Started 2011 reading through old correspondence with Stephanie Young about 880 project for Deep Oakland, for Thom Donovan’s Other Letters project. That was awesome… Remembering how much Stephanie helped me extend & improve the writing & thinking there.
Being Dana Motherfucking Gioia at Poets Theater 2010, screaming “Can Poetry Matter?” as jeremaiad on the streets, burning that book, drinking CA Conrad’s water as deputized by Samantha Giles—very energizing start to the year too.
Juliana Spahr & Stephanie Young’s A Megaphone: Some Enactments, Some Numbers, and Some Essays about the Continued Usefulness of Crotchless-pants-and-a-machine-gun Feminism
(Chain Books) really shaped lots of my thinking in that early part of the year, as did talking through a lot of ideas with Lauren Levin subsequent to reading her chaps Not Time (Boxwood) & then Keenan (Lame House).
One random sunny Tuesday afternoon reading Ash Smith’s Watersheds (Dos Press) while drinking a beer in my house; the feeling as it stretched my brain out into my environs, run-offs, the Bay. A beautiful book & day.
Monica Peck reading “Centaur Family Tree” at With + Stand 5 release party at Zughaus Gallery in May (& @ the end of the poem, something along the lines of “What? It’s true.”). & of course the whole reading & process of editing W+S 5—forever the humblest & happiest of my poetry moments each year.
Lyn Hejinian reading to close out the Gertrude Stein marathon at SF MOMA in June—old ones & circles death in her section, a happenstance (?) meditation on mortality, & all these poetry & art communities in one big-ass expensive room.
Talking on the phone with Dana Ward about The Great American Beatjack project in June—helped me understand my approach to that project, which is ongoing.
Brian Ang started Armed Cell, a new print journal for our experimental/avant/political Bay poetry community—that happened in late summer, I think. Had a very interesting conversation about the journal & about the relationship between poetry & politics over beers one night at the Albatross with Charlie Legere.
Occupy Everything was the chant, ongoing. Taking Sonia down to Occupy Oakland was super interesting & informative—the contrast between her toddler sense of things & the violence & energy of that space continues to provoke writing & thinking. & of course the poets are together around Occupy in a much different way, loving & caring for each other in new forms & modes, which is a very hopeful thing.
Anne Boyer’s My Common Heart (Spooky Girlfriend Press). She has a genius for titles, & for writing with great courage & compassion about things that are true & difficult for many of us.
Susan Briante’s The Market is a Parasite that Looks Like a Nest (Dancing Girl Press). Saw this via Anne Boyer, on Facebook. In which my ongoing wondering about poetry & parenting & capitalism gets an injection of brilliance.
This was also kind of the year of Dana Ward for me—The Squeakquel books, Typing Wild Speech, “Things The Little Baby Likes” & other poems sent in an email—& I haven’t gotten to SPD to buy This Can’t Be Life, but will, & soon.
Continuing my Roberto Bolano fascination, along with much of literary America. Antwerp was my favorite of the five or so of his books that I got to this year.
Little Red Leaves #6, The Ephemera Issue. Holy crap this thing is a beautiful absurd beast of an object d’art. I am tempted to say something about pushing the logic of the handmade to its logical conclusion—the impossibility of LRL6 is enchanting. It is impossible, & yet there it is. Each poem there, its tiny or huge incredible physical self, has been churning around in my brain since the whole magical mess arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago.
LRL had a huge year in general. The e-edition collective response to yr Haecceities was like being in a room with a bunch of smart friends; super helpful. & David Brazil’s Economy was great, as Rob noted earlier in this list of lists. (I also loved David’s piece on rhythm in W+S 5; one of my favorites in that issue.)
Still haven’t received my Displaced Press subscription, so still salivating in anticipation of Brandon’s book, Samantha’s book, Thom’s book, Taylor & Rob’s book…
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