Author Archives: Don Yorty

Russian Novel by Basil King

Basil King sketched forty-three faces with charcoal, and as he sketched them, he began to call them his Russian Novel. When Basil introduced them to me and asked if I would set them to music in a video, I looked … Continue reading →

Scott Hightowers reads from Imperative to Spare

28 Apr ’24

… For a long time I wanted to record Scott Hightower reading from his newest book, Imperative to Spare. I’d heard Scott read elegies written for his partner of forty years, Dr. José Fernandez, who collapsed and died in his … Continue reading →

Molly Peacock reads from A Friend Sails in on a Poem

27 Apr ’24

… It was a treat making it over to Poets House to hear Molly Peacock read from A Friend Sails in on a Poem, a collection of essays and poems about her friendship with fellow poet Phillis Levin. For anyone … Continue reading →

Willa Carroll reads from Demolition Suite

26 Apr ’24

… The titles of the poems in Willa Carroll’s new book, Demolition Suite, begin with the word score. Score is an interesting word. We score when we are playing a game and make some points and that is good: we’ll … Continue reading →

Discovered Frescoes in Pompeii

26 Apr ’24

… Frescoes buried by Vesuvius were recently uncovered in an ancient dining room in Pompeii. For those who don’t subscribe, I have copied and pasted the article below from the Washington Post about this discovery: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/12/new-pompeii-frescoes-paintings/ This photo of … Continue reading →

69

31 Mar ’24

… Happy children hunted for eggs and wentbursting through the bushes. I hurriedlymade love before that unexpectedlystanding up expecting any momentstudents who didn’t come. Morning’s over.The afternoon has found a warm bright sun.Today was many people, now they’re none.It is … Continue reading →

Después de la Mundanza (After the Move): the Art and Adventures of Laurie Price

28 Mar ’24

… In 1979, Laurie Price attended Naropa graduating with a BA in Poetics in 1981. She moved to San Francisco after that and lived there for twelve years. Courtesy of receiving an Alexander Gerbode Foundation grant, she got to go … Continue reading →

Janet Hamill reads from Baby Parade

26 Mar ’24

… Memory comes in fragments. I think of shards of pottery dug up scattered on an ancient floor. Pantoums are an excellent way to evoke memory. Out of the simple repetition of putting it back together, a jar and a … Continue reading →

Some Paintings by Sally Young

26 Mar ’24

I saw paintings by Sally Young recently, and enjoyed them so much that I asked her if I could share some of her work on the blog. Sally lives in NYC and conducts art classes at Greenwich House. It … Continue reading →

Richard Loranger reads from Mammal

20 Feb ’24

I agree with the poet Yuko Otomo when she writes that the poems in Richard Loranger’s new book, Mammal, are “written in direct & humble language & with the most personal & natural breath.” Nothing truer has ever been said. … Continue reading →

Nancy Haiduck reads SELLING THE CLASSIFIEDS

16 Feb ’24

In 1967, Nancy Haiduck came from Ohio to New York City and moved in next door to the Judson Church in the West Village. “I was really young, brand new. Green, green, green.” She enrolled in Brooklyn College, which was … Continue reading →

Sonnet 219

15 Feb ’24

… I want to write something about you, butI’m not sure what—You are not with me nowso you are in my thoughts—We are in lovethe two that become one. You ask me howI know. Today was cold. I didn’t expectthe … Continue reading →