Not with a Bang but With a Whimper

August 31, 2004

The summer here in Chicago was cold mostly, a few good readings.

My book came out and I am happy about this but like an old tee shirt I am comfortable with this book and now I want to move on to other things-

I recently wrote on the Buffalo list about a Banal poetry show on our local 50,000 watt station WGN (38 states, 5 Canadian provinces).

Christian Wiman local poetry editor and Paleo-Con poet felt free to share banalities of the worst kind, poetry that is as weak as near beer and as flacid as my fat, fat stomach.

I wanted to scream at the radio. It must have been the way Cezanne felt (Not to be too much of an Egomaniac and compare myself to Cezanne) when Sargent and his ilk were painting their crap when he was painting the greatest works of art since Leonardo.

I am not against Lyric poets, Neo-Formalist Poets, Slam Poets it is all part of the family but hell... poetry loses audience every year because people think poetry is Wordsworth or Jewel not because they think it is David Antin-- maybe if more people read Lyn Hejenian or Jen Hofer poetry would sell more books?

Instead we get the editor of Poetry Magazine, the grand magazine of OUR GENRE the place where all our poetic parents were born (Pound, HD, Stein, y mas y mas) advocating for Philip Larkin??????

I want to vomit this lukewarm poetry out of my mouth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I cannot get the names of the poets out of my head Philip Larkin? Donald Justice? not Olson, no Pound, no Stein, no Howe, No Zukofsky?

What is it 1950?

I think that Pound and Harriet Monroe must be turning over in their graves.

Maybe Christian Wiman should be forced to sit and listen to poetry at the Discrete Series this year!! Charles Bernstein is coming or it that too avant garde for you SuperPoetryMan!

Anyway, it does not matter. Things dont change much- the fall reading schedule looks great I am so happy to support with all my energy our great Chicago and Milwaukee reading series.

I am reading at Myopic on Sept 26th I am excited about this hopefully people will come???!!!! Maybe Christian Wiman will come and I can read Projective Verse for him since he seems not to have read it?

I was glad to see that the U of C has decided to retain its position that everyone in Chicagoland can get to Hyde Park by 5:30 on a Tuesday. I know that it will be quite easy for all the people to attend their events.

I got my new MSS. done "A Clot of Screams" now if I can just find a publisher?

Maybe Poetry Magazine :)