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"A note to Pound in heaven: Only one mistake, Ezra! You should have talked to women"
--George Oppen, _Twenty Six Fragments_
Archives:
xoxo Hey, E-Mail Me! xoxo
ManY PoETiKaL HaTs LisT:
Holly's Pirate-girl Hat,
chrismurray in a straw hat,
Michael Helsem's Gray Wyvern NOLA Fedora.
Duchamp's Rrose Selavy's flirting hat.
Max Ernst's Hats of The Hat Makes the Man.
Jordan Davis' The Hat!
poetry. hks' smelly head baseball cap.
Samuel Beckett's Lucky's
Black bowler hat,
giving his oration
on what's questionable in mankind,
in *Waiting for 'God-ot'*.
my friend John Phillips's 1969
dove gray fedora w/ wild feather.
Bob Dylan's mystery lover's Panama Hat.
Bob Creeley's Black Mountain Felt Boater Hat.
Duke Ellington's Satin
Top Hat. Acorn Hats of Tree.
Freud's 1950 City Fedora.
Joseph Brodsky's Sailor Cap.
Harry K Stammer's Copper Hat
Hell. Lewis LaCook's bowler hat(s).
Tom Beckett's Bad Hair Day
Furry Pimp Hat. Daughter Holly's black beret.
harry k stammer's fez. Cat
in the Hat's Hat & best
hat, Googling Texfiles:
crocheted hat with flames.
Harry K Stammer's tinseled berets.
Tex's 10 gallon Gary Cooper felt Stetson cowboy hat.
Jordan Davis's fedora.
Dali's High-heel Shoe Hat. Harry K Stammer's en-blog LAPD Hat
& aluminum baseball cap. cap'n caps. NY-Yankees caps. the HKS-in-person-caps
are blue or green no logos nor captions.
Ma Skanky Possum 10's nighttime cap.
moose antler hat. propeller beenie hat.
doo rag. knit face mask hat. Bob Dylan's & photographer Laziz
Hamani's panama hats. Mark Weiss's Publisher's Hat.
Rebecca Loudon's Seattle-TX-Hats'n'boots.
Ever-Evolving Links:
Silliman's Links
Dominic Rivron
Unidentified
Br Tom @ One & Plainer
Dan Waber: ars poetica anthology
Dan Waber: altered books anthology
chris daniels: Notes to a Fellow Traveller
Chris Daniels: Toward an Anti-Capitalist Poetry
David Daniels: The Gates Of Paradise
subterranean poets: Beijing Poetry Group
Charles Alexander/Chax Press: Chaxblog
Headlines Poetry: the latest weblog entries
Henry Gould's AlephoeBooks
Julie Choffel's Understory
Tom Murphy's former one
Jean Vengua's New Okir
Roger Pao's Asian-American Poetry
Tom Lisk: Oilcloth and Linoleum
Kevin Doran
Reb Livingston's Cackling Jackal Blog
Janet Holmes: Humanophone
Lorna Dee Cervantes
Mark Young's gamma ways
Brian Campbell: Out of the Woodwork
Shanna's DIY Publishing Blog
Galatea Resurrects: a Poetry Review
Tom Beckett
John Sakkis: BOTH BOTH
New Francois Luong:Voices in Utter Dark, KaBlow!sm is...
Old Francois Luong: Voices in Utter Dark
Margin Walker: Andrew Lundwall
Free Space Comix: the latest BK Stefans blog
Adam Lockhart, Experimentalist Composer
Antic View: Alan Bramhall & Jeff Harrison
lookouchblog: Jessica Smith
MiPOradio
Web Log -- Charles Bernstein
Google Poem Generator: Leevi Lehto
Marie Mutsuki Mockett
Feral Scholar: Stan Goff
worderos: Tom Beckett
In Galatea's Purse
Japundit
Quiet Desperation: Jim Ryal
Luca Antara: Martin Edmond
Brief Epigrams: Ryan Alexander MacDonald
Radio My Vocabulary: 4 pm Sunday Poetry Streams
Mark Lamoreaux: [[[0{:}0]]]
Hot Whiskey Blog
louder
Nick Bruno: They Shoot Poets Don't They?
Joe Massey: Rooted Fool
Kate Greenstreet: every other day
heuriskein: Tom Orange
Chiaroscuro Metropoli: Tom Beckett
Behrle's latest spout!
Fluffy Dollars: Michelle Detorie
Jane Dark's Sugar High!
The Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center
(Charles) Olson Now: Michael Kellaher & Ammiel Alcalay
kari edwards' TranssubMUTATION
Notes on the Revival: Jeremy Hawkins
PurPur: Petrus Pokus
Snapper Missives: Scott Pierce
A Sad Day for Sad Birds II: Gina Meyers
Great Works: Peter Philpot
zafusy: experimental poetry journal
Writeboard: a collaborative writing tool
John Latta: Rue Hazard
KP Harris: Croissant Factory
Stephanie Young's New Site
Stephen Vincent's New Site
Portable Press@Yo~Yo Labs
Square America
Amy King's blog
Robert: Peyoetry Hut
Muisti Kirja: Karri Kokko
Karri Kokko's Blonde on Blonde
Yummeee Blog (recipes)
Nice Guy Syndrome: Tim Botta
Left Hook
Del Ray Cross: anachronizms
Juan Cole: Informed Comment
BuzzFlash - Daily Headlines, Breaking News, Links
Aaron McCollough
Chris Lott's Cosmopoetica
Chad Parenteau
Little Emerson
Fever, Light--by Sawako Nakayasu
Second Wish
Nomadics
Alison Croggon
Radical Druid
Ron is Ron: the Ron Silliman Cartoon by Jim Behrle
Dagzine: Positions, Poetics, Populations: Gary Norris
Shadows within Shadows: Tom Beckett
Self Similar Writing: Jukka Pekka Kervinen
The Little Workshop: Cassie Lewis
Sky Bright: Jay Rosevear
Poesy Galore: Emily Lloyd
Lisa Jarnot's Blog
Poetry Hut: Jilly Dybka (has moved here)
Pornfeld: Michael Hoerman
Seven Apples: Justin Ulmer
Hi Spirits: Andrew Burke
Bacon Bargain!: Joe Massey
Ivy is here: Ivy Alvarez
Whimsy Speaks: Jeff Bahr
Umbrella: Jeff Wietor
Chicanas! (Susana L. Gallardo)
Masters of Photography
Blog of Disquiet: Gary Norris' Teaching Blog
Suzanna Gig Jig
Bad with Titles: Jay Thomas
Spaceship Tumblers! Tony Tost
Desert City: Ken Rumble
E-Po
Zotz!
Optative Mood: Tim Morris
ecritures bleues: Laura Carter
The Ingredient: Alli Warren
Skanky Possum Pouch
Slight Publications
Jewishy-Irishy: Laurel Snyder
Sea-Camel: Alberto Romero Bermo
Growing Nations: Jordan Stempleman
Tom Raworth
Entropy and Me: Hal Johnson
Scott Pierce: Snapper's Junk
Chicano Poet: Reyes Cardenas
Semio-Karl M&M
Stephen Vincent
Hoa Nguyen/Teacher's & Writers
a New Word Placements
Narcissus Works: Anny Ballardini
Richard Lopez
Tributary: Allen Bramhall
The_Delay: Chris Vitiello
Jukka Pekka Kervinen: Nonlinear Poetry
Lanny Quarles: Phaneronoemikon
Clifford Duffy: Fictions of Deleuze & Guattari
DagZine
Carrboro Poetry Festival
Steve Evans: Third Factory
DEBORAH PATILLO
SKANKY POSSUM PRESS
Tim Peterson: Mappemunde
WOOD'S LOT
Geof Huth: DBQP
Ann Marie Eldon
Jim Behrle: The Jim Side
Ray Bianchi:Postmodern Collage Poetry
Never Mind the Beasts
Diaryo
New Broom
Flingdump Scattershot
Tony Tost: Unquiet Grave
Grapez
SB POET
Mark Young's Pelican Dreaming
|||AS/IS2|||
Li's A Private Studio
Anny Ballardini's Poet's Corner
Tom Beckett: Vanishing Points
Dumbfoundry
BadGurrrlNest
Jean Vengua's Okir
Hear-it dot org: info on hearing problems
Tim Yu's Tympan
James Yeager's Modern Lives
Tony Robinson: Geneva Convention
Daniel Nestor's Unpleasant Event
Ex-Lion Tamer
Carlos Arribas: Scriptorium
David Nemeth
Ela's Incertain Plume
Mairead Byrne's Heaven
Catherine Daly
Black Spring
Br.Tom's Finish Yr Phrase
Shin Yu Pai: makura-no-soshi
Harry K. Stammer: Downtown LA
Corina's Fledgling Wordsmith
Jilly Dybka's Poetry Hut
Ben Basan's Luminations
Katey: Chewing on Pencils
YaY!! Eileen Tabios: Chatelaine Poetics !
Jill Jones: Ruby Street
Geoffrey Gatza's BlazeVox
Bill Allegrezza's P-Ramblings
Gary Sullivan's Elsewhere
GoldenRuleJones
Poetry_Heat
Bookslut
Chickee's SuperDeluxeGoodPoems
As-Is !
John Latta's Hotel Point
Sawako Nakayasu's Ongoing Show
Shanna Compton's Brand New Insects
Crag Hill
kari edwards: transdada
Fluss
Michael Helsem's Gray Wyvern
Word Placement
Bogue's Blog
Jordan Davis: Equanimity
Robert Flach's Unadulterated Text
Michelle Bautista
Ironic Cinema
Mike Snider
Farewell Tonio!
In Through the Out Door
The Blonde Brunette
Awake at Dawn on Someone's Couch is Toast
Jukka-Pekka Kervinen:Non-Linear
Xpress(ed) !
Chris Lott's Ruminate
Venepoetics
Laura: Yellowslip
Stick Poet Super Hero
Mighty Jens!
Radio UTA: Toni's Thursday Poetry Show
Tim Morris: Lection
Gabe Gudding
Constant Critic
Sappho's Breathing
Waves of Reading
Jhananin's Insite
Fanaticus
AdvExpo
Stephen Vincent
Stephanie Young: New Well Nourished Moon
Kasey Silem Mohammad's Newest Limetree
Lanny Quarles: (solipsis)//:phaneronoemikon
States Writes
Rebecca's Pocket
Simulacro
Braincase Links
Sentence
Sor Juana
73 Urban Bus Journeys
Poeta Empirica
poetry for the people: canwehaveourballback?
Ernesto Priego's Never Neutral
Nick Piombino's Fait Accompli
Weekly Incite blogresearch
Jim Behrle's first monkey
Jim Behrle's Monkey's Gone to Heaven
David Kirschenbaum's Boog City
Not Nick Moudry
Laurable
David Hess Heathens in Heat
Jack Kimball's Pantaloons
Li Bloom's Abolone
Ron Silliman
Chris Sullivan's Bloggchaff
Chris Sullivan's Slight Publications
Chris Sullivan's Department of Culture
Kasey S. Mohammad's Old-New Limetree
Kasey's Old Limetree
James Meetze: Brutal Kittens
Cassie Lewis: The Jetty
Joseph Mosconi's Harlequin Knights
Nada Gordon's Ululate
ultimate: Stephanie Young's First Well Nourished Moon
Steve Evans: Third Factory
Noah Eli Gordon's Human Verb
Jean Vengua's Blue Kangaroo
Sawako Nakayasu: Texture Notes
Free Space Comix: BK Stefans
Crosfader
Malcolm Davidson's eeksy peeksy
Marsh Hawk Press group
Catherine Meng's Porthole Redux
Josh Corey's Cahiers de Corey
Very Nice! Shampoopoetry
UTA's Lit Mag: ZNine
Wild Honey Press
Jacket
JFK's Poetinresidence
Malcolm Davidson's Tram Spark poems
HYepez: RealiTi
HYpez: Mexperimental
Aimee Nez's Gila Monster
BestMaX: Jim Behrle's jismblog
Cori Copp's Littleshirleybean
Jordan Davis: Million Poems
Eileen Tabios: Corpsepoetics [see Chatelaine above]
YaY! Liz's Thirdwish
Ultra Linking
Henry Gould's HG Poetics
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Saturday, February 12, 2005
I really like this poem, "Flashing Scarlet Fishing Nets" and the graveyard photos, Anny!
chris at
10:05 PM
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noir doris sampling green/orange
*
Neighborhood Noir Girls: Two
Suspect: "How do I look?"
& disappears
while lining up mental
comebacks & come-ons
for black-white linoleum
cafeteria
lunch
line:
"Take a number"
a tray a ticket a plate
a train full
of
words
standing in line ahead
& behind
a colon
of the unheard two dark
dots
on a long corner
of page
echoing "is"
or wandering
traffic suspect
slides
into Las Vegas
& the ridiculous Doris
(the) Day (is) running
red
light to call love into a black
telephone
receiver of numerous
dots & immediacy ("How do I look?)
arriving at platform Union
Station
where a logic of you & yours
underscores
our
suspect
at 6:30 a.m. exactly double
track
(suspect of seem, madam:
standing over the morning)
heat
a floor grating
in orchid
pattern
flannel
nightgown
moving to invisible line between
beauty & freeze: cold
lips porcelain bathtub
blue painted feet
suspect an emergency stranger
of 1950s mother teased
hair
& fine
net matte
("How do I
...") face
& eye melt
shadow togetherness
is a warm
blue satin bow
a compact
is a kind of girl
mirror
*
~~~~~~~~~~poem copyright of chris murray~~~~~~~~~ o~o/ ~~~~
chris at
1:42 PM
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Friday, February 11, 2005
Do check out
Crag Hill's poetry scorecard: "Elusivusion"
To my mind, the poem goes to the question of "shudder" in Adorno. First, the sound collision(s)/"collusion"(s) are exactly right for what the poem does (it does not too much, nor too little), and then the KO's: cf to Ishi, in terms of gender referents (not always the first issue in discussion of Ishi: the story of this being is a tragedy where many things are concerned, and here gender is made both ultra-nerve-root, and moot: literally and figurally, yet with an economy of language that a poet such as HD would have loved, I cannot help but think, and applaud. Add to that this open-ended closing line: "zero swallows hero"... Crag, rock on, and thanks for posting/sharing this fine piece of work.
o~o/
--cm
chris at
8:22 PM
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  from Ezra Pound *** :
Lament of the Frontier Guard
By the North Gate, the wind blows full of sand,
Lonely until the beginning of time until now!
Trees fall, the grass grows yellow with autumn.
I climb the towers and towers
to watch out the barbarous land:
Desolate castle, the sky, the wide desert.
There is no wall left to this village.
Bones white with a thousand frosts,
High heaps, covered with trees and grass;
Who brought this to pass?
Who has brought the flaming imperial anger?
Who has brought the army with drums and with kettle-drums?
Barbarous kings.
A gracious spring, turned to blood-ravenous autumn,
A turmoil of wars-men, spread over the middle kingdom,
Three hundred and sixty thousand,
And sorrow to go, and sorrow, sorrow returning.
Desolate, desolate fields,
And no children of warfare among them,
No longer the men for offence and defence.
Ah, how shall you know the dreary sorrow at the
North Gate,
With Riboku's * name forgotten,
And we guardsmen fed to the tigers.
Rihaku **
(353)
* Li Mu, famous Chinese general against the Huns, died 223 BCE.
** Chinese poet Li Bai (Li Po, 701-762). Here's a link to China the Beautiful, a site giving an overview of the classical poetry, in Chinese and English.
*** Ezra Pound, "Lament of the Frontier Guard," Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry. vol 1. New York: Norton, 2003.
Also: check out "Ezra Pound Cake" ! (from jaguaro dot org)
chris at
11:28 AM
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A wonderful resource, Chicanas dot com (Susana L. Gallardo)--opening page with a beautiful, shining tribute to Gloria Anzaldua. This is a link found via
Reyes Cardenas, Alivianate el Coco blog--and check out the latest from Mr Bones and Henry... Thanks, Y'all!
chris at
12:10 AM
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Thursday, February 10, 2005
Thanks, Scott, for posting the announcement of the reading in Austin next week : )
chris at
11:52 PM
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from Mark DuCharme's Infinity Subsections * :
Don't Look Now
I mistranslate the city from memory
Sketches torn from a page
Undrunk as if sketched tight
Across a line of sight
To be gone in a minute. To be reborn
Or nothing at all
Along seams of night
Blue yellow black white
Dull as smoke
*
It's not the night
We'd strangle to unlearn
While beings evaporate
It's all or nothing
Like songs which eat up night
& The dead with their storied dreams
& The freedom not to burn
In great varieties of buildings
Like the dead are full of smoke
Eating stories up at night
Which moons evaporate
(16)
A Pantoum for Juan Gris
Painterly as starlight
To our fleckless selves, we breed
In the legitimacy of not caving in
Where I want you to read this
To our fleckless selves we breed
In a memory of Spanish places
Where I want you to read this
Brokenly, as houses flutter
Like a memory of Spanish places
In which we're shuttered
Brokenly as houses flutter
& The stores which eat up light
In which we're shuttered
Like in old Malay
& The stores which eat up light
Remaining out of sight
Like in old Malay
Where we've never been
But walk, legitimately
Remaining out of sight
Painterly as starlight
(17)
* Mark DuCharme, Infinity Subsections. NYC: Meeting Eyes Bindary, Spuyten Duyvil, 2004.
chris at
11:25 AM
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another Texfiles Poetic Families Feature :
poet Richard Lopez with son Nicholas Bronson Lopez, born 12 Dec 04 
chris at
11:20 AM
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Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Looking into Images Poetic
I was looking around at the Masters of Photography (an excellent resource) last night, and found these of interest--poetic--in unusual ways:
Karl Blossfeldt's "Young Shoot, Magnified x6"
Ezra Pound, photo by Alvin Langdon Coburn (Men of Mark, 1922?)
via Masters of Photography,
a link I found at
Slight Publications--thanks, Y'all...
chris at
11:10 PM
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 * There's just something irresistible about a pair of jagged claws scuttling across the ocean floor... eh?
Or, not exactly a dial phone, but a
Dali Phone * Salvador Dali, "Lobster Telephone"
chris at
1:39 PM
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 --Picasso, "Guitar"
from Federico Garcia Lorca, The Guitar ** :
The Guitar
The guitar
begins its weeping.
the wineglasses of dawn
are shattered.
The guitar
begins its weeping.
It is useless
to hush it.
Impossible
to hush it.
It cries monotonously,
as the water cries,
as the wind cries
over the snowfield.
It is impossible
to hush it.
It cries
for distant things
Sand from the hot South
asking for white camellias.
It cries, arrow with no target,
evening with no morning.
and the first bird
dead on the branch.
Oh guitar!
Heart mortally wounded by five swords.
*
Riddle of the Guitar
At the round
crossroads,
six maidens
are dancing.
Three of flesh,
three of silver.
Yesterday's dreams pursue them,
but they are held fast
by a golden Polyphemus.
The guitar!
** Federico Garcia Lorca, In search of the Duende. transl. Christopher Maurer. New Directions, 1998 (26-29).
chris at
1:35 PM
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Monday, February 07, 2005
12th Street Books' Nook: Homing Poetry, Yeah...
Here's the warmest, most friendly-open-community, yet wild and wiley bunch of good-fun-po-folks & space, reading space, that i've ever had the pleasure to read in :
--Here is the reading space at Luke's 12th Street Books in Austin, Texas, where poets and good vibe go together alongside international greens: Hoa's tahini & greens are an especial treat as is all po-sound, given word & po-space!--this is where supportive community and prickly-poetry rules (Go, Luke--sending my best to Y'all!)--
I note that I have Dale Smith and Hoa Nguyen--their spirit of generousity--to thank for the opportunity to get to know 12th Street and the Austin po-folk: thanks, my friends...
So, 12th Street's where the following book release will take place, as well as the Austin-Poetry_Heat readings enumerated in the previous post, which will take place in conjunction with other esteemed Po-Folk (listed in the post below).
Now, check out this good news about to happen in the 12th Street Books' Nook:
from Scott Pierce at effing press & Snapper's Junk Boat(heap) blog: an effing press book release party for
** Hoa Nguyen's new book, Red Juice ! **
Friday, Feb 18, 7 pm
12th Street Books, Austin TX
YaY!!--Congratulations & Best Wishes to Hoa & to Scott's effing press!
chris at
9:22 PM
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Here Comes More Poetry_Heat, Y'all !
chris murray's Poetry_Heat **
at University of Texas, Arlington, in conjunction with
Skanky Possum Press,
12th Street Books,
Firewheel Editions/Sentence: a Journal of Prose Poetics,
and Marsh Hawk Press
are pleased to present:
Brian Clements, Susan Briante, Matthew Dickman
Friday, Feb 18, 7:30 pm
Rady Room, 6th floor, Nedderman Hall
University of Texas, Arlington
Arlington, Texas
reception to follow, TBA
*
Brian Clements, Joe Ahearn, Susan Briante, Phil West,
Matthew Dickman, Darryl Scroggins, Chris Murray
Saturday, Feb 19, 7:00 pm
12th Street Books
827 W. 12th Street
Austin, Texas
reception to follow, TBA
*
Eileen Tabios, Sandy McIntosh
Friday, Mar 4, 7:00 pm
Rady Room, 6th floor, Nedderman Hall
University of Texas, Arlington
Arlington, Texas
Reception to follow, TBA
*
Eileen Tabios, Sandy McIntosh
Saturday, Mar 5, 7:00 pm
12th Street Books
827 W. 12th St.
Austin, TX
Reception to follow, TBA
*
And while here in north Texas,
Eileen and Sandy have booked this reading
sponsored by
Marsh Hawk Press,
and with the gracious help of Shin Yu Pai:
Eileen Tabios & Sandy McIntosh
Sunday, Mar 6 5:30 pm
Paperbacks Plus
6115 La Vista Dr
Dallas, Texas 75214
Reception to follow, TBA
*
Plans for future readings are currently in the works
to present at least two spectacular readings in fall 2005:
--Shin Yu Pai, who has a new chapbook out, Unnecessary Roughness, from Jukka Pekka Kervinen's
xPress(ed) books.
--
Shanna Compton, whose book Down Spooky won the Winnow Prize and Jennifer L. Knox, whose new book will soon be out from
Soft Skull Press.
** Kind thanks to poet and student assistant,
James Ola, of Peat Blog for helping to keep Poetry_Heat together. Many thanks, as well, to former student assistants, Cyndi Dumas and Kristina Graham.
Stay tuned for more statute & liberty wit'out oil: if not Texas, then Poetry_Heat, Y'all! 
chris at
5:58 PM
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Sunday, February 06, 2005
A favorite poem from  **
Robert Creeley's chapbook, Yesterdays * :
When I think
When I think of where I've come from
or even try to measure as any kind of
distance those places, all the various
people, and all the ways in which I re-
member them, so that even the skin I
touched or was myself fact of, inside,
could see through like a hole in the wall
or listen to, it must have been, to what
was going on in there, even if I was still
too dumb to know anything-- When I think
of the miles and miles of roads, of meals,
of telephone wires even, or even of water
poured out in endless streams down streaks
of black sky or the dirt roads washed clean,
or myriad, salty tears and suddenly it's spring
again, or it was-- Even when I think again of
all those I treated so poorly, names, places,
their waiting uselessly for me in the rain and
I never came, was never really there at all,
was moving so confusedly, so fast, so driven
like a car along some lonely highway passing,
passing other cars-- When I try to think of
things, of what's happened, of what a life is
and was, my life, when I wonder what it meant,
the sad days passing, the continuing, echoing deaths,
all the painful, belligerent news, and the dog still
waiting to be fed, the closeness of you sleeping, voices,
presences, of children, of our own grown children,
the shining, bright sun, the smell of the air just now,
each physical moment, passing, passing, it's what
it always is or ever was, just then, just there.
* Robert Creeley, "When I think," Yesterdays. Chax Press, 2002. And for those who don't know the following link, please also see the extensive EPC page on Robert Creeley:
EPC/Robert Creeley Author Page.
** Note and Commentary on this photo of Robert Creeley, which comes from Black Mountain College via the
COSMIC BASEBALL ASSOCIATION--Black Mountains Roster 1998.
This book is one of my favorites from Robert Creeley, as I say above, and I'll add it's also one of my favorites as a poetry chapbook--for its poetry. But I've something else brewing here, too: because in my opinion the image-snapshot above is significant, I'll add a few comments on aesthetics, which have been much on my mind lately, and I'd like to offer some clarification toward my perspectives on images, more specifically, portraiture such as the above photo. That is, what I look for when searching for a photo like this one of Robert Creeley. Out of the generous number of available and excellent online images of RC, I think this photo is exceptional for its effect of what Adorno and others call "immanence," cf my Adorno post a few days ago (scroll down). And it stems from aspects of the subject, here, Robert Creeley. In Adorno's view, this effect has to do with the way a work of "art colludes with apparition" (appearance and perception of it) to affect audience with a primitive kind of "shudder" (I note that although Adorno focuses in that passage on how "shudder" originated in fear, "shudder" also stems, no matter how primitive, as much from delight, no?). The work of art will have a certain kind of elemental quality "rising above" the materiality of mundane people and things ("thinghood"), that through the dynamic process of relationship with viewer(s), creates a difficult to articulate effect: immanence (in fact it is nearly impossible to articulate--it's aka the "sublime" what remains after the falsity of superficial beauty). Adorno takes this up from Husserl, from phenomenology, which is a very controversial interpretive framework, especially to North American pragmatists, both in philosophy and in the views of everyday folks (think, Stephen Pinker, and that political party that begins with R, & etc). Adorno is far more cautious about explaining it than was Husserl (who was far more affected by nineteenth century sensibilities of rapture), but mostly Adorno just wants to posit and reassure a knowledge of the dialectical nature of this immanence, and that it is a process, not a sudden or passing relevation. Despite some of the criticism leveled against this aesthetic concept of immanence, criticism for its shortcomings (one, that it parallels the ideological means used similarly by religious institutions to disable the critical faculties thereby skewing balance of dialectic, as in the individual's adopting of enthralled blind faith), I think it at least has the value of retaining for art a sense of what can be perceived as a fleeting feeling akin to resonance or echo in sound, a conceptual/perceptual space that is of great value for spirit and for materiality, if only in terms of delight at difference and newness. According to Adorno's view, it is possible for all works of art to "externalize" this "immanent process," no matter how often the piece is reproduced (as posting this photo and poem here are acts of reproduction). Well, to bring this back full circle, then: this photo of Robert Creeley, and the photos of others I post here, are examples of works that I find to have something of that "process of immanence" in the Adorno sense, especially by way of conveying and effecting delight. I take for granted that I need not say here how the poetry is equally if not more--and continually so--"immanent."
--cm o~o/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~poem copyright of Robert Creeley~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
chris at
9:49 PM
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Announcement: Lynda Schor's new book, The Body Parts Shop, just out from FC2 (linked below)
Received a further note from Hal Johnson--see his poem, "Aftershock," posted below--
Hal's wife, Lynda, has a new collection of short stories out. Here's a link to the page of publisher, FC2, where there the book is described in detail, and links are posted to news and reviews, as well as to an excerpted sample story from Lynda Schor's The Body Parts Shop. To give a taste of the storytelling, here is a very brief passage from "Still the Top Banana" :
*Cheetah, the chimp who starred in Tarzan movies back in the 1930's, is still hanging around. The beloved animal actor turns 63 in April, making him the oldest chimp in captivity.*
...
*The cuddly creature debuted in the 1934 movie "Tarzan Finds A Mate" starring Johnny Weismuller and Maureen O'Sullivan.*
At first Cheetah had enjoyed being part of the Tarzan movies. First of all, they filmed in locations that reminded him of his home. He got to shriek, pound his chest, and swing on vines. (Chest-pounding was something gorillas do, not chimps, but people loved it.) He'd begun to feel like part of the Tarzan family, almost as if he and Boy (Tarzan and Jane's son) were the children of the family. And he usually got to save Tarzan from something horrible, like vicious headhunters, or Europeans who wanted to destroy the jungles. He didn't realize the movies were fantasy. Then suddenly a picture shoot would end, and he'd have to leave his family once again, to stay with Tony, his owner. Not that he didn't love Tony. But it wasn't the same.
... -- Lynda Shor's short story, "Still the Top Banana"
Lynne Sharon Schwartz, a writer whose work I've followed and admired for many years now, reviewed Lynda Schor's book. She has this to say:
"Lynda Schor’s stories are as dazzling as her readers have come to expect. To label them ‘black humor’ or describe them as ‘irreverent’ would be putting it mildly, and there is nothing mild about Schor’s take on the way we live now—our marriages, sex lives, obsessions and rites of passage. She is a master of satire, full of invention and wit, yet beneath the hilarious going-on in her work runs a deep vein of melancholy. This is a terrific and exhilarating collection."-—Lynne Sharon Schwartz
~~~clip, "Still the Top Banana," copyright of Lynda Schor~~~
o~o/
chris at
1:10 PM
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frm Heather McHugh's The Father of the Predicaments * :
[an excerpt from]
Not a Prayer
*
We sleep inside a bullet--
cheek to cheek, in public
anonymity--and then we wake. We do
not speak. The sun's
a red-eye, and the earth
a fast blue rushing underneath.
*
"You've come into my life," she says. And then
"I want for you to understand." A night
and a day and a night from then,
I'd understand all right, helping to hook
around her corpse's chin and ears
the strap that keeps
a speaking place from gaping.
*
(3)
Heather McHugh, The Father of the Predicaments. Wesleyan, 1999.
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