A couple weeks ago I gave my students a pretty easy assignment: make an argument for what grade you should get, based on your contributions in class this week. I wanted them to practice making a claim and supporting it with evidence and reasoning. One piece of evidence that showed up in several of the responses was “I was good this week.” As a result, I handed out copies of “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver this week. I had them write a paragraph defending a thesis that was provided, but we have not even had time to talk about the poem in class, and I really want to see what they have to say about the first line, “You do not have to be good.”

When I tell this story in class I will have to censor it: I have an uncle who used to make his living as a steer wrestler. His job for many years was to travel from rodeo to rodeo to leap off a horse and tackle a running steer and pin it to the ground. Nowadays he raises cattle and horses. There’s a story that he likes to tell, although I think he likes it more when other people tell it. I believe he was on a motorcycle trip and ended up at the Grand Canyon. He’s standing there, looking out at the sublime landscape, no doubt overpowered by the wonder of nature, and he says this: “I don’t care what any of you motherfuckers say, God made this.” To me, this is “Wild Geese.” I think that nature has this power to bring you home, to remind you of what’s important. It might not always tell you where you belong, but it reminds you that you do belong, that even if all of this—hands spread out, gesturing at the glorious world that surrounds us—is not for you alone, it is still for you. Whether it’s a spiritual or religious experience or not, nature can center you, reorient you.

Of course, the actual message of today’s message is that Malarkey Books really needs to sell books. Apparently it’s February already, which I am skeptical of still but it is what everyone tells me, and I find that I had probably better order books this weekend to send to Baltimore for AWP next month, if I want the books to be there in time to be of any good (in this case, one kind of does have to be good).

I am going to print some copies of our first poetry EP of the year, Sick Sad Queer by Ly Faulk. Here’s a peak at the cover:

The cover will be printed in color, which is a change. Except for one or two issues that I paid to get printed, I always print King Ludd’s Rag in black and white, but I do actually have a color printer at home, and I went and bought some photo-quality paper and did a test print, which turned out quite nice. Anyone who preorders Joshua Trent Brown’s novel, The Walls Are Closing In On Us, will receive a copy of this EP. Trent will be signing books and sending them out from his place.

I’ll also send a copy of Sick Sad Queer with any orders that I fill from Malarkey HQ. This might be returns, which are only $13. Currently we have Still Alive, Faith, Kill Radio, Gloria Patri, and Backmask in stock, I think one copy of Toadstones as well. Or it might be any regular-priced book that we have in stock. Current inventory includes Boxcutters, The Barre Incidents, First Aid for Choking Victims, Your Favorite Poet, Man in a Cage, Hair Shirt, Sleep Decades, and My Ardent Love for the Pencil. All of these will also come with a copy of King Ludd’s Rag No. 25.

Maybe you live on a boat and you don’t have room for any more books but you want Malarkey to thrive—we have a solution for you: the tip jar! I try to avoid promoting this option but the total on the order I’m about to put in is inspiring me.

Don’t want a book but you want something for your money: try The Grift volumes 1 and 2. Or our digital sampler, Malarkey Forever (this downloads as an epub; if you don’t have an ereader I can send you a PDF).

As always, this is a great time to join our book club. You’ll get five books, five poetry EPs, three copies of KLR, and Hellarkey volume 5.

If you’ll be at AWP, I’d like for you to know that Malarkey will be doing an off-site reading with Cowboy Jamboree at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 5, at Golden West Cafe. We are trying to set something up for Friday as well, but the lineup for Thursday includes Stephanie Austin, Joshua Trent Brown, Michael Chin, Jonathan Danielson, Teri Ellen Cross Davis, Benjamin Drevlow, Melissa Flores Anderson, Joey Hedger, Kelly Anny Jacobson, Christopher Stevenson, and John Waddy Bullion. A lineup that includes not only two Malarkey authors but also three King Ludd’s Rag alumni. You don’t have to be good, but this reading sure will be!

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