“But ultimately Mr. Banhart seems to circle back to the same American source that Donovan probably came from: the early beat poets. One of the best songs on ‘Cripple Crow,’ the most ambitious and complicated of his four albums, is called, ‘Dragonflys.’ (Dig the misspelling.) It is 52 seconds long, with only guitar and voice,…
I’m back after being awash in jazz, drinking musicians full of hearty banter, clean air, water & woods, smiling people, and beauty, beauty, beauty. Already bogged with class prep duties, a slightly neglected manuscript tugging at my sleeve, and academic duties that would bring tears to your eyes. So I’ll spare you. Instead, I’ll just…
It is if your poets can afford this chair! Okay, I’m being snide. I think the fact that poetry isn’t a money-making venture in the U.S. enables poets to write what they need to and not what “the man” suggests. We aren’t walking around trying to please someone else, hoping to get a government appointment…
The view posted here of the Williamsburg Bridge and the twin towers is just about what I saw to my left everyday as I headed to take the subway to work in Manhattan. On 9/11, I was late and woke up to the news that the first tower had been hit. My friends and I…
Will the money that so many believe they are donating to victims of Hurricane Katrina actually land in said vicitims hands? It seems to me that the rebuilding of New Orleans might refer to the clean up & construction of new buildings on some prime real estate — and not to the sustanence of refugees…
It’s time to give some overdue, major props to Ms. Aimee Bender. I’ve been following her for years now. Yes, years. She is one of the finest short story writers going today. I usually mix it up in my literature classes by teaching Bender along with Tobias Wolff for the short story component (& a…
Apparently, we’ve been refusing offers of help. I thought Condoleeza Rice’s response to offers of help seemed fairly off-putting. I saw her in a t.v. interview say something along the lines of ,”Well, we’ll see how many countries follow through on their promises.” Mind you, I’m remembering this from a snippet on PBS.org last night,…
I wasn’t going to go out last night. This weekend is all about resting and preparing for the new semester. But then my neighbor, Nelson from “Hunter’s Run,” dragged my ass out to see our friends play. Now I’ve known most of the Akron Family band members, Dana, Seth, and Ryan, for at least a…
I have several poems and a short essay in this new textbook by Barbara Barnard and David Winn called, Access Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry and Drama. My brief essay will be, I think, helpful for students new to poetry. It’s called, “A Rose Is a Rose Is a Thorny Yellow Thing.” First person…
he reading at the Bowery Poetry Club went well. Lauren Bender started us off with some very funny work. She’s usually performative in her delivery and calls attention to the artifice of poetry readings by engaging the audience directly and creating a dialogue, but this time, she really brought home what she’s doing with language…
the release of Linh Dinh’s new book, American Tatts, today. If you can wade through the sauna that is NYC today, come on over @ 6PM! NARROW HOUSE RECORDINGS presents: Linh Dinh, Amy King, Lauren Bender, & Brian Evenson Also celebrating the release of AMERICAN TATTS by Linh Dinh from CHAX Press! There are two…
You could help Cindy Sheehan try to get President Bush to meet with her and explain the death of her son, Casey Sheehan by emailing a demand note to the White House or by calling Mr. Bush. Ms. Sheehan would like the president to explain why her son had to die — face-to-face. Somehow, I…
I almost forgot that I have poems going up today at No Tell Motel — a poem a day until Friday!
After a wonderful cricket-filled night at home with the Benfers and then tonight out with Aimee & Co., I will shuffle off to bed. But first, a random note: I took a trip down memory lane on my drive from Baltimore’s downtown. I used to read for a blind philosophy professor, Kingsley Price, who taught…
Since I’ve been looking for an excuse to post a photo of myself rubbing noses (ok, cheeks) with the novelist, Colm Toibin, I will use the excuse of not having the birthday photos developed for that reason today. The truth is that I bought myself a new laptop for my birthday, and I don’t have…
Since I am too tired to replay the night, I will say, for the moment, that I had a stupendous time. Quite. Planet Thailand food, drinks at The Met, lots of nutty street behavior in between. Carra Stratton and I ran into Tunde (of ‘TV on the Radio’ fame) and Ohall (Israeli friend & bartender…
Home to the French Quarter, Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras, & JazzFest, a city rich with tradition, art, and culture, now drowned. How does one write about losing an entire city? The number dead is impossible to count. Rescuers cannot even begin collecting bodies as they float past. New Orleans is being evacuated. Many have lost…
They appear in the inaugural issue of “The Tiny,” a cool new journal edited by Gina Myers and Gabriella Torres. Though these poems light up a Saturday night (the wee a.m. hours, actually), they are by no means the only two gems in the almost-hundred-page-pack: Morning Prayer This morning I awoke with a fresh sense…
The as-yet-unreleased “Late Registration” appeared in my mailbox two days ago (thanks, you!). But it’s out this Tuesday, so I’ll briefly encourage people-with-ears to give it a go. First, the self-proclaimed Carlton of rap can lay down tracks. Even if you’re not into rap, you’ll move your elbows & knees to these beats. Clap in…
When I was living in Buffalo many years ago, I went to a Hole show. Drew Barrymore stood by the stage holding Courtney Love’s daughter, Frances Bean, watching Hole do their thing. The pit became typically “boy-heavy,” and towards the end of the show, Love, I guess, was really feeling it, so she leapt into…
I opted to write a poem related to a delegate, Cynthia McKinney, from my home state for the Personnages Obscurs site. They will post a poem a day that includes the name of a delegate – starting today. When the bill to bar women from serving in direct ground combat roles came up for vote…
Last night, listening to the “Women in the Avant Garde” cd that Justin Sirois of Narrow House Records so generously gave me two weeks ago. I decided on track three, since I briefly corresponded with Carol Mirakove awhile back, and I wanted to hear her work. Sleep I did not. Mirakove is an excellent reader…
After a lovely night at a local bar, I am convinced that people are drawn to but belittle poetry because, to put it simply, they fear their own potential. Poetry lets you say anything. A la Kenneth Koch, you aren’t bound to the logic of everyday language. If I give you a command or tell…
Kanye West’s songs generally explore the tension of wanting to acquire the American ideal via material signifiers and the price of that image (consider “Diamonds from Sierra Lyone”) to celebrating his ability to be successful. Even after he gets the goods required to “succeed,” he’s still at odds with a history that haunts “what’s inside.”…
A photo of James Baldwin graces the cover of Poets & Writers this month. Coincidentally enough, I was just revisiting his book of essays that I read as an undergrad, The Price of the Ticket. What an excellent book & man. Here’s an excerpt from an essay, “Here Be Dragons,” that seems fitting for today:…
This is the “Definition Essay” example I usually pass out to my ENG101 students. It’s from OWL, I believe, and is a fairly decent student sample. American Patriots: Soldiers, Citizens, Voters The United States is presently at war in Iraq and Afghanistan where American troops are fighting and dying. At home, cars and homes display…
