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Justin Patrick Moore's avatar

More radio buildings need to have this kind of imaginative architecture. As for the poem, "Oh lend me a lens to find the future!" -- such a lens is always very useful to have...

...and neologisms are one of my favorite things about reading science fiction. An SF book without neologisms isn't working hard enough. For poetry, I've seen them in nonsense verse, but not enough elsewhere. We definitely need more made up words. Hope your head doesn't hurt too much today. I've drunk apricot and plum palinka brandy with our Hungarian friends. Is there a similar spirit in Slovakia? What is the go to liquor or drink?

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Josh Datko's avatar

Ah, it wasn't that bad fortunately. But yes they have this kind of plum brandy exactly, called slivovica. Well that's the generic term I think or maybe the plum. Different fruits will have different prefix put then ending in vica or vitz. It's most likely quite similar to this kind you mention.

But yeah, super cool building for sure :) Very iconic.

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Justin Patrick Moore's avatar

Glad you are having an exciting summer adventure.

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Josh Datko's avatar

Yeah its quite fun so far! I will have to leave a voice memo about this tape label and your latest article because I will be on the move here again!

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Justin Patrick Moore's avatar

Cool! ... I had doubts about posting my last article. It was sitting on the hard drive for awhile after I wrote it in a response to an essay I read titled "Are Doomers Mentally Ill?"

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Daniel V. Gaglio's avatar

That is one cool building

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Josh Datko's avatar

Yeah, it's quite interesting inside as well as you each floor is basically also a balcony.

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James Hart's avatar

I'm very much enjoying these. I'm not sure if you mentioned previously, but do you have a plan for what to do with these as a collection?

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Josh Datko's avatar

This is what I was thinking: I want to make the text of the sonnets public domain. I think the message is too important and now, the official translation you can only buy from Slovakia.

But I'd also like to make this the first book I do, but this is how I'm thinking of doing it.

I will do this collection with the sonnets and some of my other anti war poems. This will all be a pdf ebook that you can download for free or rather pay-what-you-want.

Then, I would like to make a physical edition that includes an audio recording. This I will make the paid option. This option I would make more than typically a book would sell for.

This is what I'm leaning towards. The only question I have is if I should do a route where the book is more premium lets so or more lofi and punk.

I think I'd rather have something small and unique then a print on demand book tbh. I think that just fits my vibe in general maybe.

But I don't know, I have not done this before. What do you think about this plan?

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James Hart's avatar

Yeah I like that, too. Maybe you could make a limited run of printed versions but have the digital version free and online? I'd definitely go in for something like that.

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Josh Datko's avatar

Yeah exactly 💯

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Allison Taylor Conway's avatar

Thank you so much for sharing your treasures and made-up words along the way. It's been so cool to be 'with' you through this amazing trip!

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Josh Datko's avatar

Thanks for coming along :) Yeah, the book is quite I find I think!

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Allison Taylor Conway's avatar

My pleasure! I love that handwriting, too.

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Josh Datko's avatar

Yes, haha, for sure mine will not be appear in books except for in the margins :)

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Allison Taylor Conway's avatar

lol I feel you! Marginalia for me, too!

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Celia Crane's avatar

I’m a big fan of neologisms. The inclusion of the glossary in your Soviet-era edition of The Bloody Sonnets adds such a fascinating historical layer! While Hviezdoslav’s inventive language may not have fully succeeded in shielding his work from ideological manipulation at the time, do you think his craftsmanship helped preserve his artistic integrity in a way that allows it to be fully appreciated today? I’m really curious to learn more. Your "de-sonnetifying" process is captivating—such cool work (and a great term!), it’s distracting (in the best way)! By the way, am I understanding correctly that you’re there now? Wow!

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Josh Datko's avatar

Yes, I'm here on a kind of poetic expedition for the moment but then will have to travel for a conference.

With POH it is quite interesting. Because everyone here in Slovakia knows him, but he is part of the official school program. So for US this might be like Walt Whitman. Because it is required, I am not sure people really enjoy it -- very much like most Americans I think don't really like Walt Whitman. The added difficult of it being a sonnet and the neologisms, I think it makes it difficult for someone whose not interested to get interested :)

But I think technically and poetically they are for sure, very high works of art. Sometimes the literal translations, are basically fine I think.

And I think the sonnets were very well preserved by John Minahane, which I can't beat so it's kinda freed me from that form like a permission slip.

Thanks for reading!

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Justin Patrick Moore's avatar

...and speaking of Bratislava... just saw this from music writer Stephan Kunze at zensounds about Adam Badi Donoval's Warm Winter Ltd. "not a classic ambient label" run from the city.

https://www.zensounds.de/p/not-a-classic-ambient-label

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Josh Datko's avatar

oh nice I will speak to a cassette label guy here after the show so I will ask him about Adam!

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Justin Patrick Moore's avatar

Yeah, it was cool to read that after reading your piece. It's like I got a snapshot of Bratislava through the eyes of poets, radio people, and ambient music boosters!

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