Kendra Sullivan in conversation with Louis Bury
We spoke together on the occasion of her recent Ugly Duckling Presse book, Reps, which uses undisclosed constraints as carrying cases — safe deposit boxes — for the stories humans tell each other to make sense of their many capacities.
Kendra Sullivan operates in the vital tradition of poets who undertake DIY cultural work. She is the Director of the CUNY Graduate Center’s Center for Humanities, where she is responsible for initiatives such as Lost & Found: The CUNY Poetics Archive Initiative and NYC Climate Justice Hub. She co-founded the Sunview Luncheonette, a cooperative arts venue in Brooklyn, and is a member of Mare Liberum, an eco-arts collective.
when Elvis became Che
Phil Ochs, from the liner notes of The Broadside Tapes:
When they show the destruction of society on color TV, I want to be able to look out over Los Angeles and make sure they get it right.
Leaving America is like losing twenty pounds and finding a new girlfriend.
A protest song is a song that’s so specific that you cannot mistake it for bullshit.