Poetry News

Papers for the Border Podcast #13: The Poetry Episode

Originally Published: May 07, 2012

Check out #13 of The Papers for the Border Podcast, run by Dan Coffey. This is the Poetry Episode, and features recordings from Carla Harryman, Rod Smith, Hannah Weiner, Jackson Mac Low, Jen Hofer, Leslie Scalapino, David Antin ("Who Are My Friends?"), Anne Waldman with Steve Lacy, Heather Fuller, Alvin Curran with Clark Coolidge, Susana Gardner, and more. Some notes on the sources:

Ron Silliman’s “OZ” is a portion of his long work The Alphabet (University of Alabama Press, 2008).

Leslie Scalapino’s “bum series” can be found in her book Way (North Point Press, 1988).

Hannah Weiner’s “Spoke” is from the book of the same name (Sun & Moon, 1984).

Marcella Durand’s “Hunt” is unpublished.

David Antin’s “Who Are My Friends?” was published in Selected Poems, 1963-1973 (Sun & Moon, 1991).

“Mine” features Clark Coolidge reading from his book Mine: The One that Enters the Stories (The Figures, 1981; republished, 2004). From the CD liner notes: “Also heard is Arlan Coolidge, retired chairman of the Brown University Music Department, reminiscing about Block Island, Rhode Island, in 1918 and playing a portion of the popular 1917 song “Smiles” on the violin. This material is mixed with the foghorns of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, all three horns on Block Island, and the foghorn on the Block Island Ferry during its crossing.”

Heather Fuller’s “Stricken” was published in her book perhaps this is a rescue fantasy (Edge Books, 1997).

Papers for the Border podcasts focus on the connections, breaks, and overlaps, it seems, between avant-garde music and poetry, and have featured episodes like "The New England Episode," inspired by Susan Howe (and including mp3s of Jonathan Richman and Charles Ives!); the Halloween Peter Hammill Immersion Session; and #7, which has Jaap Blonk, Red Krayola, Fred Frith, and more; and #6, with Sun Ra and Amiri Baraka. Check em out.