To Inspire Action November 17, 2007: Here’s a quirky and interesting movement taking flight in the Northwest—Seattle, to be exact, one of the most literary cities I have ever lived in and continue to visit (I’ll be there for the duration of Chompipe Days—that’s Turkey Days for y’all pilgrims). Seattle has Elliot Bay Book Co. Need I say more? Open Books: A Poem [...] by Rigoberto González

Repost: In Barry Bonds I See The Future of Poetry November 16, 2007: In light of yesterday's indictment, I feel the need to repost this, first published here back in August, when Bonds was on the verge of his record. Rereading it, I feel even more strongly that Bonds embodies the future of poetry. Like it or not, it's staring us in the face. (Thanks to Al Filreis for the memory jolt). The inevitability of Barry [...] by Kenneth Goldsmith

Poetic Machines 03 November 16, 2007: ----------------- "nature stands considered forever in iron with cold knowledge revealing one dream that love just hooked" "Poem #18450" Generation: 19 Species: AB from Darwinian Poetry by David Phillip Rea ----------------- "Poem #18450" (at the time of this posting) is currently "alive," and so far it has lived for 896 days, 3 hours, 28 [...] by Christian Bök

How International Is American Poetry, Today? November 16, 2007: If I drive 30 minutes north of my home, answer all the correct questions about citizenship, provide all the proper papers, and am cleared to proceed across the border, I will effectively land in another country, Canada! And if, per chance, I have some poems in my brown leather satchel, suddenly, my poems become international. Just that simple, [...] by Major Jackson

Make This My Default Location (II) November 15, 2007: The Dark Months of May is a companion volume to Ballad of Jamie Allan: a prequel, really. It starts out as the chronicle of a breakup in a terse, personal plainstyle, which Pickard has been honing since the 1960s (see Hole in the Wall: New & Selected Poems). The personal is always imbricated with the landscape (a la Hardy): there is something [...] by Ange Mlinko

cyberpunk poetry found! plus a mezze tray November 15, 2007: The search for cyberpunk poetry, begun last week, has turned up a good candidate: Jasper Bernes' Starsdown. I may have a lot more to say about it elsewhere, so for now and right here I'll just say that it's the poetry the world of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash would include if that world could include really good poetry (and I'm not sure it could). [...] by Stephen Burt

Stop Making Sense November 15, 2007: Those drawings on the cover of November’s Poetry are of chairs. The chairs are drawn by David Byrne. Why did David Byrne draw chairs? Well, they have arms and legs and vaguely human scale—and shape. They're people—they hold you, support you, elevate you or humble you. They're funny or elegant, funky or gorgeous, social or aloof. They're [...] by Fred Sasaki

What’s a Political Poem For? November 15, 2007: This is for Rigoberto following his Szymborska post. A few weeks ago, I attended my first town meeting. Somehow, it was nothing like the town meetings of Stars Hollow, with its “lovable curmudgeon” of a mayor and enchanting agendas, motions to rename the streets to reflect their 17th-century heritage, etc. No, it was a town meeting in a [...] by Ange Mlinko

Wednesday Shout Out November 14, 2007: Whiting Award winner Paul Guest’s second volume of poetry is the recipient of the 4th annual Prairie Schooner Book Prize. And Notes for My Body Double is a book full of gems within gems—lines and images that make each poem glitter and sparkle, even when the sentiment pushing the language forward is sullen or dark. For a Woman’s Back The [...] by Rigoberto González

Snark & Blurb: A Dialogue November 13, 2007: Dramatis Personae: Snark, a thin, brittle, elegant demon, the shade of an autumn leaf, with dry, cicada-like wings, and a long sharp nose. Eyebrows perpetually arched in an expression of mock-surprise. His sneer shows off double rows of pin-like black teeth. Blurb, a plump goblin covered in iridescent scales, with a wide, trout-like mouth and a [...] by A.E. Stallings