Sure, Jesse, let's agree to disagree and hope that that becomes an
invitation for an exploration of Gitin's work by a wider audience.

I'm not going to engage in polemics, however.

Cheers
:fp

***************
Frank Parker
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http://now.at/frankshome




----- Original Message -----
From: "jesse glass" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 29, 2001 11:13 AM
Subject: David Gitin


> To Frank: David knew I was going to review his books. He was the one
who
> sent them to me (at my request) because I had seen his name again on
the
> web--including at your site, Frank. I thought that Mary Sands, who
appears
> to know David, would have informed him of its existence. I've been a
fan of
> David's writing since c. 1979, when I saw some of it in Dave
Cunliffe's
> Global Tapestry Journal. Whether I'm "mistaken" about David Gitin's
work or
> not, I'm happy that more is being said about what he did/does with
language.
> Please disagree with me, Frank! It would be great if everyone
disagreed and
> everyone then sat down and wrote and published their own response to
Gitin's
> poems, because more people would then perhaps seek out his books.
>
> Unfortunately, scrunching excerpts from David's poems into a small
space on
> the web, as in the review excerpts, does not give a feeling of proper
> spacing. This "eye silence" is one of the things necessary for a true
> appreciation of his poems. I don't think Mary Sands set up that first
poem
> that I mention in my review very well. (Actually, we had exchanged an
> e-mail or two about that.)
>
> Be that as it may, I was led to my "lesser work" remark for the later
book
> and pamphlet, because I detected a less adventurous use of language
and
> spacing there. It was a bit like watching a fine dancer on an off
day.
> Some of the excerpts that you cite, Frank, contain examples of what I
can
> only call trite language. And more examples exist in those books.
Whether
> "cliches are the armature of heaven" as I think Alfred Jarry once
said, I
> still believe that a poet's responsibility is to make it new. Many
of
> those poems in Sunlight and in the thin Blue Winds Press Book simply
don't
> do that in my opinion.
>
> Let's agree to disagree, Frank.
>
> But let's both extend an invitation to the readers on this list to
take a
> look at David Gitin's books for yourselves. He really is quite fine.
Tell
> David hello from me, by the way. Thanks! Jesse
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> About Jesse Glass. How to order his books.
> http://www.letterwriter.net/html/jesse-glass.html
>