William Carlos Williams Birthday

September 17, 2017Simon Pettet

William Carlos Williams birthday today. We celebrate with his reading on January 27, 1954 in New York at the 92nd Street Y.

We begin with the poem that leads off the 1956 Collected Later Poems – “A Sort of Song” – “Let the snake wait under/his weed/and the writing/be of words, slow and quick, sharp/to strike, quiet to wait,/sleepless./– through metaphor to reconcile/the people and the stones/.Compose. (No ideas/ but in things) Invent!/Saxifrage is my flower that splits/the rocks.”  – followed by  “Burning the Christmas Greens” ( “Their time past, pulled down/cracked and flung in the … Read More

Allen Ginsberg Reading at St Marks Poetry Project 1977

August 5, 2017Simon Pettet

[Allen Ginsberg and Robert Lowell, St Mark’s Church, February 23, 1977. Photo: Martin Wechselblatt]

We featured one, from the extraordinary trove of recordings of Allen readings, last week, from PennSound (from the Robert Creeley collection – 1971 at Intersection, San Francisco). Here‘s another, six years later- from the St Mark’s Poetry Project in New York. The occasion was a now-legendary coupling of Allen Ginsberg and Robert Lowell (it was on this occasion that Lowell was memorably heckled by Gregory Corso). Allen reads a variety of works, referencing his recent visit to Australia, his Vajrayana Buddhist … Read More

Friday’s Weekly Round-Up – 326

July 28, 2017Simon Pettet

John Ashbery

Today’s a grand day for American poetry, John Ashbery‘s 90th birthday! – Happy Birthday, John!

There’s a new biography (the first, actually) just out from FSG on John’s early life – The Songs We Know Best: John Ashbery’s Early Life, by Karin Roffman (taking it up to his departure for France in the mid ‘Fifties and the publication of his first major book, Some Trees),  (she’s currently at work on a full biography)

Mark Ford’s review in The Guardian may be read here, Evan Kindley’s review in The New Republic may be read here… Read More

Bob Dylan’s Birthday

May 24, 2017Simon Pettet

 

Bob Dylan‘s birthday today. 76 years old

“On Reading Dylan’s Writings” – “A poem for the laurels that you win,” – Allen Ginsberg in Buffalo, circa 1974.

Courtesy the ever-extraordinary Pennsound (and with a special shout-out to George Drury)

The audio may be listened to –  here

AG: I’m reading Bob Dylan’s Writings and Drawings  book  (1973)

[superceded now by this one (2016)]

[and, well, also, this one]

[Not forgetting..]

[and even..]

Now that it’s dust and ashes now that it’s human skin Here’s to you Bob Dylan a poem for the laurels you win Sincerest form of … Read More