The Art In Poetry & The Poetry In Art, Part 1

Jerome Rothenberg:

There was a curious and probably terminal moment in the relation between Picasso and Gertrude Stein that came at a time – in 1935 – when Picasso found himself unable to paint and turned to writing, to poetry, as an alternative form of expression. When he showed some of the resultant work to Stein – or read it to her as the story goes – her response was quick and unequivocal. “The egotism of a painter,” she wrote and lectured him in explanation, “is an entirely different egotism than the egotism of a writer.” And again, recounting the event on her own: “This was his life for two years, of course he who could write, write so well with drawings and with colours, knew very well that to write with words was, for him, not to write at all.” In saying which, she deliberately extended her conclusion to all painters, who are by nature and by vocation different from all writers.

Read the rest.

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The Revolution Will Be Digitized

3. E-lit is the mode of literature appropriate to new social conditions. Reading is being redefined in cultures that use programmed and networked media: a surfing, sampling, multitasking kind of reading is often elicited online, while in some online and video games, a problem-solving, focused, remembering attention is required. Deep, focused attention is what print readers are trained to have, but attention itself is being reshaped, becoming a mix of deep and hyper, or focused and mobilized. E-lit, like Deena Larsen’s “Carving in Possibilities,” requires, shapes, and comments on just this type of new attention.

Stephanie Strickland writes 11 rules of (for?) electronic poetry.

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B:Fest Line-up, 2009

29/30th May 2009:

• Caroline Bergvall
• Sean Bonney
• Giles Goodland
• Jeff Hilson
• Frances Kruk
• Jow Lindsay
• David Miller
• Redell Olsen
• Sophie Robinson
• Gavin Selerie
• Johan de Wit
• + 1 TBC

This is a hell of a line-up. Keep an eye on Kevin Doran for more information, he knows more than you know. Also keep an eye on Luton.

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Day Carts

Rennie:

I should wish [this book] to be read straight through completely, like a novel, without the reader straining his attention too much or stopping at difficulties he may encounter, in order simply to know in broad outline what the matters are of which I treat; and that afterwards, if he considers them to merit further examination, and has the curiosity to know their causes, he may read it a second time in order to observe the development of my reasonings; but that he must not then give it up in despair, if he cannot follow it completely throughout or understand all the reasonings; he has only to mark with a stroke of his pen the places where he comes across difficulties and to continue to read without interruption to the end; then if he takes up the book for the third time, I feel sure that he will find the solution of most of the difficulties that he marked before; and that, if any still remain, their solution will eventually be found in a further reading.

I reproduced this quote, which was reproduced from Descartes by Andrew J Shields on 'is blowg.

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Stein Call for Redefinition of the Book

Bob Stein, executive director of the Institute for the Future of the Book:

“A book obscures the social relations that underlie a book. They are much more a social experience than we realize,” he said. In this conception of the book, writing is a collaborate event. Authors will no longer sit alone conceiving of a book entirely on their own. Nonfiction authors “become leaders of communities of inquiry” and fiction writers will be  “creating a world together with their readers.” Books will, he suggests, be created transparently and collaboratively, largely online, with the participation of readers. In this brave new world, the key role of publishers “is to build and nurture vibrant communities for authors and tend to their readers.” They will be judged on their ability to “curate and build communities for their authors around their readers.”

Not much else to read on the article.

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The Media Mediocritist - Video 1

A project by Simone Gilson.

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Max Neuhaus

Neuhaus sadly passed away recently. As pointed out by Al Filreis, there is an excellent audio and video recordings page on his website.

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Paul Baker's Resources

I would thoroughly, thoroughly recommend you clicking here.

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Sascha Aktar Reading At Openned, 23rd July 2008

[wpvideo VUplqDlO] The poet Sascha Aktar is reading in this video. She was the poet that concluded the first half of the night. When she begins her reading she addresses a "Caroline" in the audience, this is the poet Caroline Bergvall. As per usual I don't seem to have any footage of the second half readers, Sean Bonney, John Wilkinson and Frances Kruk (I am really going to have to sort that out) which is a real shame because the second half readers were excellent. What is particularly pleasing, aside from Sascha's reading, is that there is a really great couple of moments at the end of the video, when Sean Bonney and Ulli Freer (who seems to have been at the reading although we could not contact him before) are clearly having some kind of a conversation about the performance space, talking about the wooden plinth, and some other deviousness no doubt... there is gesturing involved... I like it.

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Alex Davies Reading At Openned, July 23rd 2008

[wpvideo ZeQbgXeW] In this video my co-host and co-organiser of Openned, the poet Alex Davies, gives a reading. He is the second poet who read on this night. Other work of Alex's on Openned can be found from links on his author page.

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