our evolving crystalline structures and our awakening as multi-dimensional poets

Yes, I copied that text off the Tarot card packaging. But it's not Flarf, OK?

Last week at the Fall for the Book Festival Ron Silliman gave a talk on literary blogging. He opened the discussion with how he started blogging and gave some history of poetry movements and publishing in the US. If you follow his blog, you are already familiar with that part of his talk.

I asked him why he thought so many younger poets rejected his labeling a wide, varied group of poets as "School of Quietude" and why many rejected all labels for themselves and their poetry. I labeled anyone under 50 to be "younger," which he called me on -- so let's just say the two or three generations of poets after him. I'm am not desperately holding onto my youth. I embrace my middle-agedness.

It's been a week since he gave the talk and I'm School-of-I-don't-take-notes, but what I understood Ron to be saying was that he thought poets (and people in general) today view themselves more as individuals, but in doing so we're not accepting our social responsibility of considering the impact of our poems and the legacy we leave behind. He said that he thought labels were good and that if we didn't label ourselves, we could expect our "enemies" to do it for us (he listed some examples, for instance how the Beats were named by an unsympathetic critic).

I didn't take his use of the term "enemies" to be literal, but I bristled at both that and the idea being especially concerned with our legacies. Not that I don't think we're not responsible for our poems, I certainly do believe we are responsible. I just think there are different (better?) ways to be socially responsible than by attaching oneself to a group or drawing lines in the sand, viewing differing poetics and poets as opposition. That doesn't mean one can't acknowledge differences or conflicts in differing poetics. We're not all the same. Describing or even labeling differences isn't what bothers me. It's the us and them part. I don't see that as being socially responsible. I don't see that benefiting poetry or poets, not the art, the community or the individuals. I see that as funneling a lot of energy into distinguishing hair-splitting differences and defending a platform one may not entirely agree with for consistency sake or staying within a group. It strikes me as rather limiting.

Ron also said that many poets today are taking a little from here and a little from there instead of studying any one type of poetry or its history in great depth. He's probably right. That would certainly describe me. Why not do that? Why not educate oneself broadly instead of narrowly specializing? Or why not start out broad and focus in depth once feels confidence in one's own artistic identity? Why not grow organically as a poet and just see where that takes you? Why not be a blended poet? In a time when fewer people identify with a sole identity, why would we be expected to identify with one style of poetics? 30 (20?) years ago, bi-racial people were labeled as one race (usually not by their own choice, but by the culture they lived in). The same went for people's cultures, religions, politics, national identity, sexual orientation, career, family, etc. For most people, there were a set number of slots and they had to fit into one. Now that we're starting to move away from those kinds of ideas, isn't it natural that we'd begin to view other things, like poetry, as more multi-faceted?

Isn't the refusal to align oneself with one poetic an evolution of poetry? Could it be that poets are not necessarily any more self-centered or any less socially concerned than poets 50 years ago, but instead rejecting structures that are becoming less applicable and useful today? Could it be that poets are being offered opportunities at greater personal power and are using those opportunities to carve a poetic landscape better suited for poetry, themselves and yes, for future generations to modify and build on. Isn't that a way of considering one's legacy? I don't want future poets to feel constrained by a handful of categories or feel required to create one themselves?

Can't we maintain a personal poetics AND be contributing members to poetry communities and our communities-at-large? I don't need to be a Boy Scout to help a little old lady cross the street. I don't need to be a member of a congregation to donate time or money to worthy causes. I don't need to be a member of a political party to vote.

That's how I see it, anyway.


While Ron was here he went to dinner with my family. A good portion of the conversation revolved around computers and his and Chris' money jobs. Afterwards Chris made an astute observation. Ron does the same in both his money job and on his poetry blog. He identifies and analyzes trends to predict what's coming around the bend. It's an interesting, dare I say individual, way to approach poetry. Who says poets don't have marketable skills?

I better hurry up and write this before all my brilliant words slide out my ear. I wanted to write about this earlier but with my reading on Saturday, Karl Parker's PERSONATIONSKIN galley arriving (which is awesome, fyi, btw), today's deadline for Sundress' Best of the Net nominations and Gideon's fever, I had trouble making the time. Although Gideon's fever was an opportunity to have a bed-in and set him up with his own (locked) Twitter account so he will no longer be rogue/guest tweeting on No Tell's. What did parents do with their sick kids before laptops and wireless?

No, you cannot follow his twitter, although Steve Irwin (from the grave?) has already tried.

If you're really curious, most of his tweets read something like this: @notell tgjgutiuy utnfhfhf jgjjguuyyy hvhgggg hhhhhhhgg 2009 20190 PM AM

Hmm, that all reads like a Cackling Jackal post.

I'm leaving it up anyhow.

Also, I just got two new Tarot decks that I'm chomping at the bit to try out. One has a FIFTH element (an additional suit!): Fire, Water, Air, Earth . . . and Ether!

I'm going to make a new post for the Silliman literary blogging panel cause now I'm just rambling . . . cause oh my god, a fifth suit that addresses the higher vibrational gifts emerging with the shift of energy occurring through the activation of our DNA codes, our evolving crystalline structures, and our awakening as multi-dimensional beings.

I can hardly concentrate with the shrink wrapped deck one foot away.

Eh, my hopes that September would be back on a schedule were dashed. Maybe calm is in the cards for October. Or maybe I'll run away to Peru and elope with a giraffe.

Recently I offered a writing prompt and was interviewed at The Poetry Instigator.

The reading on Saturday evening went well. We had a good turn out and I finally met Cathy Eisenhower and Chris Nealon. Mel Nichols read a poem about a guy on FB superpoking her all the time. She used his name in the poem, which I recognized because I, too, was once his superpoke target. He's the reason I now block all "pokes." Well, he's one of the reasons. I think it's rude to "poke" people, especially strangers. I remember my first week on FB some other dude I didn't know gave me a "foot rub." As if. Way to alert me to your creepiness! Anyhow, it's been a long time since I heard a poem at a reading that truly spoke to my life experience.

The poem made absolutely no sense to Chris. Not because it was Flarf, but because he has no idea what is Superpoke. I know, it's like living with Andy Rooney. Chris refuses to go on FB because, as he says, the only thing on FB is stalkers, creeps and his wife.

Ya know, maybe people wouldn't be flinging their skanky thongs at me if he was there to defend my honor. Just saying.

In other Fall for the Book Festival commentary, I want to write something about Ron Silliman's literary blogging talk. Maybe in the next couple days when I make some time to compose my thoughts.

In the meantime, hey, look at me, I'm loved and stuff.

Just got back from Ron Silliman & Rae Armantrout's reading at Fall for the Book. It was the first time I heard either read and I wasn't disappointed.

I was "recognized" by the young man sitting next to me.

He's a reader of this blog.

Yesterday I learned that two students put together a No Tell Motel Fan Page.

I will be wearing a disguise and calling myself Esmerelda at the publishing panel I'm participating in tomorrow.

Poet Paparazzi, stay back.

Goblin or goofball? I realized today that "marlan" dream was a direct reference to this book I read and mentioned here a few months back.

Black sun, alchemy, art. No light without darkness. Dark containing its own light. The cure to suffering: more suffering.

Duh.

Went to the library yesterday and brought home 4 books on Heaven/death, a book on why leaves change colors, another on ancient Egyptian gods and picture book by Gary Soto about a little girl who gets a car. My favorite is the one where the fox gets sick, goes into the woods and dies. His animal family gets depressed and spends their days moping in their treehouse until one day a squirrel comes over for dinner. They start reminiscing how the fox was a really shitty cook. That makes them all feel better and decide that life goes on.

I love a happy ending.

Fall for the Book

I'll be participating in two events at this year's Fall for the Book.


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2009: 12:00 pm, Publishing in Local Journals (Johnson Center, Dewberry Hall South, George Mason University), Fairfax, VA
PANELISTS: Dave Housley of Barrelhouse and Reb Livingston of No Tell Motel
MODERATOR: Moriah Purdy

That's in direct competition with a reading by Charles Jensen and Deborah Ager. Not sure why it was scheduled that way, but if Dave Housley is really boring I might leave our panel and walk over to the reading.

Afterwards there's a bookfair from 1:30 - 5:00, I'll be selling some books there.

* AND *

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2009: 8:00pm, DC Poets Reading (Miller's Tavern, formerly known as The Firehouse Grill, 3988 University Drive), Fairfax, VA
READERS: Cathy Eisenhower, Reb Livingston, Chris Nealon, Mel Nichols