Josh Gaines

Author, Publisher

Read this first

AWP and Champagne.
Also, Stevie Edwards!

Thoughtcrime Press is busy collecting and editing this year’s manuscripts. A possible perfect bound Little Bones is in the works, and we already have the first chunk of poems by Chicago poets, Emilio Maldonado and Rob Hendler.

Somehow we all survived AWP, and in fact, a few of us survived it with some atypical (for a) poet style from near the top of the Seattle Wyndham, overlooking Elliot Bay, and the Space Needle. Champagne breakfasts in bed, surrounded by business cards, new books, and half-empty/full bottles of Motrin. Bottled water always went fast. While we suffered, we discussed some great, new ideas regarding the possibilities of small press publishing. And, we now have a line on a writing residency program within the next couple years that would make (your favorite serious-role celebrity, say Christian Bale) giggle in glee. More to follow…

Here’s a piece by Write Bloody, and...

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2014: Let’s Begin

Little Bones, a limited edition art book set from Thoughtcrime Press, will be featured at Printed Matter’s giant LA Art Book Fair this year at the table run by Kickstarter’s curators of new art! We will also be mentioned in their upcoming fine art catalog.

Here’s a piece from Little Bones, which also features poets Ben Clark, and Stevie Edwards.

Vacation Request (Josh Gaines, 2013)

I asked for a day off and he reached across that cherry wood desk

Put his hand on my shoulder

And set me on fire.



At first I wasn’t sure of the smell

What it was—

Now it’s painful, obvious.



At home the stables too were burning

The horses, pawing loudly

At the creaking slats ready to collapse



Four horses and the smell of that rising heat.

Even burning, I couldn’t get close

And anyway, something told me it was too late.



I kept trying to forget the morning

I tried to sleep

But the bedding caught fire,



My...

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