Friday, February 08, 2008

the 1st issue of Critphoria has a poemic collaboration by my self and Tim Peterson's self. interesting presentation of it, as you will note if you follow the link. in addition, a nice collection of work by people who aren't named Bramhall.

Monday, February 04, 2008

I'm glad Jack Kimball made it to the Demolicious reading with Peter Inman and Tina Darragh since we weren't able to attend. 2 of the early, puzzling LANGUAGE poets, from when that aegis kinda meant something.

Tom Beckett is bowing out of EXCHANGE VALUES: no more new ones. but what a resource, both online and in print. I especially like the interview with Mary Rising Higgins, a curiously iconoclastic writer. Beth visited Mary when Mary came east to stay at an artist colony in the shadow of Mt Monadnock in southern NH. Mary was a grade school teacher, and had family responsibilities, so her writing was something she had to squeeze in. you look at her work, her oeuvre, and see how doggedly she worked. the weight of each word, and the lines, is a matter of her effort as a poet. we are lucky to know about her work, she didn't have the sense to hang out in NY bars. the best buzz, I suppose, is what one finds in her books.


I also like (of the more recent interviews), Sheila Murphy's interview with Tom Mandel. particularly because of the discussion of Mandel's collaboration with Daniel Davidson, Absence Sensorium. somewhere on the net, Gary Sullivan writes about Davidson, and there is/was a pdf of some of Davidson's work. it's fascinating work, and made more so, as with MRH, by death.

finally, or, more impressively, finalement, Ron Silliman, linkmeister, gives a good review of Geoff Young's Riot Act. WHICH the percipient few 1st heard about here. good review = I agree, of course, but I will say that Ron uses the right adjective
for the book: delicious. Young's work as publisher has overshadowed just how wonderful he is as a poet, just as Tom Beckett's editing work has taken attention from his own eminent work. may Ron's imprimatur bring more eyes to Young's work.