DATE: May 11 , 2009            PRESS RELEASE         For Immediate Release

Elvis In Black Leather, tanka poetry collection by Alexis Rotella, Published by MET Press

Elvis In Black Leather by Alexis Rotella is this renowned poet’s paean to the King, Elvis Presley. In this little pocket book of tiny poems, the reign of Elvis comes alive once more. The perfect book for Elvis fans who love fine poetry.

Baltimore, Maryland – May 11, 2009 – Elvis In Black Leather, the most recent tanka poetry collection by Alexis Rotella, has been published as a pocket-size paperback by MET Press of Baltimore, Maryland. It has been critically well-received and promises to be a classic.

“Alexis Rotella, with an expected mastery of insight and craft, opens a window into a young girl’s heart in these 28 kinetic portraits of revisited longing, desire and dream inspired by the Pied Piper of an era gone, yet permanently etched on the American mind-scape. Skeptical of celebrity inspired literature, all I can say is:  I read it.  I loved it.  Elvis in Black Leather—nothing like it before in tanka. You’ll be surprised. Trust me.”
—Larry Kimmel, Editor of Winfred Press

In these poetic encounters Alexis Rotella brings legend and reason together, showing us the emotional logic from which “gods” are made. These poems are not elegies. They are deliciously alive.
—Grace Cavalieri, Producer/host “The Poet and the Poem from the Library of Congress”

“This is the most enjoyable collection of tanka I’ve read in a long time. What I like about it (along with, it shouldn’t need saying, the quality of this poet’s writing) is the way Alexis Rotella is pushing the boundaries of the genre, so they are not only linked to a common theme—a remembrance of Elvis—but also breaking into the realms of reportage and biography and away from the frequently genteel constraints of traditional tanka.”
—Charles Christian, editor Ink, Sweat & Tears  

“I have read Alexis Rotella’s Elvis in Black Leather five times with increasing pleasure, a number of the tanka having her brand of direct, down-to-earth humor. Mostly tanka, her poems resound with allusions to Presley’s textured clothing, to his songs, to his  fast-food delights, and to her own dreams about him. One poem satirizes her father who objected to continually hearing Elvis on the radio—her  father said he himself was King in his own home. Among the most moving of the poems is one on Presley’s death: ‘Mourning doves / how sweet / the sound— / vigil over / at Graceland.’ Alexis’s chapbook is a black-leather gem.”
—Sanford Goldstein, renowned poet, translator, and author of Four Decades on My Tanka Road

About Author:

Alexis Rotella is a well known poet who writes in many genres and who has published in hundreds of journals. A number of her haiga exhibits may be viewed at haiga online, ink sweat and tears, Simply Haiku, 3Lights Gallery and Modern Haiga. Rotella is the editor of Prune Juice, a journal of senryu and kyoka.  Her latest books from MET Press include Lip Prints, Ouch and Eavesdropping. Check out Alexis Rotella’s blog at www.alexisrotella.com and see her readings on YouTube.

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview with the author, contact Alexis Rotella by e-mail at a.rotella@att.net  Publisher information at: www.themetpress.com  

This book is available from www.Lulu.com/modernenglishtanka and from the publisher. Complete information and mail/email order forms are available online at www.themetpress.com  Price: $9.95 USD. ISBN 978-1-935398-09-7. Pocket paperback. 48 pages, 4.25" x 6.88", perfect binding, 60# cream interior paper, black and white interior ink, 100# exterior paper, full-color exterior ink.

About MET Press:

MET Press (Modern English Tanka Press) is an independent publishing house in Baltimore, Maryland, dedicated to producing books and periodicals of lasting literary value, especially poetry. A family business, we treat our customers and partners in publishing like family. We use modern print-on-demand production and distribution methods. Our special mission is to promote the tanka form of poetry and to educate newcomers about this most ancient poetic form.

Contact:

Denis M. Garrison, owner
MET Press / Modern English Tanka Press
443-802-1249
Email to dmg@themetpress.com
www.themetpress.com
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