Forage July 17, 2008: Several weeks ago in my post on the symposium celebrating the work of poet, editor, scholar, and Japanese-Canadian internment activist Roy Miki, I mentioned that a new book by Rita Wong, Forage, had been awarded the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize for the best book by a writer from British Columbia or the Yukon. Since then I’ve been able to [...] by Mark Nowak

Elective Affinities July 17, 2008: by Eleni Sikelianos, as presented during a panel at the Naropa Summer Writing Program, June 2008: In this very room, Robin Blaser once quoted from Giorgio Agamben’s The Coming Community: “The coming being is whatever being.” The “whatever,” or latin quodlibet, Agamben notes, means both “it does not matter which,” and, cleaving to [...] by Linh Dinh

All the Young Girls Love Alice July 17, 2008: Alice Dunbar-Nelson, born 17 July, 1875 (more...) by D.A. Powell

Laurels July 16, 2008: James H. Billington, the librarian of Congress, has selected Kay Ryan to succeed Charles Simic as the next U.S. poet laureate. The Northern California poet will be the 16th poet to hold the post. Full story here. UPDATE: Seven responses from around teh internets: Ron Silliman says Ryan is "the 47th consecutive School of Quietude poet to hold [...] by Travis Nichols

Canon Fodder July 15, 2008: Several people have e-mailed me recently to ask where I come across the poems and poets of social movements and organized labor that I’ve been discussing here during my interlude upon Harriet, as well as why these poems and their presumed dubious “aesthetic quality” should matter. Yesterday, as part of another project I’m working on, I [...] by Mark Nowak

Talking in Public July 15, 2008: A housekeeping post: We realized that unless we highlighted how commenting works on Harriet, she could morph from this…. into this… (more...) by Emily Warn

In Memoriam Alvin Feinman, 1929-2008 July 14, 2008: I am still in the hospital, awaiting surgery on an abdominal fistula that refuses to heal on its own—quite the contrary—but it’s very important to me to have Robert post this piece. 1 The wonderful poet, teacher and friend Alvin Feinman died a few days ago after a long struggle with emphysema and Parkinson’s disease. Alvin was one of the [...] by Reginald Shepherd

Summer Jams July 14, 2008: While the context of a reading can often mean everything, there is also something to be said for readings ripped free from their spatial/temporal trappings and escorted into the private, headphoned world. (more...) by Travis Nichols

The Aspern Papers… Spicer’s, Schwartz’s, Kafka’s – and yours? July 14, 2008: "After Jack Spicer's untimely death at the age of forty in 1965, the contents of his apartment were packed into boxes..." Dunno about you, but I know what would happen to the contents of my place, should it all end up in boxes! Just think how much we owe to the removal and serendipitous rediscovery of what used, not very charmingly, to be [...] by Don Share

Greatest American Hero July 14, 2008: Jerry Rubin, born 14 July, 1938 Self-described “orphan of Amerika,” outside agitator, leader of the Youth International Party, indicted co-conspirator in the trial against free speech in the streets and parks of Chicago, sports writer, mayoral candidate, and revolutionary, Jerry Rubin once “liberated” the last few copies of the [...] by D.A. Powell