Truth

They're getting way better at nailing my preferences...

Caffentzis, Federici, Linebaugh

This is going to be incredible. Don't miss it. And it's the first event at the OMNI, which I've yet to visit and am super excited to explore. If you would have told me, even, like, three months ago, that this event would be happening in the new B.A.P.S. space, I would have had reservations. The power of optimism, I suppose!

Emji Spero at Johannson Projects Tonight!

EMJI SPERO - Almost Any Shit Will Do - Poetry Book Trailer from Timeless, Infinite Light on Vimeo.

Timeless, Infinite Light is proud to announce the release of Almost Any Shit Will Do, a new book of poetry by Emji Spero. The book will be released on Friday, March 21st at Johansson Projects (2300 Telegraph Ave, Oakland) but you can pre-order your copy now at timelessinfinitelight.com.

Rich Owens, Boyd Nielson, and Scrutiny

Nielson Owens Dialog by michaelthomascross

If you're following the conversations post-post-post Poetry and Revolution in the UK (and the Poetry and/or Revolution conference here in the Bay Area last October)--notably the Joshua Clover / Keston Sutherland exchange at the Claudius App, along with Stephen Collis' response now up at ON--this dialogue between Boyd Nielson and Rich Owens is totally worth checking out. Supposedly, some folks found this exchange controversial; reading it again this morning, I'm not sure why (Owens' claim that "the best poetry...has always been sound bourgeois practice"?).

And Nielson, Owens, and Joe Ramsey have started a new talk series called "Scrutiny" at the Center for Marxist Education in Camrbidge, Mass. Josh Stanley's "Immortality in Public," which takes up Wordsworth and Keston Sutherland is the first installment, and it's already available to stream above. Find the Scrutiny website here. 

David Brazil, Jackqueline Frost, and Evan Kennedy at Canessa Park

I missed the Brazil, Frost, Kennedy reading at Canessa Park due to AWP, but thanks to Sara Larsen, we have some video footage. I post now in anticipation of Compline reissues of both the Brazil and Frost texts. I'm reprinting Jack's cover this weekend, in anticipation of a mid-April launch; David's book should follow later in the year.

Renee Gladman's "The Sentence as a Space for Living"

UC Berkeley has inaugurated its own "Scalapino Lecture" (separate from what we do at Small Press Traffic, confusingly!), and so far they haven't advertised too far off campus (I'm not sure I heard anything about the first one). But Renee Gladman is an inspired choice for this talk, and I hope people will show. Renee's reading for SPT on Sunday was fantastic, and I expect more of the same here... 

And as a preview, Divya Victor and Simone White will share the stage for the 4th Annual Leslie Scalapino Memorial Lecture in 21st Century Poetics at SPT. June 1st, I think...You should come.

New Sonnets by Ted Rees

Ted Rees's Sonnets

Ted read from a new crown of sonnets at Hearts Desire on Saturday, and I asked if he'd let me share them, partially because they're dense and rich and I wanted to take another spin at my leisure, but also to share them with you, dear readers, because you're better off having read them. Ted's also featured in Stephen Novotny's new magazine, but I don't have one to share yet. Coming soon...

One Year of the Public School (and Hearts Desire this Saturday)!

The Public School is celebrating its first year of incredible talks, readings, and classes thanks to the tireless efforts of its organizers (along with financial contributions from viewers like you!). I was reminded of this milestone when I saw its recent financial statement: with the efforts of just a handful of people (who work very, very hard!), this remarkable collective has provided so much to our community over the past year.

And though we all abhor talking money, this shit's not free. If you're able (and only if you're able), perhaps you'll consider cutting out some afternoon coffees and killing the cable bill or whatever to help support the cause. The Public School does a great job of avoiding the constant funding rhetoric, so it behooves us to remind each other that these things don't happen for free. Please consider joining the effort here, and if you're already a member of the Fab Fifty (or, I guess, the Fab Twenty-Five currently!), don't forget to re-up your bank info using the new direct deposit system. 

And finally, thanks to the Public School, we'll enjoy a badass reading this Saturday at Hearts Desire (with the new semi-spooky mood lighting that I'm proud to have instigated!). This one features the incredible Divya Victor (whose new Les Figues book is really, really great) along with local wunderkinds Carrie Hunter and Ted Rees. See you then?

Where Eagles Dare

Where Eagles Dare

With the new Elderly material, and now the return of Steve Orth's Where Eagles Dare, it feels like we're experiencing a real PDF mag renaissance. Most welcome. I loved getting Orth's mag in person, but I think I prefer having it on the screen in color. Never thought I would say that... 

Ethical Spectacle / Intervention

AROTHO

The first nine stanzas of new work by Greek poet Siarita Kouka, translated by the dynamic duo of Angelos and John Sakkis. John shared this work at the AWP translation reading, and I just missed it as I ran over to the Hilton from my Scalapino panel. The poem's in two parts; twenty stanzas a pop. More than worth tracking down if you have a moment to write John a letter: I'm pretty sure you can get one at Both Both (unless AWP ate them up). Or else write me, I guess, and I'll tell John it's an emergency...

PS. "arotho is a Greek word that translates as 'lying-to,' a nautical term for a ship at sea waiting to port."

Ezzz found AWP sooooooooooo boring...

Let me know when you're hocking a book about farm animals.

))))) yawn (((((

Julia Drescher on Billy the Kid

Julia Drescher read this fantastic piece on Jack Spicer's "Billy the Kid" during the Compline/Cuneiform/Further Other Book Works/Textile Series reading at AWP. I'm very pleased to share it here, and I hope this signals a much larger project to come!

Front Ear Parts by michaelthomascross

Brent Cunningham's Rimbaud

Brent Cunningham organized a reading of translations for AWP and gave a stirring performance of Rimbaud's "Soleil et Chair," which he translates here as "Sunlight on a Chair." He was sure to mention that he doesn't actually speak French, claiming that he would like to produce a text that would simply "look right" next to the original. After a totally engaging and super funny performance, he said something like "or at least I think that's what it says"! At first I thought he was joking, but I think "Sunlight on a Chair" is more often translated as "Sun and Flesh"! Either way, I'm sure Brent's translation is pretty close! Enjoy...