Comments on: More Patchen

By: William J. Harris

William J. Harris — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 18:41:37 +0000

For me some of Patchen’s best and most original poems are the picture-poems–esp. HURRAH FOR ANYTHING (1958) and BECAUSE IT IS (1960). His surreal-politics-of-people-at-the bottom seems the most effective and least heavy handed in these poems. For my craft I am rereading these poems right now. Best, William J. Harris

By: sporobolus

sporobolus — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:37:21 +0000

the way you have described it you have crushed the beauty before you recognize it
why stoop to criticizing the picture-poems as picture apart from poem or poem apart from picture before you mention the alchemy? don’t allow conventional response to bog you down — the genius that some of us have long recognized in the picture poems is indivisible, innocent, complete; take your impression in a moment and then relax and enjoy it

By: Lucia

Lucia — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:14:48 +0000

All right! Will order the Patchen books and add them to the pile. I’d like to see the political poems, of which I was unaware.
As a person who’s generally interested in everything and whose attention is always hopping around, I’m always looking for areas to jettison from my interest. Dance–out. Devandra whatever–the music hasn’t passed across my radar, though somehow I know what he looks like. Graphic novels–no. Gotta read Nightwood first.
I did read Maus though.

By: Don Share

Don Share — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:31:43 +0000

Well, let me sneak in a mention of a portfolio of visual poetry, curated by Geof Huth, in the works now for a forthcoming issue of Poetry (though Patchen’s “picture poems” are rather different)…

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:00:48 +0000

This post is particularly interesting in light of the growing popularity of graphic novels as a “serious” art form: works like Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi and Pyongyang by Guy Delisle explore “serious” subject matter with pictures and words. The result is often very striking: the balance of words and visual art moves beyond traditional narrative and into some other territory altogether. Wouldn’t it be great if poets, like you suggest here, started to explore this avenue as well?
Alicia Ostriker admits her obsession with visual art (painting?) and color. Maybe we can nominate her to go first…

By: Travis Nichols

Travis Nichols — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:49:25 +0000

There’s also a lovely Ron Padgett poem in the new Denver Quarterly about hearing Kenneth Patchen read the line “the apples are red again in Chandler’s Valley.” Patchen-fest ‘08!

By: Don Share

Don Share — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:45:50 +0000

My reply crossed with Mark’s – looks like we’re both pretty happy!

By: Don Share

Don Share — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:02:02 +0000

Two new & very good compilations of Patchen's work have just been published by New Directions. The Walking-Away World is a collection of picture poems, as described above, and it's introduced nicely by comic book author and artist Jim Woodring. (The only thing wrong with it is that the reproductions could be better. It's still a great pleasure.) We Meet combines Because It Is, A Letter to God, Poemscapes, Hurrah For Anything, and Aflame & Afun of Walking Faces, and is introduced by musician Devendra Banhart. These books go together nicely, and maybe, who knows, signal a Patchen revival. If you're interested, check out also his experimental novel, Journal of Albion Moonlight, and thence go you to his Collected Poems!

By: Mark Nowak

Mark Nowak — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 11:14:24 +0000

Thanks for posting these, Lucia! When I went to my office yesterday, two new amazing volumes of Patchen's work in this mode had arrived from New Directions, We Meet and The Walking-Away World, both gorgeously produced. I hope it'll bring even more people to this significant though too often neglected work.