Vancouver, BC: Ralph Alfonso, 1992-1997. 44 vols, each a single sheet folded to form four pages; hand-printed in various colors on "1950s Gestetner duplicating machines." Fine. A monthly periodical published by Canadian poet, musician, and self-professed beatnik Ralph Alfonso; contents consist primarily of original poems by Alfonso light-heartedly exploring such subjects as love ("I Would Really Like to Kiss You But I Can't See Without My Glasses"), jazz ("Chet Baker's Cigarette"), and various aspects of his daily life ("Halifax 3:AM," "Having a Coffee by the Back Door," etc). Alfonso also notable as the manager of pioneering Canadian punk rock band The Diodes, in which role he was also pivotal in opening Canada's first punk night club, the Crash 'n Burn, in 1977; he currently runs a gallery in his hometown of Montreal. In 1997, Water Row Press published a single volume collecting the first twenty-five issues of Ralph. Original issues are surprisingly scarce, despite their generous stated edition sizes between 1,000 and 5,000 copies; York University the only institution holding copies (a single issue).
