Andrea Brady

First reading of Basil Bunting's performance of Thomas Wyatt's 'Blame not my lute' (1)

Andrea Brady

This essay by Andrea Brady is the first of five “first readings” we will publish — initial responses to the experience of hearing Basil Bunting cover Thomas Wyatt’s “Blame Not My Lute.” The recording is linked here and also available at PennSound’s Bunting page. — A.F., B.R. & C.W.

Basil Bunting’s voice is so familiar – the Briggflatts intonation, half-Santa Claus, half-priest, that hieratic tone which makes Ezra Pound reach for his kettle drum; those luxurious rolling rs.

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Instress, part 1

The secrets of clouds

Robert Eric Shoemaker

Some poems declare their interest in magic openly through formal choices. Some poems are constructed as and/or “after” ancient or occult spells and take the form of a spell, which has some generally predictable structures. If we go from the ancient spells exemplified in Joshua Trachtenberg’s work, we’ll find these components: appeal, historiolae (historical or mythological precedents/correlates of the situation at hand), invocation, enunciation of names, request.

In a Restless World Like This Is

Charles Bernstein

from World on Fire in Girly Man (University of Chicago Press, 2006)

"In a Restless World Like This Is" first appeared in World on Fire, which was published in Vancouver by Peter and Meredith Quatermain's Nomados in 2004, 24pp, with a cover image by Suan Bee. Meredith Quatermain's and Ron Silliman's responses to the book are at the EPC.