…for Sam Rushforth, the well-read botanist who, reading The Crossing by candlelight at 13,000 feet altitude while we were on the island of Taquile, Peru, experienced remarkable hallucinations in conjunction with Billy Parham’s experiences in the novel. This final chapter … Continue reading →
Six or seven months ago, while Alex was in the hospital being treated for breathing issues, I heard Trent and Alex talking about mail art. I heard the name Ray Johnson and others I don’t remember. They referenced the FLUXUS … Continue reading →
Working to keep Alex close, I wrote this for a Canadian journal of poetry and poetics: periodicities. Seeing it posted today, I remember Alex sending letters to Rilke, Mallarme, Baudelaire, and others who had passed on and for whom Alex … Continue reading →
Thomas Deichmann’s two-volume set has surfaced memories of a life-changing—a life-jolting—trip through the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a land and peoples sundered by civil wars catalyzed and exploited by nationalist leaders. In May, 1998 I joined my friend and … Continue reading →
A week ago, on Tuesday, February 3, Alex sent me this photo of two pages of his notebook. The self portrait was drawn at 11:30 pm on January 31, the poem written the next morning, at 8:35 am. The evening … Continue reading →
Uncategorized83rd birthdayAnne KisterPeter HandkeSnow from TomorrowSnow from YesterdayThomas DeichmanntranslationZarko Radakovic
December 6, 1942. Peter Handke is 83 years old today. One of the distinct pleasures of my life has been translating some of Handke’s work, including Voyage by Dugout, To Duration, A Journey to the Rivers, stories from Once Again … Continue reading →
UncategorizedBrian EvensonKevin ToscaSacred ParasiteSalt Lake CityTorsten Bohm
“Salt Lake City includes 19 pieces of art by Torsten Bohm and 4 short stories by Brian Evenson about 1) The most brilliant, life-altering music you will never hear 2) A trip to Japan and a purple food (vegetable???) you … Continue reading →
A friend from college (that was a few years ago) recently posted a list of authors who have been especially important to her. She’s a professor at a Colorado college with degrees in comparative literature and Russian and has also … Continue reading →
UncategorizedBrooke Williamsdis-enchantmentdragonfliesenchantmentEncountering DragonflyRobin Wall KimmererSam RushforthWild Rides and Wildflowers
When Brooke told me his dragonfly book was available for pre-order, I jumped at the chance. And when the announcement came that the book was finally available, I made sure to order it. Not the first time I’ve accomplished this. … Continue reading →
UncategorizedAlan ClarkeHarvard Universityideology and universitiespolitical activismThomas Mann
My first published article, “Der Zauberberg and the German Romantic Novel,” appeared in the Fall 1980 issue of The Germanic Review. The article revealed Mann’s reliance on Marianne Thalmann’s scholarly work on 18th-Century secret-society novels. Drawing heavily on her book, … Continue reading →
