Sensations Magazine
Issue 5: Released
May 17, 1991
Sensations Magazine
Issue 6: Released
December 7, 1991
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1991
Kicking up our
schedule to two issues per year, and spending seemingly endless days in
the Rare Books & Manuscripts Division of New York Public Library,
hand-transcribing 16th and 17th century poetry from original manuscripts
too fragile to photocopy . . .
When we began the process of researching and
republishing 16th and 17th century American poetry, nothing prepared us
for Franciscan friar Alonso Gregorio de Escobedo and Spanish Conquistador
Gaspar Perez de Villagra.
Each had written epic poems of over 20,000 lines,
capturing in poetry their experiences in the present-day continental
United States: all of it in Castilian Spanish.
In addition to selecting poetry and fiction from the
general public, we were now reeling from the grueling task of
hand-transcribing texts in languages outside of English, and selecting
portions for publication. I was joined in this process by new staff
member Kleber de Freitas. Together he and I spent much of 1991 (and
succeeding years) in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Division of New York
Public Library.
Though he had a rudimentary knowledge of English at the
time, Kleber spent hours patiently hand-copying - letter by letter,
punctuation mark by punctuation mark - hundreds of lines of early American
poetry, both in English and Castilian Spanish. I would be
hand-copying other texts, and double-checking his copying for accuracy to
the original extant manuscript. We didn't have the benefit of a
laptop computer or a scanner.
Considering I was holding a full-time job at the time,
to this date I don't know how we did it. It seemed as if we ate,
slept, and breathed library dust. We'd leave the library at 5:45 in
mid-January, the merciless winter wind blasting our backs as the walk on
West 41st Street to the Port Authority Bus Terminal seemed as if it never
would end.
Once hand-copied, we'd type the texts, then provide them
to translators, who would give us a new English translation, one poetic
line at a time.
When it was over, we published for the public the first
translation into poetry of portions of La Floride, the epic by Fray
Alonso Gregorio de Escobedo, and a new translation of portions of
Historia de la Nueva Mexico by Gaspar Perez de Villagra. The
translations were graciously provided by Alexandra Sununu O'Shea and
Rebeca Daniels.
I selected lively, colorful covers featuring line art by
Christopher Bing. Kleber graciously took over the printing,
collation, and binding - services he continues to offer as a volunteer to
this day.
The result of all of this was the completion of Issue 5
(Summer 1991) and Issue 6 (Winter 1991). [Note to librarians:
there are no Spring and Fall 1991 issues.] Our efforts in 1991 also
brought about the following:
 | Poets published in 1991 (22): Joe Bracco, Gloria
Buckley, Brenda Clark, Michelle Datura, Rick Dellenbach, Doug Dorph,
Alan Frame, Daniel Green, Sister Mary Ann Henn, Patricia M. Johnson,
Michael T. Kelly, Rocky Macy, Florence Szerlag Maerz, Thomas E. Meell,
Barbara Meyerson, David Messineo, Errol Miller, Cathy R. Nicholson, Fay
Robinson, Leeander Scott, Laura Tedford, John J. Trause |
| Fiction writers published in 1991 (7): Vinnie
Bartilucci, Richard Crews, Karl Luntta, Verbena Pastor, Ken Sieben,
Dorian Tenore-Bartilucci, John H. Wilson |
| Issue 5 Research Article: "America as Muse:
1566-1598," narrative by David Messineo, translations by Rebeca Daniels,
with assistance by Alexandra Sununu O'Shea (Rediscovering America in
Poetry Series, Part 2) |
| Issue 6 Research Article: "Scenes of the
Southwest," narrative by David Messineo, translations by David Messineo
and Rebeca Daniels (Rediscovering America in Poetry Series, Part 3)
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| Artwork by Gary Bernard, Christopher Bing, Brenda
Clark, Debbie David, and Blair Wilson |
Michael Redmond
The Newark Star-Ledger, August 9, 1991 "Messineo is proud of the magazine's innovative philosophy, which requires contributors to subscribe, with no guarantee of publication. This approach provides
Sensations with a financial base while guaranteeing its editorial integrity." (NOTE:
This approach continues today.)
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. . . and
supporting the poetry community in New Jersey with publications and
videotaped readings
(Above) Browsing the
Sensations Magazine offerings at "A Summer Night's Ride in Poetry," a
fundraiser for Hope House, Hyacinth Foundation, and New Jersey Buddies held
at the Cup & Chaucer Bookstore outdoor deck on August 10, 1991. On the
steps is Pina Pipino, whose artwork would grace the front covers of our
Winter 2002 Fifteenth Anniversary Fiction Issue and our Summer 2004 Cinema
Issue.
(Above) Publisher David Messineo and poet Barbara Meyerson at the Cup &
Chaucer Bookstore in 1991. Between them--in a strange foreshadowing of
things to come (circa 1995)--is a Metropolis Magazine poster of Luna Park and
Dreamland at Coney Island.
(Above) And in another foreshadowing of things to come (circa 2000-2002),
the Publisher poses with his brand new 1991 Pontiac Sunbird convertible (3.1
liter-V6 engine), which eventually would carry him cross-country to share
his poetry in 47 states before turning 40. (The car did not join him
in Hawaii.)
(Above) David Messineo and Mary Grow share the field at the
Sensations Magazine reading at Amwell Valley Vineyard in southwestern
New Jersey, October 19, 1991. Photographed by Rita Michels.
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