Author Archives: Don Yorty

Sonnet 233: Mother and the Black Snake

… My mother pulled the black snake from the bush. Long snake gone from fleeing to being held twined around her arm and opened its mouth but mother only laughed and let it twist. Her friends who had come to … Continue reading →

Collaborations with Greg Masters

10 May ’20

… Something important arrived in the mail last week: an advanced copy of Collaborations, which is edited by Greg Masters, and will be released by the end of May. I came to New York City in 1979 around the time … Continue reading →

David Bowie and Arthur Rimbaud

1 May ’20

… Not doing much this morning, but not doing is doing, right? Listening to Youtube: Martha and the Vandellas, Santana, and David Bowie: the man who could do a show. I’ve always thought “Heroes” was Bowie’s homage to Arthur Rimbaud’s … Continue reading →

The Art of Nicole Peyrafitte

13 Apr ’20

… The thing about a performance is that when it is over, it is over, and if you were not there to experience it, then it’s been missed, but this is not so with Nicole Peyrafitte. I saw her do … Continue reading →

First Walk During the Pandemic

2 Apr ’20

… I went to the Post Office today, the first day I’ve been out in ten days. I was wearing a mask and was aware of my own breathing because it was totally quiet—all the construction that has been going … Continue reading →

Nine Albums

1 Apr ’20

… … … … Bought this when I was a teenager, and it traveled with me during my hippie years. I would often upset the mood when everyone was stoned and or tripping by putting Ella on—it was like parent … Continue reading →

The Prologue

23 Mar ’20

… These three poems are from the Prologue which is from of a longer work called The Final Postures of a Dying Whore. This is where it all begins. Enjoy. … https://vimeo.com/393482209 … … I write the word: I am … Continue reading →

Lonely Christopher reads from In a January Would

21 Mar ’20

… Right before the coronavirus drove us all indoors without jobs or places to attend poetry readings, Lonely Christopher had a launch for his new book, In a January Would, at Torn Page in Chelsea. None of us knew that … Continue reading →

Sonnet 226

14 Mar ’20

… On a sad day of losses big and small someone left a flowerpot in the hall that wasn’t money or plenty of time but if I wanted it the thing was mine alive for sure because hint of a … Continue reading →

Sanjay Agnihotri reads at the Parkside Lounge, 2/2/20

4 Mar ’20

… Sanjay Agnihotri is generous with his time and energy. He is the founder and editor-in-chief of Local Knowledge, a literary and art journal, as well as the programmer and host of its long-running monthly reading series in Manhattan. I … Continue reading →

Trace Peterson Reads at Zinc Bar

2 Mar ’20

… I started to know Trace Peterson about two years ago when she was finishing up her PhD, but she was so busy that we hardly talked or were able to correspond or get anything done. What I wanted to … Continue reading →

Greg Masters reads new work

27 Feb ’20

… In a world that is getting crazier, the writer Greg Masters is important because he continues to make sense. On a ship that is sinking, he is one of those life savers who gives directions. I recorded him reading … Continue reading →