One of the best parts of visiting San Francisco is visiting Fisherman's Wharf. Yes, it's too touristy, but 1) the sea lions and 2) clam chowder in Boudin sourdough bread bowls.
Wednesday, 18 May 2016
Monday, 16 May 2016
Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse by Anne Carson (Vintage, 1999), first selection
A first selection of favourite passages from this wonderful book:
He clothed himself in this strong word each.
*
Before this time Geryon had not lived nights just days and their red intervals.
*
Facts are bigger in the dark.
He clothed himself in this strong word each.
*
Before this time Geryon had not lived nights just days and their red intervals.
*
Facts are bigger in the dark.
from "II. Each"
...said his mother
rhinestoning past on her way to the door. She had all her breasts on this evening.
*
She was standing before him now
smiling hard and rummaging in his face with her eyes.
from "III. Rhinestones"
They grinned at each other as night climbed ashore.
from "IV. Tuesday"
Then he met Herakles and all the kingdoms of his life shifted down a few notches.
They were two superior eels
at the bottom of the tank and they recognized each other like italics.
*
The world poured back and forth between their eyes once or twice.
from "VII. Change"
Her voice drew a circle
around all the years he had spent in this room.
*
A pure bold longing to be gone filled him.
from "IX. Space and Time"
He understood
that people need
acts of attention from one another, does it really matter which acts?
*
His voice washed
Geryon open.
from "X. Sex Questions"
He could feel the house of sleepers
around him like loaves on shelves.
*
...and a fragment of human voice tore itself out and came past, it seemed
already long ago, trailing
a bad dust of its dream which touched his skin.
from "XII. Lava"
As in childhood we live sweeping close to the sky and now, what dawn is this.
from "XVI. Grooming"
In the UK, you can buy Autobiography of Red from Hive here.
Saturday, 14 May 2016
Yosemite, April 2016, second of two selections
Sorry it's taken so long to post these--I've been having trouble uploading certain photos in Blogger.
It was surprising how close to the road and to people the deer came.
After three very misty and rainy days, on the day we left it cleared considerably, and we saw the famous valley view. Glorious.
Trev and I are both hoping to return another time for a longer stay.
Thursday, 28 April 2016
rob mclennan's 12 or 20 questions interview
Rob mclennan interviewed me for his blog; the result can be read here. I'd be interested in any responses....
Saturday, 16 April 2016
Nerve Damage, a different kind of ekphrastic anthology
"The Poet" by Joel-Peter Witkin
Rupert Loydell sent this image to numerous poets asking for their responses in poetry, and the booklet Nerve Damage collects the results, with contributions from Annabel Banks, Sarah Cave, M.A. Duxbury-Hibbert, A.C. Evans, Mike Ferguson, Peter Finch, John Gimlet, David H.W. Grubb, Alan Halsey, Daniel Y. Harris, H.L. Hix, Aaron Kent, John Mingay, Sheila E. Murphy, John Phillips, Ian Seed, Robert Sheppard, Martin Stannard, Paul Sutton, George Ttoouli, Loydell, and myself. It can be purchased by sending £5 cheque made to R.M. Loydell or a $10 bill for US orders to Stride, 4B Tremayne Close, Devoran, Cornwall TR3 6QE. I'm greatly looking forward to reading the other poems, to see the range of responses to the image.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Yosemite, April 2016, first of two selections
Bridalveil Fall
Squirrels with the inside of a fallen tree for a home
Yosemite Upper and Lower Falls
Sunday, 10 April 2016
Saturday, 9 April 2016
Thursday, 7 April 2016
(Re)visiting UCLA, my alma mater, 3 April 2016, second of two
In the Sculpture Garden. The building behind it is Bunche Hall, where I took many of my Latin classes.
More of the Sculpture Garden.
This is where the Department of English was housed in my time.
Great sculptures in the square of Rolfe Hall.
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
(Re)visiting UCLA, my alma mater, 3 April 2016, first of two
I graduated from UCLA in 1995 and last visited UCLA briefly around 2000. When we parked the car, I wasn't sure where I was, but with each new thing I saw, I remembered some other item nearby, and puzzle piece by piece, my map of the campus and my time there came together.
The majestic Royce Hall, where I took Chaucer with V.A. Kolve.
Another view of Royce Hall
The quad. The hammocks are a good addition since my time.
UCLA's mascot, the great bruin. He provides soothing shade for a dog.
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