"A poem is a thought, is a poem, is a thought, is a poem, is a thought shared."
"My middle name is 'change.'"
"The painting of an injured voice," reads one poem by Joyce Metzger, and indeed, she would know. Her poems speak freely and eloquently of laughter, pain, and the questionable art of patriotism, in a way that connects the concepts as if they were meant to be together. Suffering is at home in these poems, but so is delight, and Joyce Metzger's voice, while never wavering, moves freely from tone to tone, reminding us that tone is an artificial concept anyway.
Joyce (Carbone) Metzger erupted onto the small press scene in 1987 by releasing her first written poetic words. Originally a short story writer, she placed writing on hold to recapture the wilderness of Kodiak, Alaska with an adventuresome spirit where she lived for four years. But the Florida sand, sunshine, customs, folklore and people still sparked her imagination and loyalty.
Joyce became a poet, a poetry editor, publisher (JVC BOOKS which publishes two quarterlies; CerBerUs and ZZZ ZYNE),playwright, author, mail-art artist, and a book reviewer. Book reviews are at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jmetzgerpoetryreviews and can be read on five other sites and in many small poetry press publications.
Via her JVC imprint, Metzger continues to publish some of the recurring great names in contemporary alternative press: A.D. Winans, Gerald Locklin, Alan Catlin, t.k.splake, Simon Perchik, John Bennett, Doug Holder, Brian Morrisey, Blair Allen, Dave Church, Catfish McDaris, Wendell Metzger, Linda Lerner, Lyn Lifshin, Enid Dame, Donald Lev, fancEyE, Peter Magliocco, Richard Kostelanetz, John Thomas, Raymond Mason, Salvatore Galioto, Steve DeFrance, Hugh Fox, Tony Moffeit, Michael Basinski, Gerald Nicosia, Steve Dalchinsky, Bill Tremblay, Ruth Daniels, Julia Vinograd, Ronald Wardall, Philomene Long, Ann Menebroker, Eric Paul Shaffer, Jim Cohn, Taylor Grahmn, and B.Z. Niditch and many others.
Joyce has many books published under her previous name Carbone. Some listed are: Frozen Teardrops, New Age Women, Chela's Song, Old Trout Never Die, Ragged Prison Blues, Dream Sequence # One, Dream Sequence # Two and With Apologies To Thelonious. Some books written and listed under the name Joyce Metzger are: Bone Slept Here Arcadia Perfecto!, Nu Awlins, Mo Betta, Once Upon a Tourniquet Summer in Europe, Nordland Haiku Revisited, Sudland Haiku, Artistic Appreciation, Seattle Confidential, and Arcadia Plus.
Metzger has illustrated several books, including artwork additions for Coyoacan by Catfish McDaris, Arcadia Plus published by Limited Editions Press, Bone Slept Here, More Bone and Bone and Friends, all perfect bounds with cartoon sketches.
Joyce sketched Haiga sketches for her Haiku books. She appreciates a wide variety of poetry. And, she employs southern cowpoke dialect in her "BONE" books. "BONE MIZELLE" was a living breathing hard riding cowpoke who lived in central Florida until 1921. Metzger has immortalized his name and fame, via her poetry and sketches. Some of this poetic material can be located at: http://www.CowboyPoetry.com/joycemetzger.htm#About. She is listed as a "Pard at the Bar-D Ranch"...yahoo!
Currently, Joyce Metzger's work is being archived by the University of Washington, Brown University of Providence, The University at Buffalo, Ohio State University (Avant Writing Collection), and has been included in the JVC BOOK COLLECTON for the Yale Collection of American Literature in The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut. You can write to Joyce at stormey@sunline.net.
Joyce's works here at Unlikely Stories are:
2002:
Who The Hell Ever Heard Of A Sand Etched Toilet?
Esto es lo Verdadero
The Ultimate Abuse
After the Rapture