The Winners of the meaning Brains 25 Cents, Drive In Contest

Brains 25 Cents, ,

There are two winners of “what does Brains 25 ¢ Drive In and the two sample poems tell us about the book of poems.”

Helen Brager:

Here’s what I think – the poems need deep thinking for interpretation, so one will need a good brain to decipher what you wrote.  So go buy yourself a good brain.

Mike Henson:

Brains 25c Drive In is a blatant call from a carnival barker, as if brains could be dispensed at such a reasonable price.  A call that Dorothy’s scarecrow would find appealing.

Here the wordsmith brings working class food at a working class price.  It is that simple.  The surprise is in the eloquence of such a dish.

With some sadness, I am remembering a time when the brain sandwich was a staple of south St. Louis pubs and diners. Now only a handful of brain joints remain. Of course the sign and all of its fame points to a forgotten or secret club. Such a place would hold fantastic gastronomic and intellectual delights catering to those two most important organs, the stomach and the brain.

When you read the book of poems, see if you think these are valid explanations. Next week: a recipe for Brain Fritters. I would like to hear what you think of them. Nothing like sitting down to a brain sandwich and read a few of these poems alongside, like cole slaw.

Gentlemen, We Will Stand and Fight

The Angels of Mons, , , ,

I highly recommend reading @Tonybird  #GentlemenWewillStandandFight #ww1 military history. #lecateau #angelofmons #ww1centenary


In writing my upcoming book, St. George and the Angels of Mons I’ve read some great military histories of the opening days of World War I. Tony Bird’s Gentlemen, We will Stand and Fight is one of the best. In the First World War’s opening days British success at Mons, Belgium and two days later at Le Cateau, France were vitally important.  Tony Bird’s  book details the day’s battle at the battle of Le Cateau. I highly recommend it.

At Mons (23 August, 1914)–the first battle between the British and Germans in World War I–the British were heavily outnumbered. At Le Cateau (26 August) the British were even more greatly disadvantaged. If the fighting have gone badly at Mons or at Le Cateau nothing of consequence would then stand between the German Army and Paris. In military history, the two battles, and the separation of BEF’s I and II Corps at the Foret de Mormal were strategically of great importance. Mr. Bird’s book gives a detailed account of the fighting at Le Cateau.
In my novel, St. George and the Angels of Mons, angels join the fight at Mon, the Forest of Mormal, and  at Le Cateau. The novel will be published in May.

David Clarke’s book, The Angel of Mons Recommended

The Angels of Mons, , ,

Amazon has a section called If You Like as a way to recommend related books. In that spirit I strongly recommend David Clarke’s The Angel of Mons: Phantom Soldiers and Ghostly Guardians. If you are interested in my novel, St. George and The Angels of Mons. #theangelofmons Dr. Clarke’s book is the authoritative source of information about what really happened regarding the Angel of Mons. Phyllis Campbell and Arthur Machen are the primary sources for what developed as the World War I legend of the Angel of Mons. Clarke treats their writings (properly) as the origins of the legend appear in Clarke’s book. Naturally, the two characters inhabit the novel, though I slightly mangle history for the sake of plot. At the same time, I drew on history to make the events, outlandish as they are in the novel, make sense.

The Angels of Mons Coming Soon to a Book for You to Read

The Angels of Mons, ,

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Brother In-Law Captain (RAMC) Malcolm Leckie, and the Angels of Mons

In this glob I will introduce some of the characters in one major chapter of The Angels of Mons, soon to be published.

As is the case in most historical novels, some of the events in The Angels of Mons really took place. I summarize one extraordinary event. Most of the novel takes place on battlefields in Belgium and France.

While I was creating the story it occurred to me that the psychical, occult, and esoteric societies in England would have an interest in angels joining the war on the side of the British Expeditionary Force. Naturally, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, spiritualist and charter member of the British Psychical Society, came to mind. Little did I think that there would be a direct connection between Doyle and the supernatural events the book presents.

To find out more on your own, Google Captain Malcolm Leckie and Miss Lily Loder-Symmons. All the major Doyle biographies describe the events. Check one out of your library or (if you are lucky) get it as an e-book. Look up the names in the index and be amazed.St. George Jerred Metz

Next week I will describe the events of the night of August 29, 1914 that took place at the Doyle home, Windlesham. Stay tuned and be ready to be amazed.

 

Share your favorite brain recipes.

Brains 25 Cents

While there was no longer brains for sale where the sign was, in my early days in St. Louis (1973 and the next seventeen years) I would go to the Webster Grill on Lockwood Avenue in Webster Groves on my way to teach (Webster College.) The cook, red-headed Carol, often had brain sandwiches on the menu for lunch. Pan fried brains, mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato on white bread. I ate many. Then, for a long while I fried them at home. Many people say yuck! when I mention brains, but they never ate any. I’m not talking about brains and scrambled eggs, which I find wastes the finest qualities of a good brain dish. Here are my recommendations.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/05/deep-fried-brains-recipe.html and

http://realcajunrecipes.com/recipes/cajun/fried-brain/799.rcr for two fried brain recipes.

My wife, Sarah Barker, and I served ours with melted butter, lemon juice, and capers poured over the brains. There are other ways to cook them.

Share your favorite brain recipes.

Don’t eat too many or too often. They have a lot of cholesterol. Time for me to fry another batch.

I will be happy to publish the most interesting brain-eating accounts.

 

Win a Copy of my New Book of Poems

Brains 25 Cents, Uncategorized,

brains_cover_-_MoWANNA WIN A FREE copy of my brand new BOOK OF POEMS? Tell me what you think the book’s title (Brains 25c Drive In) means. I’ll select a winner on March 21, 2014.

In late January the first copies of the book of my selected and new poems—
Brains
25 ¢
Drive In
–was published by Aldrich Press.

The book’s cover is a photograph of a sign on the wall of an old workers’ lunch buffet in St. Louis, Missouri. The building is gone, and the sign with This photograph remains. These poems preserve its spirit as I absorbed it.  After he saw the cover, actor Don MacKay wrote me, asking what the words on the sign had to do with the poems. I told him to think about it and send me his interpretation. He did. He was right.
The titles of books of poetry invite the reader, like an appetizer, a foretaste, setting the reader’s mind in the right direction.

The Contest: Send me your interpretation of the title. On March 21 I will pick the winning explanation and send a copy to the person who came up with it.

Read two poems from the book. Maybe they will give you some ideas. Anyway, enjoy.

You can take part in the contest in one of three ways:
1) on Facebook you can comment on my post
2) on Facebook you can send me a message
3) send me an email.

How a Sign Became the Title for a Book of Poems

Brains 25 Cents, , ,

brains_cover_-_MoWhen I lived in St. Louis (1973 – 89), our house in Lafayette Square was a mile from Servian’s,. Part grocery store—cold cuts, white bread, canned vegetables–and part take-out lunch counter, the building was on Choteau Avenue. Nooter Boiler Company and other heavy manufacturing companies across the street.

Factory workers bought their lunches there–two thousand calorie, I would guess. A plate cost about $3.00. Boiled or smoked pig ears, snouts, tails, turkey legs, meat, loaf, heaps of mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and gravy, spaghetti mac (a St. Louis specialty), greens of all kinds, chicken stew, fried fish—I remember these.

But there were no brains on the menu by then. The building gone, burned–sadly with Mr. Servian asleep in his apartment above the store–then demolished years ago. The photograph remains.

The poems expresses the sign’s spirit as I see it. An age. A fried brain sandwich you could buy for a quarter. Slice of raw onion, mayonnaise, thick, on the top slice of bread.

Along with the Gateway Arch of Westward Expansion (The Arch), the picture is a St. Louis icon, an icon of the underbelly.

Before the book was published, I was talking by phone with St. Louis poet Jane Ellen Ibur about the cover and the title. She said on the wall that she faced across her office was the photo.

Some time later I described the cover to theater director Jim O’Connor, former chairman of the theater department at USC, Jim had directed plays at St. Louis’ professional theater, the Loretto Hilton. O’Conner said that he has the photograph in his office. Coincidence?

Many own copies of the photo. William Stage, (he is on Wikipedia) St. Louis journalist, is also known for his photographs and books of painted signs from the mid-west. He used to sell the picture as a post card from Kumquat Press.

Years ago I told William some day I would use the picture for a cover for a book of poems. He said go ahead. Decades later here it is.

(The main St. Louis icon is the Gateway Arch of Westward Expansion. Look to the left edge of the cover where the sky meets the buildings. What do you see? Two icons in one picture.) https://jerredmetz.com/brains-25-cents-drive-in/

Performance from Brains 25 Cents, Drive In

Drive in, , , ,

brains_cover_-_MoIn Columbia, South Carolina Trustus, will host the first poetry reading the theater has held–a performance of poems from Brains 25 ¢, Drive In. March 2, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. 520 Lady Street, The Side Door Theater.  No charge for admission. Books will be for sale and signing.

My wife, actor Sarah Barker, will add her voice to the poems. Stevie Patt Mississippi Kites Music, Lyrics, Songs, and Videos brings a sweet blues guitar to the party.

The selection is divided into five parts: 1) Welcome, 2) Concrete Poems, (poems with stones and clay), 3) Poems Dedicatory (poems to artists and writers), 4)Curses, Prayers, and Blessings, and 5) Finale.

There will be refreshments, but brains will not be served. If you want some, BYOB = Bring Your Own Brains. Of course, you’ll bring the brain in your cranium. But I’m talking about the edible kind—lamb, pig, calf, cow—each equally tasty.

Reserve your seat. https://www.facebook.com/events/529929967121010/

The Discovery of the remaining copies of “Three Legs Up, Cold as Stone: Six Legs Down, Blood and Bone”

Art of the Book

In 1977 Singing Bone Press of St. Louis published a book arts edition of 101 copies of Three Legs Up, Cold as Stone: Six Legs Down, Blood and Bone. At that time more than half of the books were purchased by book arts collectors, libraries and collections specializing in that sort of work.

The book represented the work of the poet Jerred Metz and artists Phil Sultz and Tom Lang. Sultz contributed graphic representations of many of the riddles. Lang, a well-known artist, paper maker, and printer saw to the creation of the book. The remaining forty copies of the book, unbound, were lost track of.

The books survived two moves–from St. Louis to Pittsburgh and then to Columbia, SC. Most remarkably, they survived a major house fire in Columbia. Recently, they were found in the very back of a closet under a set of stairs. In mint condition.

The numbered copies are signed by Metz, Sultz, and Lang.