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Welcome to the author website of David Mark Dannov
Since 1994 Dannov has been published in many magazines and anthologies in the small press such as Chiron Review as a featured writer, Bottle of Smoke, Pearl, Emerging Edge Publishing, Edit Red, Tears in the Fence, Clinicality Press, Black Cross Magazine, Black Spring Press, and Hay Wire Press. In 1999, he won the Lucid Moon Poetry Contest for a poem entitled, There Are So Many Canyons And Valleys In The Skin Of An Orange. Two excerpts from his novel AWAKE appeared in a Paul Krassner book entitled, Mushrooms and Other Highs, Toad Slime To Ecstasy, which came out in 2003, and Dan Fante, son of John Fante, communicates with him regularly and has referred him to publishers in France and England and the United States and agents in the industry.
For book purchases contact davidmarkdannov@yahoo.com or click on the paypal button
underneath the book you'd like to read. The most you'll spend on a book is 3.00
History of the name BLACK JOKE
The name Black Joke Press comes from a fire engine company operating in the Civil War. During this time, wealthy cvilians could dodge the draft if they were able to come up with enough money. The fire fighters of Black Joke, not called that at the time, did not have the money to get out of the draft, and in retalliation, not wanting to leave New York in the hands of rebels and attacks and ongoing fires, decided that staying and protecting the city was a better decision and marched down the rioting streets and burned down the drafting office.
Flyer for featured reading at the infamous Acres of Books in Long Beach, CA on Sept 15th 2007.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou8ZXVZWzug
"Dannov gets right down to the nitty gritty. His sensibilities are raw and he makes you feel it."
--Edward Field,
author of Counting Myself Lucky.
Dannov was a bright, witty, talented, and enthusiastic student of mine sixteen years ago. He wrote quite well and was an eager participant in discussions. I believe he was also doing some stand up comedy appearances at that time. But since then he has concentrated on the written page. He has, in fact, managed a prolific publication record, first in narrative poetry, and later in experientally based fiction. David does not need further study of creative writing. He has proved himself in that area. He has kept the literary faith while working a variety of jobs and battling economic exigencies. His dedication to his craft has caught the attention of Edward Field, whom I consider our greatest living poet. Dannov's work penetrates the asphalt which underlies so much of the strongest Southern Californian fiction, poetry, song, and testimony.
--Gerald Locklin
Professor Emeritus of English
California State University Long
Beach, and author of, The
Firebird Poems and one
hundred and twenty-four
other books of literature in
poetry and novel form.
Dannov's poetry is fearless, iconoclastic, and brutally honest, shucking all pretensions typically associated with tired, workshopped verse. His narrative poems are bareboned, stripping away the muscle and skin in order to see the poet's true and vulnerable self.
--Nate Graziano,
author of Honey, I'm Home.
Dannov is a rennaisance man of a new century. His words live. They're dirty and griddy--no wearisome sterility to be found here, an immediacy, an impact, strong connections like a right hook. He seems to relish living and tasting life's mustard. His poems are masculine and nonformal that hasn't been domesticated by society's bars. They're wild, free, not locked-down. More than that, his words are flesh-eating-vultures feasting on the carrion of dead poetics: words that are determined to persevere . . . fuc*ing magnificent!
Warren
--from Pooka Press (Canada)
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Review of David Dannov's poetry manuscript, It's the Shaking of the Ground that Crumbles Walls but Doesn't Crumble Trees written by JoSelle Vanderhooft from Pedestal Magazine can be read at : . . .
http://www.thepedestalmagazine.com/gallery.php?item=2385
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Go to Black Cat Poems and read some of Dannov's latest poems under the name Joshua Knight (unless the publisher changed Joshua Knight's name back to Dannov upon the author's request.
http://www.blackcatpoems.com/k/joshua_knight.html
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MUSIC:
David Dannov's old band Fossil Face was played on KPFK several times on Barry Smolen's show, The Music Never Stops.
You can hear some of this music on KPFK's website or at www.myspace.com/fossilface
If you'd like to order the album contact davidmarkdannov@yahoo.com
His side project Circus Freak was also played on KPFK and was recorded with Tom La Rosa. www.myspace.com/circusfreak2007
This album is fully mastered. Anyone willing to help get this CD into marketing availability through digital means or CD packaging to be bought and sold on this site contact David at the above email; this CD (along with the Fossil Face CD) was mastered by Pete Lyman, the guy who mastered Mars Volta. A song named Drugstore Mind on this album uses the lyrics from a Dan Fante poetry book entitled, A Gin Pissing Raw Meat Dual Carburator Son of a Bitch from Los Angeles; Dan has heard the song and gives a devilish thumb's up.
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