Chris Stroffolino

Chris Stroffolino has published three full-length collections of poetry. Most recently, Speculative Primitive (the title poem of which appeared in Jacket) (Tougher Disguises Press, 2004), as well as a collection of literary criticism, Spin Cycle (Spuyten Duyvil, 2001). He’s currently seeking publishers for his memoir Radio Orphan as well as his book on Shakespeare’s comedies, Making Fun of Tragedy. He’s the lead singer/songwriter for Continuous Peasant, which has been compared to “Tom Waits and Randy Newman reluctantly agreeing to take a ride in a Camper Van Beethoven driven by Jonathan Richman” and currently is living near Lodi, California.

By this author

Unfurling futurity

Three poems

Crowned with laurel

Recently in Jacket2

Poets of the nineties: poetry against poetry

Huda Fakhreddine

From left to right: ʿImad Abu Salih, Iman Mirsal and Usama al-Danasuri — From left to right: ʿImad Abu Salih, Iman Mirsal, and Usama al-Danasuri

“Poets of the Nineties” is a phrase used to refer to a generation of Egyptian poets who came to prominence in the mid-1990s. A group of them called themselves al-Jarad (Locust). The nexus of the group was an underground magazine by the same name, founded in 1994 by a few members, most active among them are Ahmad Taha (b. 1950) and Muhammad Mitwalli (b. 1970). These writers intentionally disengaged from the motivations of their modernist predecessors.

Slowing the rate of perception (PoemTalk #134)

Mei-mei Berssenbrugge, 'Hello, the Roses'

PoemTalk

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Al Filreis was joined for this episode of PoemTalk by Evelyn Reilly, Joshua Schuster, and James Sherry to discuss the title poem of Mei-mei Berssenbrugge’s book Hello, the Roses (New Directions, 2013; 58–62). Berssenbrugge’s PennSound page includes two recordings of her performance of this poem. The recording we played before our discussion is from a reading given at Dominique Levy Gallery in New York in March of 2016.

March 19, 2019

Fifty poets on fifty poems

A book to be published in 2020

Al Filreis

Anna Strong Safford and I are editing a book, to be published by the University of Pennsylvania Press in 2020, in which we present fifty poets writing 1,000 words each in response to fifty poems. Fred Wah on Creeley’s “I Know a Man.” Rachel Blau DuPlessis on H.D's “Sea Rose.” Tyrone Williams on Baraka’s “Incident.” And also Mónica de la Torre on Erica Baum’s “Déjà vu.” Reproduced above is Baum’s piece (from “Card Catalogues”).