Ralph Hasselmann,Jr. the founder of http://lucidmoonpoetry.com/ passed away. Ralph's "Lucid Moon Magazine," was one of the first magazines I published my poetry in. If you can belive it, he put out a montly magazine at his own expense that was 330 + pages. Later he went online. About 3 years ago Ralph was in a horrible car accident that left him a quadriplegic. Ralph was a classic small press character. He was constantly writing reviews, poetry, and kibbitzing with all the players in our literary subculture. Many a poet was introduced to the likes of Ed Galing,Joyce Metzger, Lyn Lifshin, Hugh Fox and a host of others through his magazine and website. He had a large network of friends in the small press, and published many a poet for the first time. His spirit, his childlike enthusiasm, will be sorely missed...
Here is a letter from his parents:
It is with sadness that Kathy and I inform you that Ralph Jr. passed away today at age 40. preliminary indications are cardiac arrest. His funeral service is Friday 2/3 from 7 to 9 pm at St.Stephens Orthodox Church, 609 Lane Ave, South Plainfield, NJ 07080. An Orthodox church service will be held Saturday, at the same location at 9:30AM. A burial will follow at Hollywood Memorial Cemetery, Stuyvesant Avenue, Union, NJ at about 11:30 AM.
Ralph was a big supporter and friend of Poesy. His spirit and his dedication to small press poetry will be missed. He was the only person to ever interview me for Lucid Moon.
ReplyDeleteRalph was a "force of nature" in the small press scene. His energy was remarkable; his journal provided a venue and a voice for many talented and lesser known poets as well. I enjoyed following his comments and observations on the internet. I didn,t really know him, but his writings were very revelatory. He will be missed.
ReplyDeleteMy sympathies go out to his family. -- Harris Gardner