Welcome to the Poison Pie Publishing House!
Home to a Literature of Non-Idiomatic Improvisation

Featured Book:

Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza a post-existential musical score generated through a non-idiomatic, improvisational creative process

full text online; free, anonymous access; serially published on a daily basis in 2023

Blog & News Updates:

Horoscopes from the Oracle of Hebeloma
A daily invitation to a joint exercise in apophenia and introspection

September 24, 2023
Illustrations from selected works of Dr. Seuss (1960-1963)

The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House continue their art project in which they render scenes from beloved childhood books in shrinky dink form. In the latest edition, we translated scenes from four books by Dr. Seuss. A gallery is posted.

September 10, 2023
Illustrations from Eric Carle's A Ghost Story

The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House received a request for a Halloween-themed mobile and decided to combine the request with the on-going project of rendering children's book as shrinky dinks. A Ghost Story, with text by Bill Martin Jr. and pictures by Eric Carle, was published in 1970. A gallery with images of the individual pieces and the assembled mobile is posted.

September 3, 2023
Illustrations from Polo by Régis Faller

The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House is multi-generational. So our investigation of influential childhood books spans various decades. Here the PPPH staff rendered several scenes from three Polo stories by Régis Faller as shrinky dinks. A gallery is posted.

Review: Una Ofrenda A La Ausencia - Camila Nebbia
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Una Ofrenda A La Ausencia, a new saxophone album by Camila Nebbia in the Relative Pitch Records Solo Series, which offers a number of musical interpretations on the theme of absence.

Review Date: August 22, 2023
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

August 11, 2023
Mark Helias (b. October 1, 1950)
In teaching the course, The Golden Age of Non-Idiomatic Improvisation, at the University of Tennessee over the course of a decade, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House have accumulated a collection of books used as a reference library. Upon arrival, some books are read in their entirety, while portions of others are read before the book is put away for future reference. Included in this collection are three volumes of William Parker's "Conversations" with musicians published by RogueArt in 2011, 2015 and 2019. We had initially treated these books as one might an encyclopedia, a valuable resource to be explored when one was interested in a particular musician. However, that idea left much of the books unread. So this summer we began reading them (in reverse order) from first page to last. It turned out to be quite an unexpected pleasure. Before we had just read about musicians whom we already knew well. It turned out that the other conversations were amazing introductions to musicians about whom we knew little or nothing at all. For each new voice, we were motivated to listen to at least one album, often mentioned in the conversation. We recently finished Volume 3 and have begun volume 2. The conversation with American bassist Mark Helias is full of wisdom. It proved very difficult to pick just one passage from the interview to share on this site. For those who want to read more, you are encouraged to seek out all three volumes. (For the curious, the album we relistened to while reading this interview was Quintet (Basel) 1977 (hatOLOGY, 2016) featuring the star-studded cast of Anthony Braxton (reeds), George Lewis (trombone), Muhal Richard Abrams (piano), Mark Helias (bass) and Charles "Bobo" Shaw (drums).)

WP: I heard Ornette Coleman for years before I heard Charlie Parker. And I actually heard Cecil Taylor for years before I really heard Monk. Later on you pick up on it but that's just how it went down.

MH: Yeah, it's interesting. You got the direction but you've got this sort of biased direction, right? It was like you were funneled into ths area but they didn't give you the broad strokes about the whole thing. And that's a discovery I guess we all have to make on our own, sort of integrating all the stuff. And also, the question of what is American culture depends on where you come from, what that is identified as. And I'm discovering all this music that's supposedly not part of my experience; but on the other hand, no music is part of my experience.

Mark Helias, interview by William Parker, December 19, 2012, published in Conversations II: Dialogues and Monologues, edited by Ed Hazell, RogueArt, Paris, France, 2015, p. 17.

August 1, 2023
Illustrations from Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel

While revisiting influential books from the formative years, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House rendered several scenes from Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel as shrinky dinks. A gallery is posted.

July 31, 2023
The Plague
This summer, one member of the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House chose to reread The Plague by Albert Camus, which he had last read as a high school student in the 1980's. The book had a profound effect on his philosophical outlook at the time and, over the decades, remains a key stone in the foundation of the PPPH, which specializes in post-existential literature. Originally published as La Peste in 1947, we read a copy from the University of Tennessee library of the English translation by Stuart Gilbert in an edition published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1957. Below, we share nine brief quotes from The Plague that particularly resonated with us. The quotes are presented in order of appearance.

I. On Ignorance
But the narrator is inclined to think that by attributing overimportance to praiseworthy actions one may, by implication, be paying indirect but potent homage to the worse side of human nature. For this attitude implies that such actions shine out as rare exceptions, while callousness and apathy are the general rule. The narrator does not share that view. The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole, men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is this that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance that fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill. The soul of the murderer is blind; and there can be no true goodness nor true love without the utmost clear-sightedness.
          —pp. 120-121.

II. On Common Decency
"However, there's one thing I must tell you: there's no question of heroism in all this. It's a matter of common decency. That's an idea which may make some people smile, but the only means of fighting a plague is—common decency."
          —Dr. Bernard Rieux, p. 150.

III. On the Moral Compulsion of Existentialism
"For nothing in the world is it worth turning one's back on what one loves. Yet that is what I'm doing, though why I do not know."
          —Dr. Bernard Rieux, p. 188.

IV. On the Intolerability of the Natural Order
"That sort of thing is revolting because it passes our human understanding. But perhaps we should love what we cannot understand."

Rieux straightened up slowly. He gazed at Paneloux, summoning to his gaze all the strength and fervor he could muster against weariness. Then he shook his head.

"No, Father. I've a very different idea of love. And until my dying day I shall refuse to love a scheme of things in which children are put to torture."
          —Conversation between Fr. Paneloux and Dr. Rieux, pp. 196-197.

V. On Choosing to Err on the Side of Light
"All I maintain is that on this earth there are pestilences and there are victims, and it's up to us, so far as possible, not to join forces with the pestilences."
          —Jean Tarrou, p. 229.

VI. On Being a Man
"But, you know, I feel more fellowship with the defeated than with saints. Heroism and sanctity don't really appeal to me, I imagine. What interests me is being a man."

"Yes, we're both after the same thing, but I'm less ambitious."
          —conversation between Dr. Rieux and Tarrou, p. 231.

VII. On Witnessing the Death of a Friend
This human form, his friend's, lacerated by the spear-thrusts of the plague, consumed by searing, superhuman fires, buffeted by all the raging winds of heaven, was foundering under his eyes in the dark flood of the pestilence, and he could do nothing to avert the wreck. He could only stand, unavailing, on the shore, empty-handed and sick at heart, unarmed and helpless yet again under the onset of calamity. And thus, when the end came, the tears that blinded Rieux's eyes were tears of impotence; and he did not see Tarrou roll over, face to wall, and die with a short, hollow groan as if somewhere within him an essential chord had snapped.
          —p. 260.

VIII. Why Existentialists Create Arbitrary Purpose
It was thus, most probably, that Tarrou had lived, and he realized the bleak sterility of life without illusions.
          —p. 263.

IX. On the Purpose of Existential Writing
And it was in the midst of shouts rolling against the terrace wall in massive waves that waxed in volume and duration, while cataracts of colored fire fell thicker through the darkness, that Dr. Rieux resolved to compile this chronicle, so that he should not be one of those who hold their peace but should bear witness in favor of those plague-stricken people; so that some memorial of the injustice and outrage done them might endure; and to state quite simply what we learn in a time of pestilence: that there are more things to admire in men than to despise.
          —p. 278.

July 22, 2023
More Illustrations for Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza
The Bus Stop Art Show has shared some more artwork to illustrate the musical score, Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza. Several new images have been added to the gallery page since the last update.

July 21, 2023
Peter Brötzmann
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House only learned today that the German free saxophonist, Peter Brötzmann died nearly a month ago on June 22, 2023. In tribute, we repost a quote from Brötzmann that first appeared on this blog on March 22, 2013.

After over thirty years, it may look and sound a little bit different, but in the end, I think my inspiration still comes from the same place. When I was a young man, I thought I could change the world. I was angry. And now, after all of these years and all that we may have done to try and make things better, it has done nothing! We are just as foolish as we have always been. But that shouldn’t be a resignation. We have reason to be optimistic and we must try to make a difference.

Peter Brötzmann (March 6, 1941 — June 22, 2023)
From “Music and the Creative Spirit: Innovators in Jazz, Improvisation and the Avant-Garde” by Lloyd Peterson, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2006, p. 33.

The Peter Brötzmann album that we chose to listen to today in memoriam was the solo album, Nothing to Say: A Suite Of Breathless Motion Dedicated To Oscar Wilde (FMP, 1996).

July 2, 2023
Exploratory Illustrations for Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza
The Bus Stop Art Show has shared some more postcards from the creative journey as she considers various styles in which to illustrate the musical score, Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza. Two new mosaic images have been added to the gallery page.

July 1, 2023
First Exploratory Illustrations for Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House post three new draft illustrations by Julia K. Keffer for the musical score, Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza. Interested visitors can view works in progress on the gallery page.

April 28, 2023
Pheeroan akLaff (b. January 27, 1955)
This is the devil's music, but the devil is not Lucifer himself; the devil is the degree to which you're willing to completely focus on this and ignore a lot of other things that might be healthy for the overall balance of your development.

Pheeroan akLaff, interview by William Parker, February 18, 2016, published in Conversations III, edited by Ed Hazell, RogueArt, Paris, France, 2019, p. 118.

April 17, 2023
Review: Epli EP - Epli
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Epli, an ep featuring eighteen bite-sized slices of apple served up by the duo of Oda Dyrnes on cello and Tyge Jessen on trumpet.

Review Date: April 17, 2023
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

March 14, 2023
The Abyssal Aria Mobile



We post photos of a newly assembled mobile composed of circular labyrinths and chapter illustrations from Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria rendered in shrinky dink form. The electronic version of the musical score, Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria (2022), remains available via free, anonymous access.

March 8, 2023
Review: Vands Transparens - Sidechains
In celebration of International Women's Day, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Vands Transparens, a new album featuring seven songs performed by saxophone quintet led by Maria Dybbroe.

Review Date: March 8, 2023
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

March 5, 2023
Mazes



In an indication that the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House are slowing working to build a mobile of the chapter illustrations from Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria rendered in shrinky dink form, additional components of the mobile have surfaced. These parts feature a maze motif in keeping with the notion that Eurymedusa, heroine of the Abyssal Aria, was a refugee from the labyrinth of King Minos. The electronic version of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria (2022) remains available via free, anonymous access.

March 2, 2023
Nicole Mitchell (b. February 17, 1967)
Beauty, in the way that western hegemony dictates it, is not nearly whole enough to embrace all of us, especially us others. In my musical development, I've reached for what I call the edge of beauty, venturing out into spaces where one becomes uncomfortable and unsure whether what they're experiencing is beautiful or not. I seek this edge sonically. I add my singing voice or a growl to my flute sound to make the atonal melding of textures, because I see discomfort as a doorway to new revelations—new worlds. This call for imagining an alternative reality through creative work is, in a sense, a response to the need for a wider, more inclusive celebration of beauty.

--Nicole Mitchell Gantt, The Mandorla Letters, Green Lantern Press, Chicago, 2022, p. 182.

February 19, 2023
Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria Chapter Illustrations



The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House rendered the illustrations used as chapter headings for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria in shrinky dink form. A gallery of the results is posted here. The electronic version of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria remains available via free, anonymous access.

February 12, 2023
Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria: First Edition Hardcover



The first edition of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria is published today in a numbered set of fourteen. The hardcover book runs 169 pages including indices. Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria is a post-existential musical score generated through a non-idiomatic, improvisational creative process. It was serially published on a daily basis in 2022 on the blog of the Poison Pie Publishing House. Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria recounts the adventure of Eurymedusa, one of fourteen youths offered to the minotaur by King Minos, immediately after she escaped from the labyrinth. The score is illustrated in watercolor by Julia K. Keffer of Bus Stop Art Show () and each book in the first edition is accompanied by a set of twelve postcards featuring all of the illustrations created as monthly chapter headings plus two bonus postcards with related paintings. The electronic version of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria remains available via free, anonymous access.

February 6, 2023
Review: Two Mitchells, Two Books & Two Records
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House share a few remarks about two recent books and two recent recordings from Nicole Mitchell and Roscoe Mitchell. We chose to think about these four works together because they came to us at about the same time and because, together, we found an interwoven musical, artistic and literary legacy.

Review Date: February 6, 2023
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

January 7, 2023
A Survey of One Hundred Bestiaries Continues
In 2016, the bibliophiles at the Poison Pie Publishing House began a recurring online feature showcasing books about monsters. Initially ambitious, they titled it A Survey of One Hundred Bestiaries. It turns out that there is a virtually infinite number of such books in the world, cataloging creatures real and imagined. The survey continues to this day. In the past several years, a new entry in the survey has been added on the first Saturday of each month. Today, on the first Saturday of January, 2023, we post the 324^th entry, The Botanical Bestiary, written by Matt Cavanaugh and illustrated by Sita Duncan. The survey is not intended to be a review; we do not provide subjective commentary. Instead, we present an image of one entry from the book as well as some portion of the accompanying text description, allowing the reader to form their own opinions. In the case of The Botanical Bestiary, we note here that this is an example of our favorite kind of bestiary—a first book by the author and a labor of love brought to fruition through crowd funding.

January 3, 2023
Musical Instrument Restoration
The team behind "Restoration of Musical Organs: Analysis of Rubber Cloth and Other Historical Materials" (from left to right): Max Camp, Chris Webb, Matthew Valderrama and Charlotte Buchanan.

January 2, 2023
The Art of Materials Science
Poplar Perspective - Jakob Scroggins (yellow-poplar derived carbon fibers)

January 1, 2023
2022: The Year in Review at the Poison Pie Publishing House
In the year 2022, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House produced exactly one book. Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria, a post-existential musical score generated through a non-idiomatic, improvisational creative process, was serially published on a daily basis in 2022 on the blog of the Poison Pie Publishing House. The score is illustrated by Julia K. Keffer of Bus Stop Art Show (). Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria recounts the adventure of Eurymedusa, one of the maidens offered to the minotaur by King Minos, immediately after she escaped from the labyrinth.

Also in 2022, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House generated more music reviews than usual (18!). In doing so, we hope only to spread the word about hidden musical gems from the cultural margin.

The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House is no longer setting annual goals. However, the daily blog will continue, with the intention of engaging in non-idiomatic improvisation. This work will take the form of a musical score and is titled, Hebeloma's Clockwise Cadenza (2023).

To our readers, we, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House, thank you for your interest and support and we look forward to another mutually creative and unpredictable year.

December 31, 2022
The Writing of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria Is Complete
The writing of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria, accomplished in approximately 100 words per day on each day of 2022, is now concluded. The full text of the completed score is available for viewing on a free, anonymous basis.

Several related documents have also been updated today, as described below.

• The musical indices for the entire year are updated.
• An advertising flyer is posted in the flyer gallery.
• A Null_Sets visual interpretation is posted in the Null_Sets gallery.
• A front cover is posted in the cover gallery.

The entirety of the Abyssal Aria, however, is not complete. The writings for the month of December have been delivered today to Julia Keffer, the artist creating the monthly chapter heading illustrations. This final illustration will appear sometime in the first month or two of the new year.

As described in the forward of the Abyssal Aria, the final two steps in the creative process, namely the reading of the score and the musical performance are intentionally left to undetermined dates.

December 26, 2022
New Issue of the International Journal of Exploratory Meta-Living
In observance of the tenth anniversary of the current electronic manifestation of the Poison Pie Publishing House, we post an interview with the editor-in-chief, Ms. Hebeloma Crustuliniforme, who has been with the publishing house since its renewal. In this issue she speaks on a variety of topics including her evolving role into workhorse artist at the publishing house.

December 22, 2022 Review: Goodbye Ground - Sakina Abdou & MUTABLE - Don Malfon
In a listening experiment not to be repeated at home, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House simultaneously review two new saxophone solo albums from thoughtful and inventive artists new to their ears. The resulting pseudo-duo yielded unexpected results.

Review Date: December 22, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

December 11, 2022
Review: Ten Splendid Records of 2022
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House high-light ten records released in the past year to which we have repeatedly listened. So much excellent music appeared in 2022, that this year it seemed harder than ever to select just ten. Suffice it to say that this is not (by far) an exhaustive list, but these ten records really jumped out at us and demanded our attention.

Review Date: December 11, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

December 10, 2022
October and November Chapter Illustrations for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria
The tenth and eleventh chapter illustrations for the months of October and November, respectively, have been added to Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. These illustrations are created by Julia K. Keffer of Bus Stop Art Show () for the musical score. Additionally, the Poison Pie Publishing House hosts a gallery of various works by Julia Keffer, including a new, ghostly version of the cecaelia from the Abyssal Aria.

November 26, 2022
Review: Spirit Spirit - Torben Snekkestad, Søren Kjærgaard & Tomo Jacobson
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Spirit Spirit, a trio of saxophone, piano and bass, which weaves a balancing act between deconstructive minimalism and jazz decomposition with pleasantly puzzling results.

Review Date: November 26, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

November 25, 2022
September Chapter Illustration for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria
The ninth chapter illustration for the month of September has been added to Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. These illustrations are created by Julia K. Keffer of Bus Stop Art Show () for the musical score. Additionally, the Poison Pie Publishing House hosts a gallery of various works by Julia Keffer.

November 24, 2022
Musical Instrument Museum
Last week, some members of the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House visited the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. We were not properly prepared to anticipate just how amazing and expansive the MIM is. We wandered leisurely through three galleries downstairs over the course of two hours, only to discover when we headed upstairs that there were separate galleries for each continent on Earth. We began in Africa and soon encountered installations not only for each country but, for example in the case of the Democratic Republic of Congo, separate installations for six distinct cultural groups within the nation. Each installation included numerous instruments as well as a television screen with a roughly five to ten minute video containing excerpts from two or three performances. To watch all of the videos in just the African exhibit would probably have taken four or five hours. This is a museum for which one needs many visits to fully appreciate. We had allocated one morning.

Footed Drum (Fante people, Ghana, 1940-1950; wood, animal skin, paint)

We report on only one of the many thousands of instruments in the MIM collection, a footed drum, shown here, quoting from the museum placard. "This artistically conceived, sculptural drum reinforces African concepts of anthropomorphism in musical instruments, often addressed as "living things" or human-like embodiments. Indeed, its female anatomical features may identify it as the "mother of the ensemble". The low-relief carved figures on its body relate to proverbial knowledge, and many reference concepts of ethnic or national identity. The flared goblet shape of this drum and symbolic ideals it embodies traveled long distances, reappearing in reinterpreted forms via African descendants in the Americas..."

Casual fans as well as connoisseurs of musical instruments will both find much to enjoy at the MIM. Should your travels take you to Phoenix, this is an attraction not to be missed.

November 23, 2022
Review: Bricolage III - Biliana Voutchkova & Tomeka Reid
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Bricolage III, a mixing of violin and cello, with a splash of voice, from Biliana Voutchkova and Tomeka Reid.

Review Date: November 23, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

October 15, 2022
Review: Look Like - Kelsey Mines
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Look Like, a bass and vocals solo release from a voice new to our ears, Kelsey Mines.

Review Date: October 15, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

September 24, 2022
Review: The Monkey In The Abstract Garden: Over Mountains - Alexandra Grimal & Benjamin Lévy
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review The Monkey In The Abstract Garden: Over Mountains, the third release from the duo of Alexandra Grimal & Benjamin Lévy and the first to take shape as a singer/songwriter album.

Review Date: September 24, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

September 10, 2022
Four New Chapter Illustrations for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House are pleased to announce that chapter illustrations for the months of May, June, July and August have been added to Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. These illustrations are created by Julia K. Keffer () for the musical score. Additionally, the Poison Pie Publishing House hosts a gallery of various works by Julia Keffer, including one exhibit of exploratory works for the Abyssal Aria, some of which served as drafts for the final paintings selected as chapter headings.

September 9, 2022
Review: Organism - Copenhagen Clarinet Choir
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Organism, a new collection of musical explorations into the communal movements of various sorts conducted through the lens of collective improvisation.

Review Date: September 9, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

August 30, 2022
Review: Gyotaku - Tomomi Kubo & Ferrán Besalduch
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Gyotaku, a duo where Ondes Martenot meets saxophones and the combination of instruments gives rise to a music that strives to be "a force for real good".

Review Date: August 30, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

August 27, 2022
A Scarf for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria



The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House are pleased to display a scarf bearing artwork created by Julia K. Keffer from the musical score, Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. The Poison Pie Publishing House hosts a gallery of various works by Julia Keffer.

The adventures of Julia K. Keffer and the Bus Stop Art Show can be followed on .

August 25, 2022
Review: Variations on No Particular Theme 2 - Mat Maneri, Tanya Kalmanovitch, Tomo Jacobson & Kresten Osgood
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Variations on No Particular Theme 2, a quartet of two violas, bass and drums, which demonstrates that any musical instrument, or combination thereof, can be employed as a tool to express the freedom and egalitarian ideals of collective improvisation.

Review Date: August 25, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

August 18, 2022
Review: Trasluz - Amidea Clotet
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House review Trasluz, an album of solo electric guitar by Amidea Clotet, and eventually, through repeated listening, arrive at baseless speculation regarding the cognition embodied within the music.

Review Date: August 18, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

August 12, 2022
First Four Chapter Illustrations for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House are pleased to announce that chapter illustrations for the first four months of the year have been added to Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. These illustrations (as well as those for the forthcoming subsequent eight months) are created by Julia K. Keffer for the musical score. The Poison Pie Publishing House hosts a gallery of various works by Julia Keffer.

July 19, 2022
Exploratory Illustrations for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria (continued)
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House post two new draft illustrations by Julia K. Keffer for the musical score, Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. Interested visitors can view works in progress on the gallery page.

July 10, 2022
Cattleya M'Lisse Green
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House have posted a new gallery of shrinky dink renderings of Cattleya M'Lisse Green, a breed of orchid. These images are of orchids grown by Kay McGucken of Temple Terrace.

June 29, 2022
Symbols of Four Books from the Poison Pie Publishing House, written 2014 - 2016
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House have posted a gallery of signage for four books written from late 2014 through 2016. The graphics were created by Ms. Marie Poonawala in 2016. This translation into shrinky dinks occurs belatedly. The books represented include

• The Augur in the Arbor Inn: A Tautological Myth of Evolution (2015)
• The Portable Library of Hong Samud: a novel that grew as a vine grows, guided by an innate, phototactic sensitivity (2015)
• Wouldn't the Wood Weird: Impractical Prayers from the Spindle of the Void (2016)
• The Ornithological Collection of Uwetsiageyv: A Flight of Fancy in Two Hundred and One Parts (2016)

June 27, 2022
Review: Tactical Maybe - Tactical Maybe
Tactical Maybe is a quartet composed of two saxophonists, Louise Dam Eckardt Jensen and Nana Pi Aabo-Kim, and a rhythm section of Tom Blancarte and Halym Aabo-Kim. Our attempt to adopt their strategic allegory to describe their quixotic improvisations meets with mixed results.

Review Date: June 27, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

June 25, 2022
Libraries from The Portable Library of Hong Samud
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House have posted a gallery of signage for a few libraries selected from among the infinite number connected to Hong Samud's library. All of these libraries appear in the novel, The Portable Library of Hong Samud (2015). The graphics were created by Ms. Marie Poonawala in 2016. This translation into shrinky dinks occurs six years after the fact. The portrait of Hong Samud is based on an original artwork painted by Mr. Nobuhito Tanaka in the late 1990s. In addition to the new gallery, the PPPH site contains both notes on the novel as well as access to the full text on a free and anonymous basis.

June 24, 2022
Review: Canto - Emanuele Maniscalco, Francesco Bigoni & Mark Solborg
This lovely collection of simple melodies performed on piano, reeds and guitar/electronics provided the opportunity for a failed attempt to write the universal review!

Review Date: June 24, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

June 12, 2022
Exploratory Illustrations for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House post another exciting draft illustration by Julia K. Keffer as she prepares to create the monthly chapter illustrations for the musical score, Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. Interested visitors can view works in progress on the gallery page.

June 3, 2022
Review: Fukiya - Masayo Koketsu
We review the first solo alto saxophone album of Masayo Koketsu by describing three rules of an imaginary game in which the music could have been created.

Review Date: June 3, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

June 2, 2022
Themes of Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria & Swamp Fantasy Overture
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House have received a request to provide a short statement regarding the differences between the musical scores, Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture (2021) and Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria (2022). This is a simple request to grant since the primary difference is already well documented on this site. The Swamp Fantasy Overture follows Periboea while the Abyssal Aria follows Eurymedusa, both of whom were ostensibly sacrificial victims offered by King Minos to the Minotaur. The respective scores relate the distinct adventures of these two young women, after their escapes from the labyrinth. That their experiences should be different is a result of their unique personalities. The primary trait that distinguishes Periboea and Eurymedusa can be found with a brief perusal of either the physical or electronic implementations of Horoscopes from the Oracle of Hebeloma, extracted from A Practicum on Divination via Cleromancy (2019).

June 1, 2022
Exploratory Illustrations for Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House are excited to announce that Julia K. Keffer of Bus Stop Art Show has agreed to provide monthly chapter illustrations for the musical score, Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. She has begun to explore the possibilities for these chapter headers. Interested visitors can view works in progress on the gallery page.

We feel compelled to append to this announcement a peripherally-related, explanatory note on the various asynchronous processes present in Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria. As we perceive it, there are at least five time elements, in which the musical, literary, artistic and various interpretative actions of the Abyssal Aria take place.

• On one day, sometime many decades in the past, one or more musicians played the music, to which each daily passage in the Abyssal Aria is written.
• The writing of a passage of the Abyssal Aria occurred on a second, different day.
• The artwork for the Abyssal Aria was created on a third day.
• The reading of the passages and viewing of the artwork in the Abyssal Aria occurred on fourth day, different for each visitor.
• On a fifth day, perhaps many decades in the future, the musical performance of the Abyssal Aria takes place.

May 30, 2022
Cephalopod Cultists from Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria and beyond
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House have posted a gallery of cephalopod cultists rendered as shrinkydinks. Several of these characters make an appearance in Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria (2022).

May 27, 2022
Review: a grain of Earth - Marta Warelis
We post a review of a brand new first solo album by Polish piano experimentalist, Marta Warelis.

Review Date: May 27, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

May 21, 2022
Review: Distant Numbers - Loris Binot, Lê Quan Ninh & Emilie Škrijelj
We post a review, a year and a half after the release, of a sublime trio featuring piano, percussion and accordion.

Review Date: May 21, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

May 13, 2022
Review: refuge - Alexandra Grimal
We post a review of the new solo soprano saxophone album by Alexandra Grimal.

Review Date: May 13, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

April 17, 2022
Review: Mnemosyne - Orsa
We post a review of a collection of vignettes from a wide-ranging travelogue explored by the duo of Maria Dybbroe on alto saxophone and Alfred Lykke on electric guitar.

Review Date: April 17, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

April 16, 2022
Review: le chant des pistes - system friche
We post another belated review (this one ten months after the release) of le chant des pistes, a collectively improvised composition governed, we suppose, by the same systematic laws that hold sway in wastelands.

Review Date: April 16, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

April 15, 2022
Twelve Months from Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture
Without any special fanfare, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House announce an exhibit of the twelve monthly chapter illustrations created for Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture (2021). The original illustrations were created by Julia K. Keffer of Bus Stop Art Show and are posted in their own gallery on this site. This new exhibit features the same twelve artworks rendered as shrinky dinks by the staff of the PPPH.

April 2, 2022
Review: Spirit of the Hive - Jacob Anderskov
We post a belated review of Spirit of the Hive, a collective improvisation featuring a star-studded cast of musicians performing four works, inspired by the natural world, of Danish composer, Jacob Anderskov.

Review Date: April 2, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

March 20, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: Bird Faeries


In 2017, An Ornithological Grimoire of East Tennessee was published by the Poison Pie Publishing House. The book contains twelve bird-themed magic spells and is illustrated with felt fingerpuppets, designed by Ruth Marie Keffer. Each featured species of bird is found in the local environs surrounding the Poison Pie Publishing House. Today, the staff of the PPPH add shrinky dink renderings of the full complement of bird faeries. The link to the exhibit is here.

March 12, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Faeries
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House add shrinky dink renderings of four distinct species of faerie. These faeries appeared in The Faerienomicon, published in 2014. The link to the exhibit is here.

March 5, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Dwarves
The staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House add shrinky dink renderings of four distinct species of dwarf. These dwarves appeared in The Faerienomicon, published in 2014. One of them had previously appeared as a member of the main adventuring party in The Mushroomnomicon (2013). The link to the exhibit is here.

February 26, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Dragons
In their questionable quest to describe the world in miniature plastic, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House continue to generate shrinky dink renderings of characters and creatures lurking inside the pages of their books. This latest quartet includes four species of dragons, all of whom appeared in The Faerienomicon, published in 2014. One of these noble creatures had an earlier debut, playing the role of the villain in The Mushroomnomicon (2013). The link to the exhibit is here.

February 21, 2022
The Resurfacing of Moros & Adranís
Today's entry in Hebeloma's Abyssal Aria features the resurfacing of two friends of the Poison Pie Publishing House, long thought lost. Moros & Adranís, shown here rendered as felt fingerpuppets, originally appeared in the illustrated story, Tales of the Mushroom People II: Call of Cthulhushroom (2012), and later made a promotional appearance for the freely distributed short story, The Leg (2013), both published by the Poison Pie Publishing House.

February 19, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Robots
We add shrinky dink renderings of another quartet of characters from A Bestiary of East Tennessee, published by Poison Pie Publishing House in 2015. The link to the exhibit is here.

February 12, 2022
Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture: First Edition Hardcover
The first edition of Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture is published today in a numbered set of fourteen. The hardcover book runs 171 pages including indices. Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture is a post-existential musical score generated through a non-idiomatic, improvisational creative process. It was serially published on a daily basis in 2021 on the blog of the Poison Pie Publishing House. Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture recounts the adventure of Periboea, one of fourteen youths offered to the minotaur by King Minos, immediately after she escaped from the labyrinth. The score is illustrated by the Bus Stop Art Show and each book in the first edition is accompanied by a set of twelve postcards featuring all of the illustrations created as monthly chapter headings. The electronic version of Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture remains available via free, anonymous access.

February 12, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Nymphs
We add shrinky dink renderings of another quartet of characters from The Faerienomicon, published by Poison Pie Publishing House in 2014. The link to the exhibit is here.

February 5, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Elementals
We add shrinky dink renderings of another quartet of characters from A Bestiary of East Tennessee, published by Poison Pie Publishing House in 2015. The link to the exhibit is here.

January 29, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Demons
We add shrinky dink renderings of another quartet of characters from A Bestiary of East Tennessee, published by Poison Pie Publishing House in 2015. The link to the exhibit is here.

January 23, 2022
Shrinky Dink Mobiles: 4 Angels
To pass the cold days of winter indoors, the staff of the Poison Pie Publishing House is revisiting well-loved characters, who have made appearances in books published by the PPPH in years past, by rendering them as shrinky dinks. The first set to be showcased on the blog are 4 angels, who originally appeared in A Bestiary of East Tennessee (2015). The link to the exhibit is here.

January 22, 2022
Color Illustrations for Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture are Complete
In 2021, the Poison Pie Publishing House serially published in daily installments of one hundred words the musical score, Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture. Julia K. Keffer of the Bus Stop Art Show of Phoenix, Arizona created illustrations for each month. We have received the last three of these works and have added them to the freely available electronic version of the score at the top of each month. We have also collected the twelve artworks on a separate page in the PPPH gallery. Hebeloma's Swamp Fantasy Overture recounts the adventure of Periboea, one of the maidens offered to the minotaur by King Minos, immediately after she escaped from the labyrinth. A forthcoming paper copy of the score includes the same illustrations as black and white sketches.

January 22, 2022
Review: Aeriform - Crush String Collective
We post a review of the forthcoming album by Crush String Collective. On this album the doubling (plus) of the violin-viola-cello trio does to the classical string trio what Ornette Coleman's double quartet did to the traditional jazz quartet!

Review Date: January 22, 2022
Reviewer: Poison Pie Publishing House Staff
Link to Review: review link

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