Intellectual Curiosities and Provocations

June 2005

Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass at 150

Classics,
Poetry,
Transcendentalism
Despite my best intentions, I am always sending belated birthday cards, so it stands to reason I'm posting this a day later than I planned. Yesterday was the birthday of one of the most fascinating and admirable literary figures in American history, Walt Whitman. This year also marks the 150th anniversary of his monumental Leaves of Grass -- a do-it-yourself project if there ever was one. In light of this milestone and the significance of what this seemingly unassuming volume did to inspire readers and writers --

What Are You Reading?

What Are You Reading
It's barely June, but various newspapers, magazines and websites have been trotting out their "summer reading lists" for several weeks now. I'm not really sure I get the need for a "reading list" specifically for summer. Ok, sure, maybe it made sense when I was in school and there was an obvious break in my daily routine; but now I'm even less likely to have the time (or desire) to read during the summer than any other season. Besides, what about those readers in the Southern Hemisphere?

This article is part of the What Are You Reading? series. The next post in the series is What Are You Reading?. The previous post in the series is What Are You Reading?.

The Big O for Faulkner

News,
Southern
(Yes, that ol' chestnut again ...)

William Faulkner is the latest pick for Oprah's Book Club -- and not just one, but three books: As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury and A Light in August. A veritable Faulkner-palooza. But wait -- there's more! As a part of her Very Faulkner Summer, Oprah's launching a cornucopia of lessons and information -- including lectures on Faulkner and Q&A sessions with professors.

Oh, that Oprah -- what a scamp! Having the audacity to ratchet up her influence to get people into Faulkner! Can you imagine?

Def Poetry Jam is Coming Back

Spoken Word
The fifth season of HBO's Def Poetry Jam begins Friday, June 10 at 11:30.

Have you watched this show in past seasons? We usually have, and we've often got a lot to say about each performance. Starting this year, we are going to review the poets who appear in each week's show in these pages, and we'd like to invite you to watch it and submit your comments as well.

This article is part of the Def Poetry Jam series. The next post in the series is Def Poetry Jam: June 10, 2005.

No Purchase Necessary

Being A Writer,
Internet Culture,
News
Maybe you uncovered a lonely manuscript in your spring cleaning this year, or maybe you'd like to give that novel that no one decided to pick up another try. Or maybe you'd like to fuel up on your stimulant of choice and crank something out by July 1st? Whatever the case, I wanted to throw this out for your enjoyment or consternation (I'll let you decide). Xerox has partnered with Lulu.com and the ColorCentric Corp. to launch its "Aspiring Authors Contest". The winner will receive $5K and 100 copies of their book.

Interview With John Lawson

Being A Writer,
Indie,
Interviews,
Postmodernism,
Publishing,
Transgressive
John Lawson is a writer who also runs Raw Dog Screaming Press and an online literary journal, The Dream People, an indie press and an online journal, respectively. Because of his experience as a writer and publisher, he has a lot of interesting thoughts about writing, publishing, and the internet. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him about these subjects. This is what he had to say:

Def Poetry Jam: June 10, 2005

Poetry,
Reviews,
Spoken Word,
Television
There are two reasons I think HBO's Def Poetry Jam is important for poetry:

1) It's poetry

2) It's on HBO

I don't think this show gets much attention from the academic poetry establishment, and I think this is a mistake. Yeah, I'll admit this show uses the term "poetry" loosely, and an average episode of this series offers maybe 50% hiphop styling, 35% attitude and about 15% poetry.

Okay, fine. That's still 15% more than anything else on TV, and I think it's great that HBO is willing to put this show up in place of the usual junk.

This article is part of the Def Poetry Jam series. The next post in the series is Calling for Reviews: Def Poetry #2. The previous post in the series is Def Poetry Jam is Coming Back.

Reviewing the Review: June 12 2005

I was pretty happy with today's New York Times Book Review. When I pick up the Book Review, I don't only to hear about good books; I want to read good writing. Entire issues sometimes go by without any examples of this.

This article is part of the Reviewing the New York Times Book Review series. The next post in the series is Reviewing the Review: June 19 2005. The previous post in the series is Reviewing the Review: June 5, 2005.

Printer’s Row: Eyewitness Report

News,
Poetry Readings
LitKicks member shamatha was kind enough to offer this eyewitness report from Chicago's Printer's Row Book Fair:

So on Saturday I went to the Printer's Row Bookfair, presented by the Chicago Tribune, Target, and Jewel, among others.

To start off, it was really hot. With Printers Row, the Old Town Art Fair, Blues Fest and the Red Sox in town to play the Cubs, it was a good weekend in Chicago to go out and mingle with sweaty people eating greasy food.

Let’s Get Small

Publishing,
Reading
There's something appealing about a little book, a book you can easily shove into a pocket or an envelope, a book that looks like it costs no more than a dollar or two. Why is this such an enduring form? Allen Ginsberg's Howl was launched to the world in the form of a little book, the first of the City Lights Pocket Poets series. Voltaire's Candide was censored all over Europe, but it was slim enough to sneak around as a pamphlet.

LitKicks Quick Picks

Litkicks
LitKicks has always been about more than just discussing literary news and books -- we are proud to house a collection of articles, biographies and features that celebrate the history of literature and its characters. Each week we'll select a few pieces from our 'library' and offer them up for your enjoyment.

On this week's menu:

James Joyce: Since today is Bloomsday (the day Joyce's Leopold Bloom roamed Dublin in Ulysses), it's only fitting that we spend a little time reconnecting with James Joyce.

Calling for Reviews: Def Poetry #2

Spoken Word
Tonight's episode #2 of Def Poetry on HBO will feature the usual mix of newcomers, seasoned spoken word veterans and a couple of celebrity drop-in poets, this time including John Legend and Alicia Keys. We'll post a review tomorrow, and we'd like to invite you to contribute your review as well. The show is on at 11:30 pm EST, and again an hour and a half later for anyone just straggling in from a night out. Your comments are very welcome ...

This article is part of the Def Poetry Jam series. The next post in the series is Def Poetry: June 17 2005. The previous post in the series is Def Poetry Jam: June 10, 2005.

American Life in Poetry: Grandfather

Poetry
As we reported a few months ago, U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser has committed to a new series of columns that highlight poetry and its importance in everyday life. From time to time we'll share the reprinted columns here, and provide you a chance to add your comments. This week's column offers a quiet example of how family connections and ancestry often provide powerful subject matter.

American Life in Poetry: Column 012
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE

This article is part of the American Life In Poetry series. The next post in the series is American Life in Poetry: Love Like Salt.

Write It Like It’s Hot

Hiphop,
Music,
News,
Transgressive
This just in ... Snoop Dogg is planning to write ... not one book, but seven.

This is good news, although we're still waiting for the rumored Black Book by Jay-Z and Nas's mythical autobiography, so I wouldn't bet money on any of these seven books actually existing at any point soon. And I'm kinda confused about this statement that he wants these books to set a good example for kids. Snoop thinks he's got seven volumes worth of good example in him? We are mystified but curious.

Def Poetry: June 17 2005

Spoken Word
Mos Def kicked off the second episode of HBO's Def Poetry with a few rhyming verses set to a backing track. Since the previous episode of this show was a bit of a snoozer, I didn't think it was a good idea for the host to show up his guests by demonstrating his hiphop skills. Luckily, the poets for episode #2 had much more to offer than the previous set, and easily held up their side.

Al Letson was first up with a physical performance piece about a kid discovering his basketball skills. "One boy one ball one dream one hoop ... listen". It was an earnest, affecting Def Poetry set piece. I've heard that LitKicks correspondent Billectric is familiar with this poet, and I'm looking forward to hearing Bill's take on the performance.

This article is part of the Def Poetry Jam series. The next post in the series is Def Poetry: June 24 2005. The previous post in the series is Calling for Reviews: Def Poetry #2.

Reviewing the Review: June 19 2005

Comix
It's funny that we were talking about graphic novels last week, because The Long Road Home, an unusual Doonesbury book by Garry Trudeau, is the cover story of this week's New York Times Book Review.

I used to like Doonesbury a lot, but I stopped reading Doonesbury books a long time ago. The Doonesbury Chronicles is the first and it's a classic, covering Kent State to Watergate in the cheerful confines of Walden Puddle, somewhere near Yale University. But then there was another book, and another ... and over time the focus began to seem less sharp and I stopped paying attention.

This article is part of the Reviewing the New York Times Book Review series. The next post in the series is Reviewing the Review: June 26 2005. The previous post in the series is Reviewing the Review: June 12 2005.

Who Will Live On?

Reading
LitKicks member Elpoc_05 asks a perennial question about modern lit:

'Who will live on? Ours is a time of remembrance of everyone; but we certainly will not be able to keep it up for long. Not everyone will be known forever -- who are the greats of the modern era? Who represents our time and our style? McLuhan? Ginsberg? Pound? Eliot? Stein? Kerouac? Dylan? Cohen? Sid Vicious? Rachmoninoff? Derrida? Stephen King? Legends are innumerable. Who can we think of but Shelley, Byron, Keats from their era. Chaucer is it for his time. But what about us, and our time? Who really IS the genius of today, the one to stand out?'

Words, etc.

Language,
Reading
POLONIUS: What do you read, my lord?
HAMLET: Words, words, words.
(William Shakespeare, Hamlet, 2:2:191-192)
Ah, I love quoting Shakespeare in the morning. Or something. The truth is, I've always liked this little exchange in Hamlet, precisely because the prince's answer is one that never happens.

If I were to ask you what you're reading, you'd probably tell me the name of a book, or perhaps something of the plot. Maybe you'd give me an author's name, and you might mention how it's written (good or bad), or you might not. These are all good answers, and I'm not trying to imply otherwise, but how often do we actually discuss the books we're familiar with in terms of their makeup, their words?

Def Poetry: June 24 2005

Poetry,
Spoken Word,
Television
I'm glad we got into a small debate about this show last week. Some people like Def Poetry a lot, some people hate it, and you can't get very far into a discussion of this topic without revealing surprisingly vast rifts between what each of us believe the word "poetry" to mean.

This article is part of the Def Poetry Jam series. The next post in the series is Def Poetry: July 1 2005. The previous post in the series is Def Poetry: June 17 2005.

Reviewing the Review: June 26 2005

Poetry
It's time for book critics to stop beating up on Michael Cunningham, famed author of "The Hours" whose new "Specimen Days" is apparently just not working for anybody.

First, this eagerly awaited novel got trashed in the regular Times book section for trying to recreate the success of "The Hours" with Walt Whitman in the Virginia Woolf slot. The book has since been the subject of much industry buzz about how a big author can screw up.

Now the New York Times Sunday Book Review is jumping on the limp body for a few punches. Off, people! Nothing to see here.

This article is part of the Reviewing the New York Times Book Review series. The next post in the series is Sidestepping The Review. The previous post in the series is Reviewing the Review: June 19 2005.

The Author Has Left The Grid

Postmodernism,
Science Fiction
Has anybody heard about this John Twelve Hawks guy? According to his official biography, he lives off the grid and only speaks to his publisher via untraceable cell phone.

I don't usually follow the fantasy/sci-fi genre, but I have to admit I find this biographical concept (or conceit) intriguing. A few great writers have lived off the grid (Rimbaud and Thoreau come to mind). Anybody else know anything about this disconnected author, or has anyone read the book?

Shelby Foote

History,
News,
Tributes
Singlemalt alerted us to this sad piece of news about author Shelby Foote:

"So I read that he just died. Although I own his three volume set on the Civil War (ranked by the Modern Library as the 15th greatest non-fiction, English language book), I haven't got around to reading it. He had this relaxed, southern air about him on the Ken Burns Civil War documentary.

I'm bummed out that he died. I don't really know why because I haven't read his Civil War trilogy. But it depressed me nonetheless. Strange."

Cubicle-Bound

Existential,
Personal
Like many of us, I can contemplate living "off the grid" but in fact I live in a grid of grids. I spend the majority of my waking hours staring at a computer inside a large, well-lit office building, occasionally breaking for meetings or coffee or birthday cakes (with 300 people on each floor, every day is somebody's birthday) or lunch.

When my day job causes me great annoyance -- which is often, and which is lately -- I search for literary models to help keep my mind uncaged. Because so many human beings live office-bound lives, I wonder why there are not more great works of fiction and poetry that deal with the dilemma of the working-person's existence, or try to decode the rigid social customs, pressures and rituals of this lifestyle.

I can think of only a few examples of stories, novels, poems or plays that tackle this topic head-on. The ones that come to mind are: