tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61862052011-04-21T17:46:15.838-05:00A blog about writing collage poetry, post modern poetry, multi lingual poetryRaymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comBlogger1381100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-18363878763473226372007-05-17T11:14:00.000-05:002007-05-17T11:15:36.558-05:00

Like finding an old friend this blog has mysteriously returned to by account so I will add something but please keep reading the Irasciblepoet.blogspot.com

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-9393369713734690392007-05-11T14:18:00.001-05:002007-05-11T14:18:58.569-05:00

hey this blog is back what happened

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1169655335318103142007-01-24T10:06:00.000-06:002007-01-24T10:15:35.333-06:00

The State of the Union was last night. I am so tired of listening to the presidents faux southern voice. How do we continue to deepen ourselves in this morass?It seems to me that we need to be honest, terrorism is a threat but Terrorism flourishes where there is despiration. There are no terrorists in Canada or Sweden and there are lots of terrorists in Pakistan and Sudan because in those

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1167227964207806642006-12-27T07:51:00.000-06:002006-12-27T07:59:24.226-06:00

Always at the end of the year it is a time to reflect. In Roman times New Years was in September- that seems to make more sense especially if you are a student.I have had some great conversations in 2006. Poets seem to like to discuss lifestyle allot. Unlike other professions one's personal life and personal choices are often under scritiny in Poetry. 2006 was a mixed year- the war continues

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1165854926002870202006-12-11T09:59:00.000-06:002006-12-11T10:48:15.510-06:00

Saturday I choose not to attend the Red Rover series and I choose unwisely. Instead of Jen Karmin's well curated experimental poetic sense. I endured a Political Poetry marathon evening curated by the Ginsburgesque Francesco Levato.I really wanted this political night to be something moving. I normally do not attend mainstream poetry gatherings because they are usually full of bad therapy poetry,

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1165003502146636362006-12-01T14:01:00.000-06:002006-12-01T14:05:02.173-06:00

I was in New York this week. Alot of people I love-love New York. I understand the good stuff but why does it have be so filthy?And filled with mean people?Saw a cool movie about a woman who found a Jackson Pollock in a thrift store and how she was treated by the artistic cognoscenti- kind of like the way poets are treated by some academics like idiots who are not part of the in crowd....

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1162041835514358162006-10-28T08:09:00.000-05:002006-10-28T08:23:55.530-05:00

I have been in an Italian mood of late. After 10 days there and I have been readin the new FSG book of Marinetti's work in translation. I have always been fascinated with Fascist Bohemia, Pound, Eliot, Dos Passos, Marinetti, Celine, Cocteau, Bocconi, d'Annunzio all men who were Intellectuals, innovators and men of the Right. One of the questions that vexes me is why do Marxists get off without

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1159560954776511072006-09-29T15:09:00.000-05:002006-09-29T15:15:54.790-05:00

This is a photo of the piazza in my mother's home town of Vestone in northern italy. If you see the words in the back, Albergo Italia, that is my family's Albergo which we owned from 1516 until 1994. Whenever I go back to Vestone, the town where my family is from I always have a sense of deep rest. You see I was introduced to a sense when I lived in Bolivia that allowed me to find peace in my

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1158662877836329782006-09-19T05:26:00.000-05:002006-09-19T05:47:57.853-05:00

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2006/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20060912_university-regensburg_en.htmlThe conflict between Islam and Christianity is over 1400 years old. The list of injustices is in my opinion equal. While it is normal among Western Seculars to lament the intolerance of Christians the reality is that Islam and Christianity have both committed

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1157338928768232482006-09-03T21:52:00.000-05:002006-09-03T22:02:08.786-05:00

September is strange month. I was married in September on the 20th- I was in Italia on September 11th, yes the September 11th, I met Waltraud in September and the White Sox clinched the Pennant in September and my book was picked up by an editor in September it is a mixed month. Friday night we went to Bill Allegrezza's wedding, our table was poetic tour de force, Chris Glomski, Jennifer Rupert,

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1155391253157508012006-08-12T08:42:00.000-05:002006-08-12T09:00:53.170-05:00

This week it was announced that we can't take water bottles on Flights.The issues of terrorism are serious ones and more often than not poets tend to either view these issues through either an conspiratorial or an ironic sense and I think that the reason we have terrorism can be brought back to this mentality. Many poets are terminally hip and they are also cynical they believe in small things

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1155050266088404212006-08-08T09:49:00.000-05:002006-08-08T10:17:46.146-05:00

I chose the Marshall Field Clock on State Street here in Chicago to illustrate Sameness and Global Capitalism. On September 6th Marshall Fields will be no more and Macy's of New York will do only what RH Macy dreamed of doing his name will sit upon Marshall Field's grand store. This story of the end of a great Department Store may seem silly to illustrate what is happening around the world but I

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1153745919602264522006-07-24T07:49:00.000-05:002006-07-24T07:58:39.603-05:00

Cracked Slab Books- the press that I run with William Allegrezza is in the final throes of completing a new Anthology of Chicago poetry. What is remarkable about this book is the sheer breadth of the writing and the variety of poets who are in dialogue with each other. Chicago tends to get short shrift in the world of poetry. New York and to a lesser degree San Francisco tend to consume

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1153486959822012912006-07-21T08:02:00.000-05:002006-07-21T08:02:39.823-05:00

22

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1153375889513686462006-07-20T01:09:00.000-05:002006-07-20T01:11:29.516-05:00

As a poet who also happens to be a practicing Catholic I often find myself a minority in both the land of Catholics and the land of poets. Poets are normally not religious unless you include 'spiritualities' which are mostly creations of the artist sense of the world. Most poets apart from a few oddities find religion at best quaint. The same can be said of my Church. Since the 1980's or 90's the

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1153152547123390992006-07-17T10:51:00.000-05:002006-07-17T11:09:07.143-05:00

"Please stress that there is no fee to show, but nothing may be sold""magazines please have 500 copies to give out for free"parameters for the Printers Ball in ChicagoWhy is it that unlike every other artform literary pursuits of merit feel that it is unseemly to charge for their products?Jen Hofer said once at an event before her reading that people should go and buy the poet's work to support

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1152156761648322582006-07-05T22:04:00.000-05:002006-07-05T22:32:41.663-05:00

Many of the poets whom I admire are part of the poetical academic complex it takes extra time to establish your bona fides as a poet when you are not living in an academic world and its dialogues are sometimes closed off to those of us who do not have the luxury of being paid for our life of the mind. Having said that I would not trade my life experience and my salary for the life in academia

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1151976266467023942006-07-03T19:54:00.000-05:002006-07-03T20:27:31.556-05:00

the Fourth of July. Usually a chance for Americans to gorge themselves and look at fireworks. I have had the privilege in my life to have spent 10 of my 39 4ths outside the USA and this has made me appreciate and also reflect on a holiday that has its ironies. When I was a child my family was often in Italy for the summer. Before I hear the "elitist" names my Mom and my whole family are from a

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1151586896330041042006-06-29T07:34:00.000-05:002006-06-29T08:14:56.346-05:00

Recently there has been allot of ink spilled and screaming done about immigrants and the law and America. I have found some of the ironies of this debate so delicious that it has taken time to dissect them and then write about them. Immigration into the United States was never a problem until the immigrants changed from Northern European Protestants to brown Catholics and Jews. No one

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1151184483102300392006-06-24T16:11:00.000-05:002006-06-24T16:28:03.116-05:00

Listen to me I am Important. Amid the din and noise we are called upon to listen to the musings of the poetic class and we wonder what we are to learnOver the past few weeks I have had the honor of seeing new and old poetic friends. In a world filled with syncophants and screamers and Fox News I have had conversations of excellence- the kind of conversations that cannot be made up, or faked

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1150860861240201572006-06-20T22:20:00.000-05:002006-06-20T22:34:21.253-05:00

Today on TV news they had pictures of the two American soldiers killed execution style in Iraq. The war in Iraq is a metaphor for the world that is being created. The new world is where any pretense to justice and kindness has become passe and silly. The fact is that our nation and the world is careening towards the world that Iraq represents- Iraq is the metaphor. The world has always been

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1150291437008932362006-06-14T08:04:00.000-05:002006-06-20T22:20:46.443-05:00

World Cup This weekI used to root for Italia- but since I am now Brazilian by marriage it is BRASIL ALL THE TIMEJen Hofer is in town. I was able to spend last friday with Jen and her lit partner Patrick Durgin. the evening was interesting and without the requisate "hipster scene" conversation. What I love about Jen is that she is no holds bared, she believes in what she is doing and does not care

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1148910430198219752006-05-29T08:21:00.000-05:002006-05-29T08:47:10.213-05:00

Memorial Day begins the summer and I often think about the soldiers I have known or know by proxy.My great grandfatherEmanuele Guerra who fought in World War One whose hand froze off and who spent the next 30 years recovering from icy trenches and a year in a prison camp in Galicia. Or my Uncle Phil who entered Europe on D Day in a tank with Patton, and was with Patton when they liberated

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1148666499540551042006-05-26T12:12:00.000-05:002006-05-26T13:01:39.650-05:00

Gilbert Sorrentino died this week. Sorrentino is a newer influence for my writing, I was introduced to him by a friend, Mark Tardi and it was immediate simpatico. In a world of syncophants and literati who are more concerned with appearances Sorrentino was the real deal. His book Imaginative Qualities of Actual Things is a prophetic indictment of the kind of literary scene that is so prevelant

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1147785869537741512006-05-16T08:01:00.000-05:002006-05-16T08:24:29.653-05:00

CRITIQUE AND ARGUMENTFew if any poets are really interested is having real discussions about Poetry as an artform and fewer are willing to express their ideas clearly for fear of I don’t know what? There was a time when poets who differed argued but that is not the case any more. I have never been able to understand American poets hypersensitivity to critiqueThe crux of the issue however is that

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1147428209903170392006-05-12T04:57:00.000-05:002006-05-12T05:03:29.916-05:00

reading new translations of Ruben Darioand wondering about freshwater sharksthey live in Lago Nicaraguaamid the waterand listen to the Gospel from Ernesto CardenalWalker went to Nicaragua and ate human flesh because he couldthat buckaroo in his young boys cowboy outfit with fringe and white handled pistols it is possible to drive to Nicaragua but the poetry stays with the freshwater sharks

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1147277795578494172006-05-10T11:07:00.000-05:002006-05-10T11:16:35.590-05:00

I pity the fans of the Baby Bears. It used to be fun to make fun of the Cubs and their fans and we were happy with our tattoos and stumps and they were happy with their blondes and beer but now everything has changed. The words Chicago White Sox now mean something and that something is that we are winners. The Cub's fans have been duped and lied to but it is their fault. Sox fans have been

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1146225698083882662006-04-28T06:29:00.000-05:002006-04-28T07:01:38.123-05:00

It was announced today in the Chicago Tribune that by summer Marshall Fields will be no more. This story along with others has caused me to pause and to reflect. In his book of poetry called Revenants and then in another Shut Up Shut Down, Poet Mark Nowak talks about the end of White Ethnic/Working Class America vis a vis closed factories and bars in Ethnic neighborhoods. Nowak's America is a

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1145970851813326672006-04-25T08:00:00.000-05:002006-04-25T08:14:11.836-05:00

I am reading a new biography of Anna Akhmatova-What comes across from her life and many others is how serious and what consequences her work had on her life and situation. When I compare a poet like this to some of our current discussions our vapidness and shallow self regard becomes evident. Spending allot of time with my Nonna who is 92 and on her way out she is the last of her generation 5

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1145714209675857312006-04-22T08:41:00.000-05:002006-04-22T08:56:49.733-05:00

Gilbert Sorrentino I was told at AWP that he is recovering from some major surgery. I hope he is well I have found Sorrentino's work so moving and timely. His insights and lit essays poetry and fiction has just enough bite and just enough snap for me. I picked up a biography of Joseph Cornell at Seminary Coop. Since I was a kid I have loved his boxes and I can remember getting lost in them at the

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1145398653006479322006-04-18T16:49:00.000-05:002006-04-18T17:17:33.310-05:00

Today the winner of the 2006 Pulitzer in poetry was announced as Claudia Emerson (?) . another mediocre boring poet has been lionized by official verse culture. She joins such luminaries and poetic revolutionaries as 1980Donald Justice (Atheneum) Poet of LightJames Schuyler (Farrar, Straus)1982American Primitive by Mary Oliver (Atlantic-Little, Brown) Give me aCarolyn Kizer (BOA Editions)

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1144846123868988832006-04-12T07:20:00.000-05:002006-04-12T08:02:00.893-05:00

Holy Week 2006Included in this post is an open letter sent by Poets and People of Faith to the Prime Minister of Australia before a visit from the Chinese leader in April. Recently on the Buffalo Poetics List it was said that Americans do not have the right to criticize China's human rights record. I assert however that we can criticize both America's Human Rights record and China's. In fact it

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1144777565182922302006-04-11T12:27:00.000-05:002006-04-11T12:46:05.276-05:00

ManlinessI uploaded the image above because it is a symbol of the Camuni of val Camonica in Italy. This is the symbol for Man (male). The Camuni and Sabini are my ancestors.I saw a disturbing report about this Book Manliness by some professorand I began to think about the real men in my lifeI am sure that I am not the only person who is uncomfortable with the state of Men in our society, we are

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1144615585358252322006-04-09T15:28:00.000-05:002006-04-09T15:46:25.393-05:00

I am working on a younger Chicago poets set of profiles for Chicagopostmodernpoetry.com. I am so happy that Dan Beachy Quick, Arielle Greenberg, Simone Muench and others have recommended students. I was especially happy that Arielle gave me some names. I did not get to talk to Arielle at AWP but she is an important judge of talent. and her daughter Willa is really an achievement we saw her on

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1144454295130369282006-04-07T18:55:00.000-05:002006-04-07T18:58:15.150-05:00

Below is my talk from &Now "Sources in South American Poetry: Pablo Neruda's Poetic of Indiginism the history of Latin America and Paulo Leminski's inner global Brazilian poetic"IntroductionThe key poetic form for the Americas and American poets is the creation or history epic. If you look at some of the great books of poetry or poetic prose created in the Americas ;Leaves of Grass, by Walt

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1143934225030727602006-04-01T17:18:00.000-06:002006-04-01T17:30:25.043-06:00

Sometimes things just fit- Caffe and Italia, Picanha and Brazil, Lago Titikaka and Cold Wind and sometimes they do not.Catherine Daly is in town this week and yesterday we got to hang out- what a pleasure. Many poet's become boring when you move off the page Catherine is not one of these people. Of course she lives in glamorous Los Angeles, I live in meaty Chicago.We of course ate at one of our

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1143722634705374122006-03-30T06:26:00.000-06:002006-03-30T06:43:54.743-06:00

recently I have had the chance to write prose which is very much like having a lover who is not your wife when you are a poet....**************Baseball season starts Sunday I know this is true because all my conversations with Mark Tardi end with the following phrase "World Champions" Catherine Daly is coming back to the Midwest she has got to be one of the most glamourous poets I think that it

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1143407084288690752006-03-26T14:10:00.000-06:002006-03-26T15:04:44.346-06:00

recently on another blog someone commented that I was ranting, incoherently for a poetry that is innovative and challenging. So I thought I ought to say what I mean....Main Stream Poetry? Like Watching Paint Dry. Reading Poets like Jorie Graham, Tony Hoagland, Ed Hirsch, Mary Oliver, Ted Kooser, Billy Collins, Tim Siebles, Kay Ryan, Franz Wright and many others who fall into the river of

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1143300183587220902006-03-25T09:03:00.000-06:002006-03-25T09:23:03.630-06:00

recently while at AWP and now back home I have come to ask a few questions of myself and to wonder what poetry means in a world of blinking lights and weblogs? I have been spending allot of my time with translations and poems that are not my own. I recently completed a translated Brazil section for Aufgabe where I got to see how great translators like Chris Daniels, Charles Perrone, Odile

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1142957024277482202006-03-21T09:36:00.000-06:002006-03-21T14:53:36.496-06:00

I \

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1141303905242510212006-03-02T06:35:00.000-06:002006-03-02T06:51:45.266-06:00

Next week I am going to AWP with Bill Allegrezza my partner in Cracked Slab Books to launch our first title Edging by Michelle Noteboom. This is such an interesting book and I hope thatpeople will like it? It is a compelling work and I normally do not like Body oriented poetry as I am uncomfortable with these things but this book is really interesting. AWP is an interesting gathering on so

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1140324633862446172006-02-18T22:24:00.000-06:002006-02-18T22:50:33.873-06:00

Recently there has been allot of wringing of hands and nashing of teeth regarding a new anthology Legitimate Dangers from Sarabande Books. I usually enjoy a good hockey check style review of an anthology but I have to say that I think the negative critique of this anthology is unwarranted.Lets dispatch with the semantics; this is not an anthology of "innovative or experimental poetry" the fact

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1139326238740047392006-02-07T09:14:00.000-06:002006-02-07T09:30:38.786-06:00

On many blogs and list servs of late there has been much wringing of hands about the Poetry Foundation and their lack of care for our artform and the poetry community. I think however that this is a major issue but there is another issue that no one in poe-world wants to address and it may be the root and much of the mediocrity in poetry and that is the fact that poetry and its institutions are

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1139191344116713792006-02-05T19:45:00.000-06:002006-02-05T20:02:24.126-06:00

Recently throughout Europe and the Middle East there has been vigorous protests including violence regarding cartoons that depicted Mohammed in an unflattering way. Regardless of the feelings of 1.5 Billion Muslims, regardless of the feelings of Imams, or Mullahs or Sheiks these newspapers have the right to publish whatever they want to, freedom is Not Negotiable and Freedom is not sensitive.

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1138891808214523062006-02-02T08:37:00.000-06:002006-02-02T08:50:08.263-06:00

After watching the state of the Union the other night I kept thinking what is the point? I look at our current situation and I have to ask myself are people deluding themselves? We pretend to have higher goals and aspirations but in history the people who have called on this in humanity have ended up dead or rejected. It seems that Realpolitik is the coin of the realm. Why do we delude ourselves

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1137874345709834422006-01-21T13:38:00.000-06:002006-01-21T14:12:25.776-06:00

Recently, while trapped in traffic on North Avenue I read a church sign lauding a new Movie called The Tip of a Spear about American Protestant Missionaries in the Amazon of Ecuador and their many travails. I for one will not be paying money for this movie but I thought it gave a good opportunity to talk about missionaries.As a disclaimer I must say that I was a Catholic missionary in 1994 and

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1137599578411588522006-01-18T09:32:00.000-06:002006-01-18T09:52:58.466-06:00

January 1, 2006 marks the 40th anniversary of 1966 which is viewed by many as the first year of Generation X. Allot of pablum has been written about GenX mostly by Baby Boomers who are clogging our national and international literary arteries with their laments for how connected and committed they all were and how we Gen Xers were slacker lay abouts or .com crazies. But I think that so little

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1137072843602668652006-01-12T07:09:00.000-06:002006-01-12T07:34:03.846-06:00

Last week I went out with some local poets. Along the way I ended up talking to one of our local poetic lights about Spirituality, transcendence and poetry. The truth is that most poets that I know are not concerned about Transcendence. I do not know why this is the case but the fact is that most poets are at best agnostics. There is a real aversion to religion among poets. Some of this aversion

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1136513192735300682006-01-05T19:45:00.000-06:002006-01-05T20:06:34.803-06:00

Last night, returning from a poetry reading I drove by the former factory of the Florsheim Shoe Company. Recently in Chicago there has been allot of wringing of hands over the fact that we are losing Marshall Fields to Carpetbagger Macy's of New York; but what I saw at the old Florsheim factory illustrates for me an America that is arising that is so alien. A new world where we make nothing and

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1135639558233516002005-12-26T17:03:00.000-06:002005-12-26T17:25:58.246-06:00

Yesterday was Christmas day and today a free day so I have some time to read and to think. Just when I decide I am not going to read Ron Silliman's Blog again he pulls me back in like a drunk to the Bourbon. I always have this overwhelming feeling when I read Ron's Blog that I am listening to my Mother lecturing me-- Ron is about her age with the same kind of sense- and then he intrigues me. He

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1135048483735137852005-12-19T20:59:00.000-06:002005-12-19T21:14:43.746-06:00

Evo Morales is Elected President of BoliviaThe person I am today begins with my time and formation in Bolivia. I lived in Cochabamba for all of 1994 all of 1995 and part of 1996 and the work I did and the place fills me to this day. I worked as a volunteer in a men's prison and the work profoundly changed me as to scour away much of my ignorance and narrowmindedness and opened my eyes to the

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1134876015592994772005-12-17T20:50:00.000-06:002005-12-17T21:20:15.633-06:00

Ajax-John TiptonI went a few weekends ago to see a new translation of Ajax read by John Tipton, Chicago poet. I was prepared to hate it I find allot of the Hyde Park crowd a little pretentious and elitist but i must say the translation rose above all of that stuff.John did a great job, the play, which I never liked came alive and it was without pretention. Amina Cain read some parts, all I can

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1133237131018621702005-11-28T22:01:00.000-06:002005-11-28T22:05:31.026-06:00

Poetry our dear friendwhat is happening as the garbage can lid is filled with your interestsI spend allot of time with poets and poetry and also a larger amount of time with people who never read or care about poetry. I find the poets to be vapidand empty and the business peoplethe same except vapid about different thingsNo one gets killed in the US for writing poems but maybe if we did the

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1131112781867202942005-11-04T07:41:00.000-06:002005-11-04T07:59:41.943-06:00

This week I went to a lecture at the University of Chicago about a couple of Jewish Poets from Poland. I usually enjoy lectures but of course almost anything at the University of Chicago is archane and opaque and this lecture was as well. It was a bracing experience to listen to people ask questions that could be asked with an economy of language but instead they were asked in the most verbose

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1130681264347303812005-10-30T07:29:00.000-06:002005-10-30T08:07:44.403-06:00

I realize that allot of people don't care about sports and find the emphasis silly. I figure it is no more silly than being into Opera or Viewing art installations. Baseball is a great vice and I know allot of poets for which baseball in their primary vice. I will watch other sports but no sport has the combination of poetry, history and sheer pace as Baseball. The ChicagoWhite Sox Champions

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1129648579838358592005-10-18T09:48:00.000-05:002005-10-18T10:16:19.876-05:00

Been spending allot of time watching baseball of late and that is because the White Sox are American League Champions. Poetry and Baseball have always been intertwined in the US ever since Walt Whitman at least 150 years ago. But it has been the positive poetry that has colored baseball not the negative. There are so many odes and songs about good things and about all that good about America

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1127963231639490242005-09-28T21:39:00.000-05:002005-09-28T22:07:11.656-05:00

The profound sadness I feel regarding the Church's impending decision to exclude people on the basis of Sexual Orientation from the priesthood drives me to the verge of stomach illness. I am in many ways a rarity among poets- I am a Catholic who goes to Mass and who is embedded in the Catholic Culture and place in the world. I am not some cafeteria Catholic or Kabbalah using hypster, no I am a

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1127829763770578912005-09-27T08:38:00.000-05:002005-09-27T09:02:43.800-05:00

Recently on our website Chicagopostmodernpoetry.com I went through somewhat of an ordeal that proved to be worth the time and effort. This was to put up a Global Profile of France that was masterfully edited by Jennifer K Dick of Paris and Iowa City.The French of course are very Exigente as they say in the language of God and Dante but one of the things that came out of this set of interviews,

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1123677362956447322005-08-10T06:50:00.000-05:002005-08-10T07:36:02.986-05:00

recently during a period of insomnia I read an essay on Salon.com by a lamenting Minnesota Twins fan entitled "I Hate the White Sox" . Since I am writered blocked right now and the poetry I am working on is not coming I thought I would try my hand at polemic. I have been a fan of Chicago White Sox since I was 10 years old. My father took me to old Comiskey Park to see the Royals play the White

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1122907792672741702005-08-01T09:43:00.000-05:002005-08-01T09:49:52.676-05:00

Been reading allot over the summer- I am in the middle of the Hollander's new translation of Dante's Inferno. It is a real tour de force (or Giro di Forza). The notes are great and the matching columns of English and Italian are great. After reading so much crap poetry of late to read Dante is like coming upon an oasis. The sheer poetic range of Dante is something that makes reading the work

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1121607089843309842005-07-17T07:58:00.000-05:002005-07-17T08:31:29.853-05:00

July 17, 2005-Oak Park, Chicago, IllinoisSummer PerspectiveSummer in the northern Hemisphere is always a strange thing. I spent 6 years of my life in South America and I got used to December being hot and June and July being cold. It changes fundamentally how a person looks at the world. Growing up in Chicago as I did as a child I always dreaded January, February and March but I looked forward

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1119456325830686992005-06-22T10:39:00.000-05:002005-06-22T11:05:25.880-05:00

On Saturday Waltraud and I were fortunate to have poets in our house for a party; it was a who's who of Chicago and other poets. A room full of poets is a room full of fun as they say! I had time to reflect on Sunday about the quality of people writing poetry in our region- losses for our region- and gains of vital poetic voices that make our area a great place to be a poet. Poets are notoriously

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1118936478511866112005-06-16T10:00:00.000-05:002005-06-16T10:41:18.570-05:00

I find myself watching allot of Baseball these days as the White Sox are doing so well and it is a mindless exercise to do in the heat. This said I have also been reading allot- I am reading Umberto Eco's new book On Literature and once again Eco is wowing me. I like him better in Italian but since the Italian was not handy I bought the English version. Eco is such a Global Presence a man who

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1117223214476603762005-05-27T14:39:00.000-05:002005-05-27T14:46:54.483-05:00

ListeningI have been reading allot of things recently that have caused me to pause and reflect on listening and noise. I am reading a new biography of St Augustine and the paradox of this man's life and what he was allowed to do and still be viewed as a 'holy' person is beyond words. I want to think about Adeodatus, Augustine's bastard son. Adeodatus's mother was used by Augustine and then

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1117034824063914892005-05-25T10:21:00.000-05:002005-05-25T10:27:04.066-05:00

On this eve of Memorial Day I find myself desiring to talk about the White Sox and their great start but I must put this on hold-but I am savoring it inspite of the world's problems. I recently watched a Q/A session with our President Bush and their was a question from a reporter about the US 'losing' in Iraq and Afghanistan. I am amazed by the amount of death and grieved by the fact that he

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1116175351479468592005-05-15T10:35:00.000-05:002005-05-15T11:42:31.513-05:00

Recently allot has been written about Poetry Contests and Contest judges helping their students to win contests. It has been insinuated that these contests are fixed and that really they are just a way to get financial capital but that the result is already decided. I think that it is important to separate the mud from the water.Poetry in the United States is very vibrant-but there is little or

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1114092938597019352005-04-21T08:37:00.000-05:002005-04-21T09:15:38.603-05:00

Over the past weeks I have spent allot of time reflecting on Catholicism which is part of my culture and poetry which is also part of my culture and I am without answers and a sense of foreboding. This has proven to be a week of reflection and tremors of fear. The election of Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) has caused me to reflect on Catholic Culture and how alien this culture must seem to

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1113317921571878902005-04-12T09:58:00.000-05:002005-04-12T10:01:47.313-05:00

Peter Gizzi wins Guggenheim Fellowship-Robert Creeley Dies-Saul Bellow DiesGood News Peter Gizzi won a Guggenheim Fellowship with all the garbage that ispublished these days by 'poets' it is wonderful that a great poet like Peter is recognized.Been reading allot of Latin American and Latin European Poets of late. I find all this work so filling and satiating. When reading Vallejo or Montale or

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1112717862912147342005-04-05T10:50:00.000-05:002005-04-05T11:17:42.916-05:00

At the Myopic Reading Sunday in Chicago Chuck Stebelton asked me if I was upset about he Pope dieing- I guess as the resident Poet/Catholic that was the right question to ask but I am more concerned about who we may get as Pope after this Conclave. My experience in the Church is one of knowing people who were the real deal- people like Sr. Helen Prejean (of Dead Man Walking Fame) and Fr. Joseph

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1112568825562380852005-04-03T17:19:00.000-05:002005-04-03T17:53:45.566-05:00

Pope John Paul died yesterday at 85. As a Poet and a Roman Catholic it is worth a pause and a thought on the life of this man who has sat astride our Church for the past 26 years. I think that in the words of St Jerome we need to separate the mud from the water in the life of this man who has done so much good and truth be known some bad things as well I am not going to talk about the bad

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1112220846620703682005-03-30T15:46:00.000-06:002005-03-30T16:14:06.623-06:00

Robert Creeley-Deo GratiaRobert Creeley died today and I am beside myself. I was not a friend or mentee of Mr Creeley but he did do kindnesses for me a poetic nobody without the 'right' pedigree he did not have to be generious but he was. I first met Bob in Dallas Texas at a reading, he signed my well worn copy of his New and Collected and said he would correspond with me. I send him a poem

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1111954841523851642005-03-27T14:01:00.000-06:002005-03-27T14:20:41.526-06:00

I normally do not write on the blog about personal stuff but one of the reasons that Waltraud and I moved to Chicago was to help out my parents with my 91 year old Nonna (Grandmother). Matilde Guerra Vanzo, my Nonna is as they say in Italian a Figura. I was not blessed with a 'traditional' Nonna of legend. My Nonna is a power even today as an older fragile woman. As a young woman she was

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1111429862488922412005-03-21T11:58:00.000-06:002005-03-21T12:31:02.493-06:00

What the hell is the Prairie Rennaissance?In postmodern times people tend to shy away from movements from groups and from names that are pejorative or limiting. Black Mountain, The New York School, the Vorticists, Futurists- and on and on are engrained in our collective poetic memories. Say the word Language Poets and everyone who loves poetry knows exactly what is being said and spoken about.

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1111425890958232422005-03-21T11:03:00.000-06:002005-03-21T11:24:50.970-06:00

Frivolity The most important items for the congress this week were Terri Schiavo's feeding tube and the Steroid use of Major League Baseball players- to say that one is perplexed would be an understatement. I have been thinking allot about what being 'Pro-Life' means. I am not one of those people who discounts people for having this position but I want someone to explain to me when violence is

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1111001549195342252005-03-16T13:19:00.000-06:002005-03-16T13:32:29.200-06:00

Sunday is Palm Sunday or as Catholics call it Passion Sunday. There is no week in the year where I feel more Catholic and more tied to my Pagan Mediterranean roots than during this time. I have lived and been many places during Holy Week. As a young person we used to go to De Andreas Seminary in Lemont, IL where the Vincentians had a formation house. The Holy Week Services were always wonderful,

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1110014989228447482005-03-05T03:24:00.000-06:002005-03-05T03:29:49.230-06:00

Hanoi, Viet Nam After 10 days in China, Viet Nam is a refreshing and amazing place. Hanoi is such an interesting place, an Asian city, with French architecture which is strangely organized in an Iberian manner? I must say that I am amazed at the sheer beauty of this place the people are very attractive but it is the locale that is so stimulating. You are driving in a district and amid the

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1109770871511068472005-03-02T07:25:00.000-06:002005-03-02T07:41:11.516-06:00

Qingdao, ChinaI have been working in international business since 1997 that is for 8 years of my life and I have always been forced to face the challenges from my poetic brethern about exploitation and globalization. I have tried in my global dealings to be fair and to not exploit but today a conversation with a colleague here in China brought up all the issues and opened up questions for me.

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1109067840528786312005-02-22T04:10:00.000-06:002005-02-22T04:24:00.530-06:00

February 22nd 2005 Hong Kong, ChinaI used to travel allot for work and some places became very familiar and comfortable. I always looked forward to Spain, France, Mexico, South Africa and other places. This is to say nothing of places I have lived, Italy, Brazil, and Bolivia which are as comfortable as possible.This is my fifth trip to Hong Kong, and I will be going to China, Vietnam and

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1108488192947341592005-02-15T11:05:00.000-06:002005-02-15T11:23:12.953-06:00

I have been thinking allot about what President Bush said in his State of the Union address- that the age of tyranny is over. President Bush is obviously deluded tyranny has just shifted Tyrants, from big governments to big corporations. One thing however that comes out of a market economy which is predominant in all of life, business, Fiction Writing, Film, and Visual Art is that the chaff is

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1107749356568551342005-02-06T21:31:00.000-06:002005-02-06T22:09:16.566-06:00

In the stew of my thoughts have been allot of fanaticism fusing into insights on something that sits upon us all-fanaticism. When I was in Brazil I read an interesting book about the reintroduction of Aristotle into Medieval Europe- it told of a story of a Spanish king who after Toledo fell to the Christians in the 11th Century gathered together the best scholars, Muslim, Christian and Jewish

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1107177755395832422005-01-31T07:08:00.000-06:002005-01-31T07:22:35.396-06:00

Well... Chicago is cold. Upon returning to Chicago after two weeks in Brazil with Waltraud I have to say that a little bit of perspective is a good thing. Upon arriving in Sao Paulo we had a dinner with Regis Bonvicino and this was a delight. Regis is a poet who has such range and is someone who has such insights into poetry globally. I think this comes from the fact that he is not a poet

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1105472304593410772005-01-11T13:00:00.000-06:002005-01-11T13:38:24.593-06:00

Early this morning before I had to get to work I went down to the Seminary Co-op one of Chicago's true cultural gems and picked up a couple more books for my trip. Picked up the last book by Viktor Szchlovsky (sic) and a copy of a book of Catalan mystical writing from the 1260's . These types of books are only to be found at Seminary Co-op I just finished a book on the Egyptian Desert fathers

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1105321879624203482005-01-09T19:35:00.000-06:002005-01-09T19:51:19.623-06:00

Well- i have been writing allot- below is a poem that is in my new mss. the one I have been sending around- It is placed in the Main Post Office in Cochabamba, Bolivia where I lived from 1994-1996. It is funny how places are routine daily events and then you leave a place and you never return. Now I can see and feel the place- The Cochabamba Post Office was one of those places for me-

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1105217045415280752005-01-08T14:20:00.000-06:002005-01-08T14:44:05.416-06:00

Random Thoughts from a Ranting Poet Official Verse Culture Much has been made over the past few years about ' official verse culture' . It is true that certain subjects and certain types of poets are usually published others are not. I am convinced that the locus of the ' poetic problem' is that fact that so many of our poets are university people. The result of this reality is that an air of

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1104850879545894612005-01-04T08:47:00.000-06:002005-01-04T09:01:19.546-06:00

I have included the link to donate to Catholic Relief Services on top of the Blog but please donate to whomever you want to to help out. I have spent allot of time over the past days thinking about the Tsunami and all the moral implications of what happened. I think that it is important to separate the mud from the water and ask some questions about justice. 1) Why didn't the world community

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1104696081934398562005-01-02T13:42:00.000-06:002005-01-02T14:01:21.933-06:00

Sheer Joy... Iowa 30 LSU 25 As a poet interacting more or less in a poet's world where many of the banal and common things of life are not appreciated by my fellow bards sometimes I have to temper my interests; Poets have many important things to worry about and my own work is full of politics and religion and tough things I also like some simple things; on the whole I like snobs and

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1104250176081268722004-12-28T10:09:00.000-06:002004-12-28T10:48:24.810-06:00

Well- my first attempt at this post was lost- so here we go again. Usually New Years Resolutions are not fulfilled- my 2004 however was pretty good. Got my book published- stayed employeed- did not lose that 100 pounds I need to lose so we go on to 2005. I rant allot on the blog prob not a good thing- so here are some things; I am thankful for Chicago's cold weather and the fact that we have

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1103569789643526962004-12-20T13:00:00.000-06:002004-12-20T13:09:49.643-06:00

Regarding Christmas- which is not my favorite holiday- I think that one of the things that is lost in all the packages and commercialism is the revolutionary nature of the Gospels. Americans do not like revolution or change- the Gospel however calls for this revolutionary change. Americans are enamoured of comfort- as our Europeans. The comfort however of our nations means the death of many our

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1103484745795758532004-12-19T13:39:00.000-06:002004-12-19T13:38:56.200-06:00

December- 2004- and here we are at the end of another year. I have been thinking about and dealing with allot at the end of the year. Buffalo List: I have been on the Buffalo list which is a poetry centered webserv for the past five years and many good things have happened to me since I was on the list- I met some great people including my publisher Geoffrey Gatza- but the list often degrades

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1100886563749423272004-11-19T10:47:00.000-06:002004-11-19T11:49:23.750-06:00

In the December issue of Chicagopostmodernpoetry.com, the website that I edit with my wife Waltraud Haas we are profiling 7 Brazilian poets. One of the poets to be profiled is Regis Bonvicino- a magisterial poet- who I was first introduced to by Charles Bernstein in 1999. Regis is a poet in the way that French, Italian, Spanish and Latin American poets are poet- he is a public figure. Regis is

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1099599164480277632004-11-04T13:37:00.000-06:002004-11-04T14:12:44.480-06:00

As we all lick our wounds after what happened on Tuesday regarding the election I began to ask myself questions and here is what I think the Democrats and the Left keep losing elections in this country. In Europe the Left made a decision a long time ago that comfort and security was the most important thing to winning elections. They won the the argument in their societies that healthcare

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1098892113590600252004-10-27T10:25:00.000-05:002004-10-27T10:48:33.590-05:00

Recently at Chicago's Myopic Poetry Series Peter O'Leary, via John Tipton read from his work and translation that come out of the Byzantine Tradition of Monasticism. These lyric works are not what you would expect normally from an avant garde experimental poet like O'Leary and for this I was moved. It was followed by a poetry reading by Murat Nemet-Nejat Turkish poet who read from his marvelous

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1098801976278144722004-10-26T09:33:00.000-05:002004-10-26T09:46:16.280-05:00

Well- while i should be talking about the election I have decided to return to poetry. I was at a meeting last night and we were talking about Poetry and I really began to think. The fact is that so much of the poetry created is garbage. Because Poetry lacks the critical infrastructure of Visual art and Fiction allot of 'poets' and 'poetry' is allowed to grow unchecked like a Cancer on the body

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1097162817369849182004-10-07T09:59:00.000-05:002004-10-07T10:26:57.370-05:00

Recently I was net surfing- just putting in names of people that I used to know and seeing what is up with them. and up came Cathy Breen's name. Cathy is one of the people who I have known in my life who had a profound impact and who remains an important image for me . I met her in Cochabamba, Bolivia when I was a Franciscan Lay Volunteer from 1993-1995. She is the real deal. She truly

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1095172742062094872004-09-14T09:29:00.000-05:002004-09-14T09:39:02.063-05:00

Well- at least the title is appropriate. it appears that GW Bush is on his way to a new term, it is amazing to me that Democrats are so lame that they cannot beat this man- why- because I think the Democrats are wimps. The Democrats have spent so much time driving out the Lyndon Johnson's and Richard Daley's from the Democratic party that they have given their vote to the Republicans. America

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1093962920242577742004-08-31T09:16:00.000-05:002004-08-31T09:35:20.243-05:00

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

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1090338382292805902004-07-20T10:37:00.000-05:002004-07-20T10:46:22.293-05:00

One of the issues that has come to fore recently especially in Latin America is what is a "Latin" traditional definitions in the literary world have grouped all the Romance Language Literatures (Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian & Catalan) into one Culture zone because of cultural similarities, Catholicism, origins in Roman Civilization et cetera. But of late the term Latin has

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1089659704864158902004-07-12T14:05:00.000-05:002004-07-12T14:15:04.866-05:00

Recently I have been around allot of poets, and during a recent dinner with my friend Brian Clements his family local Chicago poets Simone Muench and Mark Tardi I realized through the conversation that the problem with poetry is that most serious poets come at the artform from a mentality of poverty. With this I mean that because serious poetry can be such a small incestious world many poets

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1085424064486323002004-05-24T13:22:00.000-05:002004-05-24T13:41:04.486-05:00

What do all these Artists/Authors have in common? Ezra Pound Emile Nolde Salvador Dali FT Marinetti Jean Cocteau They were all Fascists. What do all these Artists/Authors have in common? Pablo Picasso Pablo Neruda Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo They were all Communists. I once read an essay by Marjorie Perloff where she posited why is Pound rejected for being a Fascist but Neruda won the Nobel

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6186205.post-1084850482934668942004-05-17T22:20:00.000-05:002004-05-17T22:21:22.933-05:00

Spain is a medium sized country that completed its youth 500 years ago by expelling the jews and moors (1492) enslaving and destroying the Americas (1492-1825) and exporting those riches to Europe wherein all of European "progress'was financed by the booty.Please do not try to say Europe has Moral Superiority, it does not; a generation ago Europe killed the jews, ruled colonial empires,

Raymond Bianchinoreply@blogger.com