> Stephen
>
>> This transparency and dialog between past and present I find quite rich -
>> perhaps influenced but different than the Olson take.
Olson I use as a catchword for probing the historical depths of site.
Whether they need Olson to push their project - I agree - is perhaps
problematic.
>
> I doubt if Olson is a particular influence. It's hard not to notice the past
> here: from where I sit now, in a not especially historical provincial
> English city, Richard tthe IIIrd's bones lie buried unmarked within a
> quarter-mile's walk, while Chaucer was married to a daughter of John of
> Gaunt in the local church. And the forbiding faced social housing tower
> block I live is named after a mediaeval baron.
In the case of Sheffield - according to Alan and Geraldine - the town
totally ignores the quite long historical presence (14 years) of the
imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots. (Other towns claim her, even if she lived
among them minimally). Sheffield seems post-industrial (now cheap properties
for corporations to house and run their information systems). If you are
familiar with the photographer, Martin Parr, this seems more his English
middle class satirical territory - great stuff, I find, but no old bones in
it)
>
>> Maybe because English
>> history is so much longer and with more depth than chez here - these folks
>> (tho their English neighbors might ignore their works) are genuinely
> infused
>
> I'm lost among the pronouns here.
I like that as a concept.
>
> Yes, btw, Geraldine +does+ read exceedingly well.
Yes, a nice and different path of energy to come our way.
>
> Best
>
> Dave
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephen Vincent" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 7:53 PM
> Subject: A Berkeley Reading - Geraldine Monk & A Halsey
>
>
>> Geraldine Halsey and Alan Halsey's reading last at Moe's Bookstore in
>> Berkeley (CA) did not disappoint. Geraldine has a great
>> reading voice - particularly in reviving the body & voice behind the Ghost
>> of Mary Queen of Scots (imprisoned in Escafeld/Sheffield for 14 years - a
>> fact apparently ignored these days by the locals). Geraldine really
> 'rolls'
>> with it with lots of curious, inflected surprises along the way.
>> Alan is equally, but different, in his historical 'made present
>> 'investigations, including a rather wonderful account of Guttenberg's
> ghost,
>> the printed book confronting the digital virtal mode - using Google to
>> search, and an automatic translation device to get at G's history, mostly
> in
>> German. Guttenberg's original name apparently translates into English as
>> "Goose Flesh", and Guttenberg translates into "Good Mountain." Alan
> combines
>> a wonderful sense of serious, research, intellection and imaginative
> passion
>> to make the work quite present, compelling.
>> This transparency and dialog between past and present I find quite rich -
>> perhaps influenced but different than the Olson take. Maybe because
> English
>> history is so much longer and with more depth than chez here - these folks
>> (tho their English neighbors might ignore their works) are genuinely
> infused
>> - tho not at all oblivious to contemporary ironies, borderline flarfy
>> (Blair, Google et al).
>>
>> - SPD carries their West House Books imprint - quite beautifully
> produced.
>>
>> They will be coming to NY/St. Marks sometime soon
>>
>> Stephen Vincent
>> http://stephenvincent.net/blog/
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