February 2012
25 posts
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“I try to live by L.P. Jack’s notion: “A master in the art of living draws no...”
– JoJo Glick
“I was thinking about what makes a poem a poem–it’s not just line breaks. There’s...”
– The Rumpus Poetry Book Club Chat With Amy Newman
…which could lead to the conclusion that far too much of your poetic energy has been wasted in battling through your inbox, or that somewhere, in your sent folder, there’s some literary genius waiting for polish and attention…
...
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“The construction of computer programs represents an entirely new form of...”
– The Writing Process | Kitchen Table Coders | Workshops on the craft of creative coding in all its forms
Fascinating. Consider a poetics deeply influenced by programming principles and techniques. Shhh. Say no more. I’m on it.
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“true knowledge comes slowly and laboriously. It has nothing to do with...”
– J.D. Bentley’s on a “mindless consumption blackout”, and the call for more discerning use of the web continues. Looking forward to trawling through J.D.’s archived writings (certainly qualifies as discerning internet activity).
Mindless Consumption Blackout | J. D....
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“1. You must not dilly-dally. 2. You must be your word. 3. You must have good...”
– The rules, according to Buster Benson.
Have I not posted this before? Really? I probably have. I know. That’s lazy. I should probably check. But hey. You probably won’t. And if you missed it the first time round, it won’t hurt seeing it this time, right? And if you caught it the...
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“I tell my students not to wait for the right time or surroundings or materials...”
– ohbara.com/weblog · no more aspirational living
And it’s almost as if reflagging this post stands against the point of the post. Almost. Eirann Lorsung writes on the impetus behind her publishing initiative, MIEL. In doing so, she authors a battle cry for makers in this connected age. Go read...
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“MIEL wants your work if it is intelligent. If it feels. If it wants a new...”
– MIEL publishes poetry, short prose, photographs, and prints in forms that bridge the trade edition and artist’s book. And I, for one, am excited about that fact.
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“Try stuff. Make your best stab and keep stabbing. If it’s there in your...”
– Brian Brushwood - Bizarre Magic: America’s #1 College Magic Show - News - 14 years ago: the day Teller gave me the secret to my career in magic.
Also: “Place 2 and 2 right in front of my nose, but make me think I’m seeing 5. Then reveal the truth, 4!, and surprise me.”...
“In my opinion, what goes on in poems should always be too complex and too...”
– An Interview with Susan Settlemyre Williams - by Kimberly L. Becker - Eclectica Magazine v13n1
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“COMMANDMENTS
- Work on one thing at a time until finished.
- Start no more new...”
– Lists of Note: Henry Miller’s 11 Commandments (Via RGreco)
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Technology For The People
Saturday night, 22:32, and I’ve had a long day in Leeds talking tech with poets and writers from both Leeds and London, organised by Dorothea Smartt via Peepal Tree Press. We touched on social media, smartphones, e-publishing, creative use of web platforms, personas, audiences, time management and more. Pay me to talk tech? Joy. And I came away with that warm glow associated with sharing...
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“I’ve a friend who says, “Treat anything mechanical
as if it’s just about to...”
– Note to self: define instruction set and consider this poem as the basis for a writing challenge. Yes.
“The Breaks” by Kirk Robinson - RATTLE: Poetry for the 21st Century » RATTLE: Poetry for the 21st Century
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“I have built PCs and Linux boxes from parts. I built and ran a distributed Linux...”
– (1) Why do some people prefer Macs over PCs running Linux? - Quora
It may be hard to believe for the people who know me, but I used to be a PC guy. I actually used to dislike Macs. Granted, this was back in the day, when I had the time and inclination for building my own computers, tweaking...
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When is a blog more than a blog?
Two examples of Tumblr being used as more than just a blog (or even reblog) platform. The traditional structure of a blog is a series of posts offered in descending chronological order, pitching forward to some indeterminate future. While Tumblr (and other such platforms) were launched as micro-blogs— the same traditional basis for posting content chronologically minus the overhead of other...
“Spoken word poetry is unaccountably still looked down on by some within the...”
– The Spoken Word & Me: Faye Lipson via Spoken Word London
One of this year’s Barbican Poets, Faye Lipson, in an article on spoken word poetry, published through a site that’s maintained by two other Barbican Poets. I get to “teach” these guys; to say I’m blessed is...
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“Something similar has happened to the Internet. Transcending its original...”
– The Death of the Cyberflâneur - Evgeny Morozov, via NYTimes.com
Humbly disagree. Must we posit the social web as inherently evil? Surely the social mechanisms of the web serve as a tool for dissemination of findings (albeit hoisted up on a system that trades in the monetisation of habits, trends...
“Resolve to do lots of writing along the way. Much of it will be routine...”
– The Craft of Research, 3rd Edition via Andrea Mignolo
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On these kinds of days, it’s difficult to write. So much doing, not enough reflecting. Is there any rail equivalent for air miles? This week alone I’ve spent something like 30 hours in transit on cross country trains between London, Norwich, Dorset, Manchester and Leeds. And workshops: off the train, into a cab, to a venue, to work. This is not a complaint. It’s good to be (the...
“Don’t ask me who’s influenced me. A lion is made up of the lamb...”
– Charles De Gaulle
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“Exercise tenacity. It’s not what you take from something, it’s what...”
– —Franklyn Rodgers.
Had the opportunity to work with Frank on a PAL project: If Not You Who Else. It was a blessing, really, to share the space with so many accomplished and open-hearted people, and it’s the kind of space I wish I could inhabit much more of the time. Spring cleaning, I came... 