Texture August 23, 2007: I’ve been thinking about the issue of texture. There has to be a word—I’m using “texture” for lack of a better one—that describes how words in a poem interact, how they produce sensation. There was a group of poems in the Kenneth Rexroth issue of The Chicago Review that grabbed my attention; they were by a poet unknown to me, Emily [...] by Ange Mlinko

On Promoting Poetry August 23, 2007: A few confessions apropos of much of the discussion about how to promote poetry: 1. I promote poetry. I say, “Y’all need to read poems, they are great.” I say, “Y’all need to read Terrance Hayes, he is really a smart poet.” I say, “Girls are still into guys who can find a poem and give it to them.” I say, “Do you want me to [...] by Kwame Dawes

Poetry, the Conqueror of Pimples and All Prepubescent Profundities! August 22, 2007: Suddenly, the air is charged. My 12-year-old is banging around the apartment, trying on first-day-at-school outfits, cooing at her image when the ensembles work and screaming like a banshee when they don't. She has copied the official 7th-grade school supply list over two or three times, which I guess was somehow preferable to simply printing it [...] by Patricia Smith

Comment allez-vous August 22, 2007: My post of the day is a reply to Kwame in the comment box of his post "Rebels." Among other things, I compare Kenny to Alfred Barr! by Ange Mlinko

What are some creative ways to promote poetry? August 22, 2007: In the Spring issue of American Poet (put out by the Academy of American Poets) Lyn Hejinian gave an interesting answer to what is by now (especially around these offices) a rote question. She was asked, "What are some creative ways to promote poetry?" to which she responded: Poetry doesn't need promotion. People need time. A revolutionary way to [...] by Michael Marcinkowski

CREATION REBEL August 22, 2007: With anthems like this coming through the radio in the 1970s and 1980s it is hard not to develop a poetics of rebellion. This is Burning Spear in a song whose lyric, as strangely elliptical as it may seem, remains profoundly rooted in the fittingly contradictory idea of a creation rebel--one grounded in creation, in the fact of creation, in [...] by Kwame Dawes

Teacher August 22, 2007: The funny thing is that had I gotten a better A Level grade for History than I did for English I would probably not be a poet. Everyone, including me, was sure that I would do better in History than English. I liked History, the journey into the past, the dates, the analytical. I got it. My History teacher was sure I would have a distinction and [...] by Kwame Dawes

Rebels August 21, 2007: On the BBC World Service early this morning there was a cluster of talkers, apparently of some note (I don’t remember who they were—it was four-fifty in the morning, Two Notch Road was dark and steaming, and I was busy trying to wake up for the gym), lamenting that there are no rebels anymore. One musician admitted that there were no musicians [...] by Kwame Dawes

Ralph J. Mills, Jr. (1931-2007) via Peter O’Leary August 21, 2007: Peter O'Leary sent this note today: "The truly terrific Chicago poet Ralph J. Mills, Jr. passed away over the weekend. Here's a link to his obituary in the Tribune today. And here's a link to the small tribute page Tom Raworth has set up for Ralph on his website. (Tom lived in Chicago for a brief period, where he got to know Ralph.) Ralph - whom [...] by Emily Warn

Postcard August 20, 2007: How did Yours Truly become a synonym for I? Yours Truly did not go on vacation. Yours Truly is the last blogger standing on Harriet during these dog days of the dog days d'Aug. Yours Truly discovered that a perfectly banal stretch of road nearby, a road beleaguered with frequent back-ups and endless stoplights, clusters of strip malls, car [...] by Ange Mlinko