Tag Archives: Lester Czaban

The Silver Cesspool

THE SILVER CESSPOOL, Vol. 1, edited by d.a. levy (1963)

The first of d.a. levy’s periodicals, five issues of The Silver Cesspool were published between 1963 and 1964. The short-lived periodical was letterpress printed by levy and featured block prints from Lester Czaban Jr., Charlene Levey, Russell Salamon, John Konyecsni, and levy. Contributors over the five issues included Kent Taylor, Russell Atkins, Adelaide Simon, Judson Crews, Kirby Congdon, Will Inman, Ted Berrigan, A. Greenshoot [pseud. Jim Lowell], and others.

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The Silver Cesspool

The first of d.a. levy’s periodicals, five issues of The Silver Cesspool were published between 1963 and 1964. The short-lived periodical was letterpress printed by levy and featured block prints from Lester Czaban Jr., Charlene Levey, Russell Salamon, John Konyecsni, and levy. Contributors over the five issues included Kent Taylor, Russell Atkins, Adelaide Simon, Judson Crews, Kirby Congdon, Will Inman, Ted Berrigan, A. Greenshoot [pseud. Jim Lowell], and others.

1. THE SILVER CESSPOOL, Vol. 1, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: Renegade Press, 1963

First edition, saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5″ x 8.5″, 20 pages, c.100 copies, letterpress printed by d.a. levy. Illustrated with block prints by Lester Czaban Jr. (Lowell B1, T&H P-08)

  • Contents:
    1. Jau Billera – “Mulligan Stew”
      Jau Billera – “Time”
      Jau Billera – “Bowery”
      Jau Billera – “Legless”
      Jau Billera – “The Party”
      Jau Billera – “Insomnia”
      Russell Salamon – “Night 1”
      Russell Salamon – “Night 2”
      Russell Salamon – “Autumn”
      Russell Salamon – “Season Circle”
      Russell Salamon – [untitled] “The fragile prey that…”
      d.a. levy – “Faustian”
      d.a. levy – “In Van Gogh I View”
      d.a. levy – “Love”
      d.a. levy – “Monument to Death”
      d.a. levy – “Edgewater Park”
      d.a. levy – “Balboa Park”
      Kent Taylor – “Jewelry”
      Kent Taylor – “Trite Things”
      Kent Taylor – “Flotsam”
      Kent Taylor – “To D.B.”
      Kent Taylor – “Changing”
      Kent Taylor – “Visions”

2. THE SILVER CESSPOOL, Vol. 2, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: Renegade Press, 1964

First edition, saddle-stapled in printed wrappers, 5.5″ x 8.5″, 16 pages,c.100 copies, letterpress printed by d.a. levy. (Lowell B1, T&H P-34)

  • Contents:
    1. David Jeffery – “Etchings & Such”
      Russell Atkins – “Objects on a Table”
      Loring Williams – “Retrospect”
      Jau Billera – “The Sullen Sound”
      d.a. levy – “The River”
      Kent Taylor – “Shapes”
      Irene Schramm – [untitled] “We wait the downpour…”
      Stephen Massaro – “Waterfront Sketch II”
      Adelaide Simon – [untitled] “To reach the age where…”
      Russell Salamon – “A Morning”

3. THE SILVER CESSPOOL, Vol. 3, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: Renegade Press, 1964

First edition, saddle-stapled in printed and illustrated wrappers, 5.5″ x 8.5″, 20 pages, c.100 copies, letterpress printed by d.a. levy. Illustrated with block prints by Charlene Levey (“Ecstatic Nomad”), Lester Czaban Jr. (“Stealing”), and Russell Salamon (“The Trial”). (Lowell B1, T&H P-35)

  • Contents:
    1. Frank Ankenbrand Jr. – “To a Ship’s Figurehead”
      Kent Taylor – “To the Suicides of The Golden Gate Bridge”
      Irene Schramm – “Birthday Poem”
      Russell Atkins – “Lake in a Storm”
      d.a. levy – “Autumn Leaves, for Susan”
      L.S. Torgoff – “Portrait of Lisa”
      Julie Suk – “Life Class”
      Fay Fox – “Figure-Ground”
      L.S. Torgoff – “A Litany for the Alphabet”
      Irene Schramm – “Letter to Joan Brown”
      Russell Salamon – “For a Poet”
      Adelaide Simon – [untitled] “Painting my bathroom purple…”
      d.a. levy – “To Cleveland on the Understanding of a Poet, for Hadassah”

4. THE SILVER CESSPOOL, Vol. 4, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: Renegade Press, 1964

First edition, saddle-stapled in printed wrappers, 5.5″ x 8.5″, 16 pages,c.100 copies, letterpress printed by d.a. levy. Illustrated with block prints by John Konyecsni (“Birds”) and d.a. levy (“A Night at Uxmal”). (Lowell B1, T&H P-36)

  • Contents:
    1. Judson Crews – “Thoughts on Returning”
      Kirby Congdon – “Flaring Trees”
      James D. Callahan – “Ethics”
      d.a. levy – “Pollock”
      Ronald Caplan – “From Forbes & Shady”
      Keith Davie – “Written after a Poetry Reading by M. Marcus”
      Lewis Turco – “Song”
      L.S. Torgoff – “To Catch a Thief”
      Judson Crews – “The Brain in the Weather”

5. THE SILVER CESSPOOL, Vol. 5, edited by d.a. levy
Cleveland: Renegade Press, 1964

First edition, side-stapled in printed wrappers, 5.5″ x 8.5″, 16 pages, c.100 copies (including 14 special illustrated copies), letterpress printed by d.a. levy.
(Lowell B1, T&H P-37)

  • Contents:
    1. Will Inman – “from 108 Handles”
      Milton Phillips – “from Which Side of the Mirror”
      David Federman – [untitled] “No longer…”
      Dave Rasey – “At Times”
      Ted Berrigan – “Jumping from Pottawottamie (for Martin Cochran)”
      Adelaide Simon – “Nocturne”
      Kent Taylor – [untitled] “we watch sponges…”
      A. Greenshoot [Jim Lowell] – “Cleveland Greenery”
      Ariella – [untitled] “Who created you that you…”
      Kent Taylor – [book review of Hermes Past the Hour by Judson Crews]
      Rick Klein – [untitled] “i come to you…”