Saturday, May 07, 2005

given 2 books from a publisher that I don't know: New Beagle Publishing. both books are by DP Porreca. Porreca writes poenza. that word comes from scienza and poesia. the idea being a science-infused poetry (or vice versa). "a new avenue of expression for poets around the world," as the cover letter asserts. put that way, it sounds like a scam. it's not, leastwise the product that I read is sincere enough. it's a dopey assertion, tho. Olson, just one example, took science seriously in his poetry. more in tune to this particular work, scientifically philosophical, Loren Eiseley. other examples would jump into my head if I weren't so tired. it's poetry for and by people who've read such writers as Darwin, I guess. read them poetrically. the writing is at least proficient and competent. it puts me in a place in the same way reading Stephen Jay Gould and Carl Sagan, or watching the Discovery Channel. none of which is poetry, but it feeds my head. James Thurber wrote some advice on humour writing. one of his tenets, don't say that you've invented a new kind of humour, because you haven't.

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