Mark Sonnenfeld continuously publishes poetry and experimental writings through his small press.
By: Susan Van Dongen
Trying to describe or explain Mark Sonnenfeld’s writing and poetry is like trying to hold air in your hands.
In fact, Mr. Sonnenfeld gets his ideas and inspirations pretty much from the ethers, just walking around with his eyes and ears open.
"This material is everywhere," he says. "If your ‘strainer’ has a tight enough mesh, you’ll pick up a lot of material. I’m always listening, always looking."
The East Windsor resident is always writing and perhaps more importantly, constantly publishing, something unheard of for many poets. Mr. Sonnenfeld’s secret is that he has his own small press Marymark Press.
Looking over four or five simple, slender chapbooks and a number of what he calls "give-out sheets," Mr. Sonnenfeld is nonchalant about his productivity. The materials represent his creative efforts in just the last eight weeks, and he says there are a half dozen more chapbooks coming in late summer and fall.
"It’s just a sample of what I’ve been doing," Mr. Sonnenfeld says. "It’s very therapeutic and I get a little high from it."
Combining his talents as an experimental writer and a multi-media artist who puts out chapbooks, broadsides, give-out sheets and spoken word/sound collages on audio tape, Mr. Sonnenfeld’s Marymark Press is now in its 10th year. The publications include collaborations with writers and graphic artists from all over the world, and are produced in editions of a couple hundred at a time. The works are circulated extensively throughout international small presses. Mr. Sonnenfeld’s own work is archived at several American university libraries as well as in Europe.
The poet and publisher is inspired by the grassroots, do-it-yourself philosophy of the Beat poets and writers, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso, Lawrence Ferlinghetti et al especially before they broke through to the mainstream.
"That’s my foundation," Mr. Sonnenfeld says. "I’m just intrigued by the Beats in the late ’40s and ’50s. When you look back at that decade-and-a-half, it seems so pure, something you don’t see today. I was encouraged by the support they gave each other, the camaraderie and community. There was something charming about it, in a hard-shell way.
"I don’t see any of that in (literature) and I’ve been writing for 15 years," he continues. "Today, everything is so money-driven and there’s a lot of superficial stuff going on. Everything is about celebrity, how people perceive success, how much money you make. If you haven’t made a fortune, you’re still a work in progress. I gauge success in connecting with people and doing what you want to do and also having something to show for your time."
Mr. Sonnenfeld’s day job is working in the materials handling department for Lucent Technologies, something that doesn’t make too many creative demands and allows him to brainstorm about his writing. He’s inspired by novelist Charles Bukowski, who made a living working odd jobs, but always kept his desire to write alive.
"Bukowski had this passion to be a writer," Mr. Sonnenfeld says. "He finally broke through at age 50. It’s a testament to keep plugging and never lose sight of your dream."
The give-out sheets are one thing that really connects Mr. Sonnenfeld with the Beats, who would type up their latest creations and hand them out on the street or in coffee houses. Same with the "zines" of the punk era no publisher or distributor needed, everyone just did things themselves.
"The give-out sheets are collaborative sheets of paper, usually one-sided, encompassing writing, art, comic strips, photos," Mr. Sonnenfeld says. "I’ve been doing them since 1999. I hand them out, but I also send them in the mail. They really get around because I always give some to the contributors, and they give them to their friends. It’s just a whim and something that doesn’t cost a lot of money. Sometimes I (create) two or three a week."
Because Mr. Sonnenfeld’s writings are so experimental and esoteric resembling the random cut-and-paste poetry of the Dada movement (or maybe even magnetic fridge poetry) it’s better if they’re read rather than heard. The poet has done readings, however, in New Brunswick, Princeton, Red Bank and on the streets and subways of New York.
"I’m unorthodox," he says. "I don’t need a lot of support, I just do what I do. I’ll read even if there isn’t an audience."
Mr. Sonnenfeld says the most important thing is collaborating with and giving support to other poets, writers and artists. Marymark Press is quite prolific, but he doesn’t treat it like a business.
"Writers help me and I help them," he says. "It’s very free and easy. It’s just about getting the word out. That’s the purity of the small press, the spirit of the small press. And I’m always looking for people to work with. People get discouraged when they see how hard it is to get published. So maybe I can open up some doors for them."
Mark Sonnenfeld and Marymark Press can be reached at (609) 443-0646. Write to: 45-08 Old Millstone Drive, East Windsor, N.J. 08520