of space for structural and symbolic purposes and focuses on three distinct approaches to spatialization: Brant's simultaneity of sound layers, Xenakis's movement of sound, and Schafer's music of ritual and soundscape.450 pp.
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Interview with Maja Trochimczyk on Poet's Cafe, KPFK 90.7 FM
On March 30, 2011, KPFK radio 90.7 FM broadcast an interview with Maja Trochimczyk by host Lois P. Jones. The interview, recorded in October 2010, focused on the anthology Chopin with Cherries and Maja's dramatic journey from Poland and the world of Polish language to living in California and writing poetry in English. Highlights included "A Study with Cherries" published in Chopin with Cherries, "An Ode of the Lost" that appeared in The Cosmopolitan Review, and "The Music Box" from Rose Always, read - appropriately - with a music box discussed in the poem. The interview is on the website of Tim Green, in the Poet's Cafe archives.
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A Romantic Century in Polish Music - edited by Maja Trochimczyk
A collection of scholarly essays about the history of Polish music in the 19th and 20th centuries by eminent European music historians: Magdalena Dziadek, Martina Homma, Krzysztof Rottermund, Krzysztof Szatrawski, Maria Zduniak, and the editor, Maja Trochimczyk. The essays discuss such disparate issues as the Wroclaw visits of the violinist, Karol Lipinski, a history of his violins, Henryk Wieniawski's virtuosity, the reception of Wagner in Poland, the career paths and mindsets of Polish women composers of the 19th century, the biography of Feliks Nowowiejski, Ignacy Jan Paderewski's inspiration with the Tatra Mountains and Podhale folklore, and other issues. Edited by Maja Trochimczyk, with translations from the Polish.
Published in December 2009, 264 pp. See the description of this book, including the detailed table of contents. ISBN 978-0-9819693-3-6 (paperback) - $22.00, also available as PDF download - $10.00).
Published in December 2009, 264 pp. See the description of this book, including the detailed table of contents. ISBN 978-0-9819693-3-6 (paperback) - $22.00, also available as PDF download - $10.00).
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2010 Pushcart Prize Nominations for "Chopin with Cherries"
The following poems have been nominated for the 2010 Pushcart Prize in Poetry:
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Read more about Moonrise Press events on moonrisepress.blogspot.com and on the News & Events page.
- During Nocturne by Lia Brooks
- Polonaise by Elizabeth Murawski
- Postcards of Home and Homesick by Diane Shipley DeCillis
- Chopin: Apples by Sharon Chmielarz
- It's been a tough symphony week by Katrin Talbot, and
- The Piano of Chopin, translation by Leonard Kress of Cyprian Kamil Norwid's poem "Fortepian Szopena"
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Read more about Moonrise Press events on moonrisepress.blogspot.com and on the News & Events page.
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Moonrise Press Blog by Maja Trochimczyk
Additional news and information about books, authors, and events of Moonrise Press
of Los Angeles. Includes an International Translation Project "Memento Vitae" - with translations of one poem into Polish, French, Spanish, Serbian and other languages.
About reading poems from "Chopin with Cherries"
"When good poems are read by their own poets, somewhere after the third poem a magical quality begins to evolve and the poems become incidents in a story. One could live the life of Chopin in the ninety minutes of the afternoon and get a glimpse into 22 other lives. The live poetry reading is an Art Form rising out of the poems and the poets as a new phenomenon. It is a concert of minds and emotions and news from each being--an adventure in being."
~ Russell Salamon, Los Angeles (September 2010)
~ Russell Salamon, Los Angeles (September 2010)
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Chopin with Cherries Blog by Maja Trochimczyk
The "Chopin with Cherries" Blog, created by the editor of an anthology of the same title (Chopin with Cherries: A Tribute in Verse), Maja Trochimczyk, is dedicated to topics associated with this anthology - poetry, music, the presence and meaning of Chopin's music in contemporary world, and the intersections of music and poetry that his art inspired. You may find it on the following sites:
On Blogspot - chopinwithcherries.blogspot.com
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Poetry Laurels - Blog by Maja Trochimczyk
This blog, at poetrylaurels.blogspot.com, documents Maja Trochimczyk's adventures as the Sixth Poet Laureate of Sunland Tujunga, serving in the years 2010-2012. For her inauguration ceremony, she wrote an occasional poem, What I love in Sunland, starting with:
1.The strong arms of the mountains / embracing, protecting our town
2. Lights scattered in the night valley / during my drive to the safety of home
3. How clouds sit on the hilltops / squishing them with their fat bottoms
4.The river playing hide-and-go-seek under the bridge to nowhere....
1.The strong arms of the mountains / embracing, protecting our town
2. Lights scattered in the night valley / during my drive to the safety of home
3. How clouds sit on the hilltops / squishing them with their fat bottoms
4.The river playing hide-and-go-seek under the bridge to nowhere....
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All contents and photos (c) 2008-2018 by Moonrise Press, Los Angeles. All Rights Reserved by Moonrise Press.
Distribution and sales by lulu.com and its partners. Moonrise Press is solely owned by Dr. Maja Trochimczyk.
All contents and photos (c) 2008-2018 by Moonrise Press, Los Angeles. All Rights Reserved by Moonrise Press.
Distribution and sales by lulu.com and its partners. Moonrise Press is solely owned by Dr. Maja Trochimczyk.