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Ron Silliman, one of the editors of the giant new "essential" Bromige, from afar at the reading.
I like to write about events as close as possible to when they happen, but in this case I wanted to read some of the book before I talked about the west coast (by way of England & Canada) poet David Bromige (1933-2009). I don't remember ever meeting him or hearing him read. His name was always on my radar but I'm not sure I ever read more than a poem or 2 in a magazine.
I'm making up for lost time! He's an amazing walk through every style & philosophy of contemporary poetry. A lot is better than a little so I'm not sure any excerpt can give the flavor, & that's probably why the few poems I read along the way didn't strike me much. Like Whalen or Kyger, you need immersion to appreciate his mind and impact.
Also, the book launch/reading, at the Poetry Project, was enthralling. I was beat & yet I listened closely for 2 hours. Fifteen poets read his work & reminisced. Here, I'll list them all: Jack Krick (ed), James Sherry, Nick Piombino, A. L. Nielsen, Stan Mir, Erica Hunt, Michael Gottlieb, Nada Gordon, Abigail Child, Lee Ann Brown (who sang/whispered a poem, dug that), Steve Benson, Charles Bernstein, Bruce Andrews, Ron Silliman, Bob Perelman.
I'm making up for lost time! He's an amazing walk through every style & philosophy of contemporary poetry. A lot is better than a little so I'm not sure any excerpt can give the flavor, & that's probably why the few poems I read along the way didn't strike me much. Like Whalen or Kyger, you need immersion to appreciate his mind and impact.
Also, the book launch/reading, at the Poetry Project, was enthralling. I was beat & yet I listened closely for 2 hours. Fifteen poets read his work & reminisced. Here, I'll list them all: Jack Krick (ed), James Sherry, Nick Piombino, A. L. Nielsen, Stan Mir, Erica Hunt, Michael Gottlieb, Nada Gordon, Abigail Child, Lee Ann Brown (who sang/whispered a poem, dug that), Steve Benson, Charles Bernstein, Bruce Andrews, Ron Silliman, Bob Perelman.