In recent postings, the "function of this list" has been referred to,
as it's expressed on the webpage, and which everyone sees when they
join:
>emphasis on recent postmodern and innovative poetries in Britain and Ireland
- It's pretty broad, isn't it? I mean, it's evident that the terms
"postmodern" and "innovative" are stretched daily, and Randolph's
right to point out that no International Standards apply (happily) -
though equally, whilst the terms may have many shades of meaning, they
aren't meaningless. It ought to be apparent too that the geographic
"focus" proposed is frequently and helpfully stretched too. I'd assume
that, having read the function bit, people posting about poets or
poetry to the list had in the back of their minds a feeling that the
poems/poetry thus posted about fitted, in some way, within terms such
as pomo and innov interpretted at their broadest (Karen's "daring to
try different themes and forms" will do nicely) - if not, why post to
this list? At worst, it could be seen as a bit discourteous.
As listowner I certainly don't want to press the point, so that,
though I've been listening to some recent postings and finding it hard
to relate them to said function, I can't feel it in myself to be
bouncer at the party at this point. The phrase "emphasis on" is a
quasi-deliberate let-out, I guess, which one can invoke from time to
time.
Elizabeth Jennings... whatever the qualities of her work (and I'd be
curious to hear an explanation of her in terms of the p-word or the
i-word) I have it in mind - though I can't find in order to quote
verbatim - that she reviewed a fellow poet (Jonathan Williams)'s work
urging - without apparent humour - that the poet be put down.
Jonathan, of course, treats it as a big joke, as indeed in one sense
it is. It doesn't endear her to me as a warm and generous spirit. But
please don't imagine that I'd try to prohibit mention of her in this
place on that account...
On the other hand, in all this excitement, has anyone mentioned Karin
Lessing lately? Now there's a writer I'd cross the M18 on all fours in
a rainy rushhour to seek out - deliberate, specific and careful, and
always challenging in one way or another. Her poem in Shearsman 39
(see previous post for details) is - for me - a classic "sleeper" - I
didn't initially think it that special - but I find, some time after
first reading it, that it's stayed with me in ways I couldn't predict.
It's hard to excerpt from - a longish poem with interrelations going
through it, and spatial elements which won't always work in e-mail -
but here's a short section out-of-context:
conscious, un-
conscious
at the edge of your eyes, the
open
void
This snip links and reacts closely with the bits before and after in
ways I'm not showing - but the care in placement, spacing etc here,
is, I hope, evident. The words made bright again, a sense (for me) of
discovery. "Deceptively simple." Though not necessarily "new", it
becomes surprising enough to stay with this reader anyway. Her three
books - from Montemora, Pentagram and Shearsman - are worth hunting
for.
RC
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|