Festival International de la Poesie de Trois-Rivieres

The American Dissident
A Journal of Literature, Democracy & Dissidence
In the Samizdat Tradition of Writing against the Machine
A Forum for Examining the Dark Side of the Academic/Literary Established-Order Milieu

Where a Poet Ought Not/ Où c'qui faut pas

For this 170 pp bilingual French/English chapbook, please send $15 to:

Pour un exemplaire de ce recueil français/anglais de 170 pages, svp envoyez $17 à:

G. Tod Slone

1837 Main St.
Concord, MA 01742

N.B.: Many of the poems in this book were inspired by my personal experience as invited poet at the Festival International de la Poésie de Trois-Rivières.

Beaucoup des poèmes dans ce recueil ont été inspirés par mon expérience en tant que poète invité au Festival International de la Poésie de Trois-Rivières.

From: Gival Press [givalpress@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:34 AM
To: George Slone; Slone, Tod - Pace Instructor; Tod Slone
Subject: English/French Poetry Volume by G. Tod Slone Is Released

For Immediate release: April 23, 2008
Contact: Robert L. Giron (703.351.0079) Arlington, Virginia.
English/French Poetry Volume by G. Tod Slone Is Released

Gival Press is pleased to announce the publication of the English/French volume of poetry by literary critic G. Tod Slone entitled Where a Poet Ought Not / Où c'qui faut pas.

Slone who holds a Ph.D. from the University of Nantes (France) is the founding editor of the nonprofit literary journal The American Dissident and has taught at several national universities.

This French/English collection of poetry inspired by French poets Léo Ferré and François Villon and the Québec poet Raymond Lévesque is what Slone characterizes as a need to speak up. "In other words, a poet should speak the truth as he sees it and fight his damndest to overcome all the forces encouraging not to."

A sample from the book:

Sur le déclin
Je suis un mort en instance et je vous regarde.
—Léo Ferré

De grands zeppelins dans le pâle ciel grisâtre aujourd’hui
À jamais dissipant comme le temps lui-même
Lorsque je tourne et retourne autour du champ
L’avenir, tellement sombre
Les feuilles agissent leur raide mort indifféremment
Mais la verte lueur du lichen et de la mousse radie
Quoique seulement la morte lumière du cosmos

La locomotive de mon souffle, et moi aussi en déchéance
Je suis un mort en instance et je regarde le vaste champ vide…

On the Crest of Decline
I am a dead man waiting and looking at you.
—Léo Ferré

Great zeppelins in the pale gray sky today
Forever dissipating as time itself
As I round the field o’er and again
The outlook, oh so somber
Leaves rattling their stiff death apathetically
Yet the green glow of lichen and moss radiating
Though only the lifeless light of the cosmos

The locomotive of my breath, and I too am on the wane
I am a dead man waiting and looking at the vast empty field…