Various (Stettner, Irving (Editor); Jacquemon, Pierre; Joyce, William; Levy, Howard S.; Lionte, Koste; Pavlopoulos, George; Stobbs, Bill; Trantino, Tommy et al.)

Stroker No. 57 (1996)

Shavertown, PA: Stroker Magazine, 1996. First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. “Dear Tommy, / I haven’t written you in a long, long time, but just wanted to say once again how much I look forward to your writings, drawings, and doodlings with every issue of Stroker. Whenever I see your work I walk the borderline between laughter and tears, between joy and outrage, though the emphasis usually wavers slightly more toward the laughter and joy for which thank you and g’bless you. It sometimes seems to me that modern writers/artists have forgotten how to write joy, or never knew how. This cynic age of too much information, not enough imagination. To them I say–’show me how good you are–write joy--write joy like Tommy can, like Irv can.’ But you can only really write it by living it, no? By having it in your heart no matter where your body may be. / Yes, I’m assuming something of a Trantino collection, a corner of the house just for your prints (which elicit some pretty strange responses from our more conservative visitors), and–finally!--I’ve managed to get myself a copy of Lock the Lock I borrowed and read Irv’s copy about twelve years ago, said to myself this is a book I want to keep at the heart of my collection, but was never able to get a copy until I was visiting my aunt in Florida last month. / Me? As you may have gathered I’m living in Cornwall now, that southwestern leg of England that sticks out into the ocean, making a living tending bar. Got married–my wife Magi, a quiet wiccan witch, is also an occasional painter. I enclose two photos I took of her paintings. Also a brochure of the hotel where I work, just to give you an idea of the area. The wedding photo is of me and Magi, and the big photo spread across the two inside pages is taken from the balcony of our apartment. Nice view, yeah? / Biggest news is that I now have a baby boy, Richard Whitman (after old Walt) Stobbs, and Man! What a burst of joy he is!... / Must go now, but keep whistling Tommy. You matter to more people than you know.”--Bill Stobbs, “An Open Letter to Tommy Trantino,” pg. 22. Stroker was a magazine of literature and arts that ran from 1974 to 1994. It was published from New York – and later from Nagano, Japan – by American artist and author Irving Stettner (1922-2004). Stettner, a friend of Henry Miller’s (1891-1980), lived many years as an ex-pat in France, Morocco, Japan and other countries. With little money, he cultivated a devoted following of readers who were also “Stroker” contributors -- including Henry Miller in the last two years of his life, as well as Paul Bowles (1910-1999), Mohammed Mrabet (b. 1936) and Charles Bukowski (1920-1994), among others. One lesser-known writer from Detroit named Ron Papandrea (b. 1948) became one of Stettner's closest allies, his "Western scout," acting as a collector, archivist, distributor and publisher of Stettner's works. Stettner’s vision for Stroker was largely to present an amalgamation of art, literary essays, correspondences, poetry, and a seemingly Walt Whitman (1819-1892)-esque enthusiasm for life and poetry. The topic of today’s curation, Stroker 57 was published in 1996. This issue features: “Bundle O’Joy,” a poem by Kelly S. Dietrich; “At the Golden Tiger” a prose piece by William Joyce (b. 1957); “Japanese Heian Era Love Poem Characteristics,” and “5 poems by Lady Sagami (?990-1060?)” translated from the original Japanese by Howard S. Levy; “An Interview with George Pavlopoulos” conducted by Koste Lionte; an ink drawing by Alan Morgan (b. 1952); 5 poems by Greek poet George Pavlopoulos (1924-2008); and 4 poems by Italian poet & writer Erio Sughi (1936-2011), among many other great contributions! Stapled wrappers. First & presumably only printing. In relatively very fine condition with minor wear to fine edges, moderate staining/smudging to front cover, and minor discoloration due to age-toning to front and back covers. Very Fine. [Item #8739]

Price: $50.00