Not long after Automaton Biographies was published by Arsenal Pulp Press of Vancouver in late 2009, Larissa Lai attended a several-day conference at Banff Literary Centre called “In(ter)ventions: Literary Practice at the Edge,” in February 2010. She gave a reading on the final day of the conference and performed sections from several of the long poems in the new book, including “Nascent Fashion.” An audio recording was made and later added to Larissa Lai’s PennSound page. It is twenty-three minutes long. Here I am pleased to present the text of five sections of the “Nascent Fashion” poems, included in the reading. These appear on pages fifty-three through sixty; this segment begins at 05:49 and ends at 10:01.
Not long after Automaton Biographies was published by Arsenal Pulp Press of Vancouver in late 2009, Larissa Lai attended a several-day conference at Banff Literary Centre called “In(ter)ventions: Literary Practice at the Edge,” in February 2010.
[Presented originally at “Outside-in/Inside-out,” A Festival of Outside and Subterranean Poetry, in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 5, 2016, as a testament in part to C.D. Wright’s work with the archive of poet Besmilr Brigham, while touching on much else in the process. (J.R.).]
So, AWP happened. It sometimes seems a bit shameful, a little shameful, to go. Like a form of selling out that also includes fessing up to your departmental cash and admitting to your desire, that might be worse than everyone’s desire, for attention, but might be more kindly described, by you to yourself, as only the human longing for company. But I did go and those mixed feelings, which also include feeling obliged to represent: the press, the other press, the program, the other program, one’s friends, one’s fanboy or fangirl desires and crushes, one’s “self,” got mixed up even more with other things.
So, AWP happened. It sometimes seems a bit shameful, a little shameful, to go. Like a form of selling out that also includes fessing up to your departmental cash and admitting to your desire, that might be worse than everyone’s desire, for attention, but might be more kindly described, by you to yourself, as only the human longing for company. But I did go, and those mixed feelings — which also include feeling obliged to represent: the press, the other press, the program, the other program, one’s friends, one’s fanboy or fangirl desires and crushes, one’s “self” — got mixed up even more with other things. The visits to the Senators’ offices, which included a melting-down Staffer, Staffer to the GOPER: Cory Gardner of Colorado, now growing famous for slipping out the back door into a waiting car while his protestors/constituents who he pretends are paid and eighteen of whom he had arrested shouted for their own health and dignity.
Uxudo is Anne Tardos’s interlingualist book of 1999 (Tuumba Books/O Books). At an “After-Englishes” event in Manoa, Hawaii, that same year, Tardos gave an introduction to the Uxudo project. She then read passages from the book. Here is a sampling of five poems/sections:
“She Put It Mildly,” p. 55 [audio segment here; audio recording starts at 00:00 here]. Click on the image above for a larger view of the text.
Eleanor Antin sitting at edge of stage before picture of Jerome and Diane Rothernberg and David and Ellie
David Antin was one of the great American poets of the postwar period, transforming the practice of poetry, art criticism, and the essay. His “talk poems” are chock full of startlingly philosophical insights, weaving narratives on the fly and making poems that are as engaging as they are wise. I came to the event not knowing what I would say. Among the first speakers was Barbara T. Smith, who asked each of us to cut a lock of hair, which she collected. This reminded me of the Jewish ritual of cutting a piece of clothing at a funeral, usual a tie. So I ended my talk with a reading of “Rivulets of the Dead Jew,” which makes a reference to this ritual.
Larissa Lai, five sections from 'Nascent Fashion'
Not long after Automaton Biographies was published by Arsenal Pulp Press of Vancouver in late 2009, Larissa Lai attended a several-day conference at Banff Literary Centre called “In(ter)ventions: Literary Practice at the Edge,” in February 2010. She gave a reading on the final day of the conference and performed sections from several of the long poems in the new book, including “Nascent Fashion.” An audio recording was made and later added to Larissa Lai’s PennSound page. It is twenty-three minutes long. Here I am pleased to present the text of five sections of the “Nascent Fashion” poems, included in the reading. These appear on pages fifty-three through sixty; this segment begins at 05:49 and ends at 10:01.
Not long after Automaton Biographies was published by Arsenal Pulp Press of Vancouver in late 2009, Larissa Lai attended a several-day conference at Banff Literary Centre called “In(ter)ventions: Literary Practice at the Edge,” in February 2010.
Robert Yerachmiel Snyderman: Lyric fermentation, a practice
(via C.D. Wright and Besmilr Brigham, in memory)
[Presented originally at “Outside-in/Inside-out,” A Festival of Outside and Subterranean Poetry, in Glasgow, Scotland, on October 5, 2016, as a testament in part to C.D. Wright’s work with the archive of poet Besmilr Brigham, while touching on much else in the process. (J.R.).]
I believe that we will win
On tears and trains
So, AWP happened. It sometimes seems a bit shameful, a little shameful, to go. Like a form of selling out that also includes fessing up to your departmental cash and admitting to your desire, that might be worse than everyone’s desire, for attention, but might be more kindly described, by you to yourself, as only the human longing for company. But I did go and those mixed feelings, which also include feeling obliged to represent: the press, the other press, the program, the other program, one’s friends, one’s fanboy or fangirl desires and crushes, one’s “self,” got mixed up even more with other things.
So, AWP happened. It sometimes seems a bit shameful, a little shameful, to go. Like a form of selling out that also includes fessing up to your departmental cash and admitting to your desire, that might be worse than everyone’s desire, for attention, but might be more kindly described, by you to yourself, as only the human longing for company. But I did go, and those mixed feelings — which also include feeling obliged to represent: the press, the other press, the program, the other program, one’s friends, one’s fanboy or fangirl desires and crushes, one’s “self” — got mixed up even more with other things. The visits to the Senators’ offices, which included a melting-down Staffer, Staffer to the GOPER: Cory Gardner of Colorado, now growing famous for slipping out the back door into a waiting car while his protestors/constituents who he pretends are paid and eighteen of whom he had arrested shouted for their own health and dignity.
Anne Tardos, five from 'Uxudo'
Uxudo is Anne Tardos’s interlingualist book of 1999 (Tuumba Books/O Books). At an “After-Englishes” event in Manoa, Hawaii, that same year, Tardos gave an introduction to the Uxudo project. She then read passages from the book. Here is a sampling of five poems/sections:
“She Put It Mildly,” p. 55 [audio segment here; audio recording starts at 00:00 here]. Click on the image above for a larger view of the text.
David Antin memorial at Getty
February 3, 2016
David Antin was one of the great American poets of the postwar period, transforming the practice of poetry, art criticism, and the essay. His “talk poems” are chock full of startlingly philosophical insights, weaving narratives on the fly and making poems that are as engaging as they are wise. I came to the event not knowing what I would say. Among the first speakers was Barbara T. Smith, who asked each of us to cut a lock of hair, which she collected. This reminded me of the Jewish ritual of cutting a piece of clothing at a funeral, usual a tie. So I ended my talk with a reading of “Rivulets of the Dead Jew,” which makes a reference to this ritual.