II Passer, deliciae meae puellaequicum ludere, quem in sinu tenere,cui primum digitum dare appetentiet acris solet incitare morsuscum desiderio meo nitenticarum nescio quid lubet iocare,et solaciolum sui doloris,credo, ut tum gravis acquiescat ardor:tecum ludere sicut ipsa possemet tristis animi levare curas!…tam gratum est mihi quam ferunt puellaepernici aureolum fuisse malum,quod zonam soluit diu ligatam. 2 Sparrow,…
… A friend of mine was very moved by a book of poems called Coachella Elegy by Christian Gullette. His partner had died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and Gullette’s husband, who appears throughout the book, was being treated for cancer while it was written. My friend worried and wondered if the poet’s husband was…
… John Compton lives in Kentucky. I met him on Facebook where I first read his straight-forward-what-you-see-is-what-you-get poetry. When you are gay in Kentucky there are yahoos who think it’s funny to tie you to the back of their pickups and drag you down the road. John tells me that if anyone would threaten him…
… XLVIII Mellitos oculos tuos, Juventi,si quis me sinat usque basiare,usque ad milia basiem trecentanec numquam videar satur futurusnon si densior aridis aristissit nostrae seges osculationis. 48 Your darling eyes, sweet Juventius, ifsuddenly somehow somewhere somebody let mekiss them three hundred times or past that, neverwould I be satisfied, not even ifour kisses ripened…
… On May the 12th Martine Bellen, Elaine Equi and Patricia Spears Jones read from their most recent books at KGB. I admire these poets, and recorded them. If you missed this reading, don’t worry, you can still go in the Vimeo below. Enjoy. Martine Bellen You can check out Martine Bellen’s…
Tony Towle began to write poetry in 1960, and soon became a part of the art and poetry scene that was happening in NYC with Kenneth Koch, Frank O’Hara, Larry Rivers, Alex Katz, and so many vibrant others back then. Later on, John Ashbery would say, “Tony Towle is one of the New York…
… Years ago, I used to swim four or five times a week at the old McBurney Y on 23rd Street across from the Chelsea Hotel. You got your own lane for half an hour swimming at your own speed, your arms and legs in sync, not only in meditation, but in a new way…
There are explorer poets. Like Hannah Weiner who invited us into her acid trip and Bernadette Mayer who invited us into her mid-winter day, Michael Ruby invites us behind his closied eyes. In previous books, Michael has explored the words of The Star Spangled Banner, inspiration on the New York City subway, and the landscapes…
In April, LiVE MAG! with its new issue, Number 21, presented John Godfrey with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tompkins Square Library. The featured readers celebrating John were Elinor Nauen, Andrei Codrescu, Lila Dlaboha, Shelley Miller, Ilke Scobie, and Harris Schiff. You can hear them all in the Vimeo below. Enjoy. …
… To my surprise and delight, I discovered two John S. Hall Vimeos that I recorded and edited a decade ago. They were lost, but now they are found, and for safe keeping, I am putting them here up on my blog. I heard John Hall read his poem “Death” at the Sidewalk Cafe sometime…
I went to see Susan Bee at A.I.R. Gallery in Brooklyn to record her speaking about her new show, “Days of Awe.” Although the title of the show and some of the paintings in it seem ominous and heralds of doom, my viewing experience was different. The oil paintings are bright combinations of Indian mythology,…
In 2010, Taylor Mead read a poem for Jackie Curtis at Bowery Poetry and Ken “Angel” Davis recorded it. Then Ken made a print of the poem with a photo of Jackie by Sheyla Beykal, and Taylor signed. You will find the poem, the recording and the art all below. Enjoy. Jackie Curtis,………..Jackie CurtisFlouncy dame,…
