The line between poetry and prose...

...is largely the subject of this thought-provoking review of Jim Goar's The Louisiana Purchase in the latest issue of The Short Review. Reviewer Loree Westron concludes:

The Louisiana Purchase is a beautifully produced little book, full of obscure and surreal imagery. Read as a collection of stories, it is all but incomprehensible. As a collection of poems, however, it just might be stunning.

You can read the whole review here.

Elsewhere on the Internet, Rose Metal press is included on The Next Best Book Club blog's "Being Indie" feature here. Thanks to Lori Hettler for asking us to participate!

Buzzing around the Internet today...

...is a lot of buzz for Rose Metal Press Books. Over here at The Next Best Book Club blog, you can read all about the forthcoming I Take Back the Sponge: A Lyrical Choose-Your-Own-Adventure by Loren Erdrich & Sierra Nelson.

And Melissa Gruntkosky, the designer of that book, blogs about her approach to the project here today.

Last but not least, Curbside Splendor ran a glowing review of They Could No Longer Contain Themselves by Elizabeth Colen, John Jodzio, Tim Jones-Yelvington, Sean Lovelace and Mary Miller on their blog which you can read in its entirety here.

Newcity likes Rose Metal Press, Tiff Holland, and Jim Goar...

...and they say so in today's joint review of Holland's Betty Superman and Goar's The Louisiana Purchase. Reviewer Martin Northway writes:

The notion that “the medium is the message” is attributed to Marshall McLuhan, but the folks at Rose Metal Press seek to marry the media to the message with their individually designed, beautifully custom-printed editions of what they describe as “hybrid genres.” The result is books that could seem pricey and precious were it not for the fact that that they offer a perfect match to the right readers. The Brookline, Massachusetts-based (with a strong Chicago presence due to its co-founder’s local residence) publisher’s books aren’t for everyone, and that’s the point: they don’t need to be, considering each so gloriously fits its own highly personal niche.

You can read the whole thing here. Thanks to Northway for the thoughtful reviews!

A sterling exemplar of what post-postmodern verse can do

That is just one of many things that Seth Abramson says of Jim Goar's The Louisiana Purchase in his February 2012 Contemporary Poetry Reviews on the Huffington Post. He also says that Jim has penned "a collection of poems brilliantly of and for its time," but you can read the whole thing here. Thanks, Seth.