Long Beach author David Mark Dannov talks about writing, and reading at Acres of Books

Most writers are thankful to publish three books in a lifetime. Long Beach-based author David Mark Dannov accomplished that feat in one day, dropping three volumes of poetry via his own imprint, Black Joke Press, then reading selections at Acres of Books. We asked him about all that.

Why publish three books at once?
To get the work out as soon as possible. I needed to feel a sense of accomplishment. That was the most important thing. These are books I wrote 10 years ago. I want these out now because I’m a different person. I want to move on. It’s a way to close that door, get it out there and move on to the next project.
Describe the three books.
They’re called It’s the Shaking of the Ground that Crumbles Walls but Doesn’t Crumble Trees, Notes of an Ordinary Man Held Captive in an Alien World and The Crack in the Sidewalk Speaks. It’s a trilogy of poems from 1994-2004. I picked my favorite ones for the first book, my second favorites for the second book and third favorites for the third. Shaking and Notes both have some of my drawings in them, too.
Why did you start Black Joke Press?
I have control and it’s better than my work collecting dust on my desk. I got tired of waiting and sending single poems to small presses. I can publish all my work in a single book instead of waiting years for one poem to be published in some lame chapbook. It’s better to put together an entire manuscript of my work so I can expose myself.
Why don’t you publish online?
At one point I did to get it out there and to get recognized. I was getting some notice from locals and the underground community. I lost my job as a substitute teacher because I was using their computers to write. I was unemployed and looking for work. I couldn’t get hired. Interviews were working out and then nothing. I did everything I could to clean up the Internet and eradicate all those publications, put my MySpace to private and then got hired. If somebody wants to read my work, they can order a book and it will be sent to them.
When did you begin to write?
I didn’t get into writing until I went to college. I was doing comedy with a buddy of mine and went into the creative writing department at Cal State Long Beach thinking that would help me write skits. There I met Gerald Locklin and that’s when I was introduced to modern poetry and Charles Bukowski. I started reading Joseph Campbell and thought it was something I could latch on to. He was the first one to get me thinking about becoming a writer. One day I was in a bookstore and came upon Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer. I opened the book and it was like a volcano erupting. Finally, somebody saying what I want to say. It was the first time I felt like someone was writing directly to me.
Your reading at Acres of Books was pretty wild.
I don’t like poetry readings and Acres is the only place I read. There’s something about [store manager] Raun and the way he runs the show that reminds me of a Berlin burlesque host. It’s a secret gypsy den where people can be themselves. What better place than Acres of Books? There are like-minded people there and give writers some recognition.

IT’S THE SHAKING OF THE GROUND THAT CRUMBLES WALLS BUT DOESN’T CRUMBLE TREES 300 PAGES | $12 | NOTES OF AN ORDINARY MAN HELD CAPTIVE IN AN ALIEN WORLD 220 PAGES | $10 | THE CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK SPEAKS 232 PAGES | $10 | ALL SOFTCOVER | BLACKJOKEPRESS.COM

Tags: acres of books, black joke press, Books, Long Beach, mark dannov, poetry