Ish Klein: Pastor of Muppets July 24, 2008: Philadelphia resident Ish Klein is not only a fine poet whose work dances on the border between mawkish sentimentality and lyrical poignancy, she's also an excellent--if extremely bizarre--filmmaker. Here's a taste: (more...) by Travis Nichols

More Patchen July 23, 2008: Since there have been a few posts about the political poetry of Kenneth Patchen, I thought I would post a few of what he called his picture poems. These are from a book I own called Wonderings, published in l971, shortly before Patchen’s death. (more...) by Lucia Perillo

Two Chapbooks July 22, 2008: Harriet writers have an open invitation to post even after their contract expires, but not many of us do so. The intensity of professional blogging for three to six months is exhausting, and the exposure may leave one feeling, months later, unnerved. Nevertheless, there is always news. Why not share it here? I am thinking of two recent chapbooks, [...] by Ange Mlinko

On Alvin Feinman’s “True Night” July 22, 2008: While I am recovering from surgery that will hopefully put at end to my cycle of illness, I am having Robert post another tribute to my mentor Alvin Feinman. So it is midnight, and all The angels of ordinary day gone, The abiding absence between day and day Come like true and only rain Comes instant, eternal, again: As though an air had opened [...] by Reginald Shepherd

Taking the bait July 21, 2008: The question Mark Nowak has raised a couple times concerning the devaluing of politically progressive poetry in comparison with work that appears less socially engaged would take a book, not a blog entry, to fully answer. The difficulty is compounded by the fact that the frame of the discussion keeps slipping within and between Mark’s two posts [...] by Alan Gilbert

Samadoon July 20, 2008: the ratatat and bomb booming .....calls for the lost compliantly igniting troubles and provocation my bull elephant people sheltering .....engaged ever betrothed to mucus and weakness .....of all diseases malaria tuberculosis they’re led astray by killing’s admirers son of Barre and his lot in ignorance following [...] by Mark Nowak

This is what democracy looks like July 19, 2008: It’s interesting that the posts which have generated the most discussion during the past couple months—Lucia Perillo’s “Why are poets aligned with the left?” from June 23 and Mark Nowak’s “Cannon fodder” from a few days ago—both deal with the relationship between poetry and politics. I can’t tell if this is the result of people [...] by Alan Gilbert

Chimurenga July 19, 2008: Very few literary magazines get me excited when they arrive in the mail. As has probably become more than evident to those reading my blog posts the past six weeks, I’m seeking something decidedly different than many USAmerican poetry journals regularly provide when I crack the spine of that pefect-bound or saddle-stitched or stapled paper [...] by Mark Nowak

Furthest from Me July 18, 2008: by David Horvitz (more...) by Linh Dinh

It’s scary to think about what your body is going to look like in forty years July 18, 2008: At the swimming pool, I am an honorary old person—I get to swim with the senior citizens, who play volleyball in the shallow end and use the deep end for water exercise. Only a few people do the exercises, and they move over to let me swim, and I also try to do some of the exercises, though when I go underwater to check out what my legs are [...] by Lucia Perillo