Selected Talk Poems of David Antin , ed. Stephen Fredman (University of New Mexico Press), just came out. It's almost 400 pages. Not cheap--$40 soft cover, and probably a king's ransom in the UK.
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From: Sean Carey
Sent: Dec 10, 2014 4:37 AM
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Subject: Re Quality Work
Always remembered Hazel and I once met Tony in Dublin despite the best efforts of his host to keep me in my lower orders place. Nice guy and Figs was superb as a mag.
On Antin few can interview him as he is a master at avoiding questions. Was your interview with him memorable?
SC
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From: Hazel Smith <
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To: BRITISH-IRISH-POETS <
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Sent: Tue, Dec 9, 2014 11:35 PM
Subject: Re: Amid the Ruins
Many thanks for your kind words Sean, very much appreciated. Figs seems a very long time ago I must say!
Audiences are such funny things, you never know who is reading your work. I tend to assume no one is!
There will be four entries —
Hazel
Always sad to see any worthy reading event go forever and I always admired your guest list. To run readings demands time and energy as well as incurring the usual smart jibes tropes moans poets utter. The disdain is amusing given the fact many who grumble are
too tight to even pay the entrance few yet always have booze money.
In my own more active years at the literary coalface in Dublin I ran countless readings with no exclusion of any genre. Had those who sold out to to the Arts Council or been elevated to the 17,000 euros + elitist Aosdana put as much effort in they would
be celebrated as good guys & gals. No requests for manuscripts or reading invites come my way to honour the fact I wasted time & energy for these creatures. But being young and foolish is nothing new in life so I could hum Yeats' little jingle to calm the
soul. No doubt the monetarists will say get off your rear old guy from their cosy living rooms?
Another little tale relates to book exchange rather than actual payment in cash for my book Free Range. Wealthy well heeled poets could afford 3.50£ within the U.K. or £4.50 inc. postage from outside the U.K. In my time few free books came my way and neo
socialist poets are superb capitalists. If the same book emerged from Shearsman or Reality Street's stables cash would be paid.
Good to see Hazel Smith's contribution as she is a writer I have admired since first seeing her in Tony Baker's FIGS. Her interview with David Antin illuminated the Antin modus operandi with great clarity. I can never see why Antin has to divert into fictional
terrain in his talk poems. To me at least it negates the Antin text when one is wondering what is real and what is fiction or faction. In his poetry the real power is his directness which evolved from growing weary of Deep Image a la Robert Kelly and others.
Antin as a critic is very important as he is prepared to not play safe or venerate the Objective rule book.
Farewell to Amid The Ruins and indeed memories of readings long forgotten in Dublin's unfair city of lost ideals and using people with gusto until they are no longer part of the gravy train career plan. We live & learn.
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From: Hampson, R <
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To: BRITISH-IRISH-POETS <
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Sent: Mon, Dec 8, 2014 03:34 PM
Subject: Amid the Ruins
AMID THE RUINS:
Wednesday, 10 December:
Ulli Freer
Nisha Ramayya
Ryan Ormonde
Karen Sandhu
7.oo at Daniel Blau Gallery, Hoxton Square.
This will be the last ever event in the series.
All welcome
