As Jamaican as I am, I am not Jamaican March 17, 2007: It is now one o’clock in the morning in Kingston, Jamaica. I am giddy with the fatigue of straining my head and body against hundreds of allergy induced sneezes, reading the book manuscripts of an exciting crop of Jamaican poets who are working hard to get their work published, and the general tiredness that comes from too much travel. I have [...] by Kwame Dawes

Short Post @ Long Poems March 16, 2007: When asked to pick one favorite poem I usually choose “A Few Days” by James Schuyler. It’s a great poem. It’s a long poem. I love long poems. I’m not always up for the challenge of sitting down with a long poem, but when I do, I’m not usually disappointed. A few weeks ago I ran into poet Miranda Field who insisted I go see the [...] by Rachel Zucker

If It Doesn’t Exist on the Internet, It Doesn’t Exist March 16, 2007:     I'm going to start right out by saying it: if it doesn't exist on the internet, it doesn't exist. I used to say this hyperbolically but as time has gone on, it's proved to be a truism, perhaps the paradigmatic truism of our times.     You might deny this until you realize that much of your self-worth is derived from [...] by Kenneth Goldsmith

Spanish 1, English 0 March 16, 2007: The Spanish word for bird, pajaro, is much more accurate. Is there any word in English that is less appropriate than bird, rhyming with turd, weighed down by its er sound, its muddy consonants? Bird sounds like something that would fall down from the sky, not flitter upwards. Pajaro, with its three quick, airy vowel sounds is a superior word. [...] by Jeffrey McDaniel

Astral Collection March 15, 2007: Jeffrey’s post about Lorca reminded me of when FGL appeared on my radar—I was reading “Astral Weeks,” Lester Bangs’s essay on the Van Morrison album of the same name, a gorgeous piece of writing that was knocking me out, paragraph by paragraph. And then . . . well, I won't ruin it for you. The piece (included in the first Bangs [...] by Ed Park

Lorca’s The Song of the Barren Orange Tree March 15, 2007: For years, I've nodded my head when Lorca’s name came up in poetry circles, but the truth is I am much more familiar with his plays, specifically Blood Wedding, and his essay on duende than his poems. But now I am venturing in. Here are some thoughts on his poem Song of the Barren Orange Tree. (more...) by Jeffrey McDaniel

What we’re really writing for… March 14, 2007: More than 10 years ago, I did the first of many residencies with 6th graders in a Miami school, a dismal jumble of iron and concrete with the flowery name Lillie C. Evans Elementary. Although I was initially excited about introducing the kids to poetry, my trip to the school was disheartening. While my driver—one of the most committed teachers I [...] by Patricia Smith

Bad Marriage Mantra March 14, 2007: Erik Belgum: Bad Marriage Mantra (MP3) [NSFW] One night in a hotel in Toronto, the Minnesota-based sound artist Erik Belgum was kept awake by a couple in the next room in the midst of a wild fight. After feeling angry at the disturbance, Belgum turned his artist’s ear to the situation and began to hear the potential for great drama. (more...) by Kenneth Goldsmith

Questions for Bush March 14, 2007: Yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, Bush was quoting as saying, “We don’t believe in timetables.” This made a tree of questions grow in my mind. (more...) by Jeffrey McDaniel

The Work of Poetry March 14, 2007: Yesterday was a glorious day in New York City. I dropped my sons off at school and decided to walk home instead of taking the bus or subway. I walked down Riverside Drive, thinking, as I often do when walking on Riverside Drive, about my grandparents. My father’s parents fled Paris just after my father was born in late December 1940. They [...] by Rachel Zucker