[New-Poetry] Against National Poetry Month

[amy king]

Speaking of rock throwing and other means, I kind of like the old school sentiment of the Situationists and other kinds of non-violent art terrorism ... I wish someone would help me recall some of those 'actions' here ... that would give me ideas that I might actualize (except I don't know if I have the time at the moment, busy earning a wage to survive and all) -- but I really wish I had the skills to hack some major web site and post poems where advertisements should be.  I'm an idealist and all ... 

There is a guy who used to make street signs that looked like the real deal, but the words or pictures were changed to some subversive message -- he was doing this a lot when I first moved to NYC ten years ago (can't remember his name) -- I recall one very visible billboard that totally undid some major car campaign -- and delivered a telling message -- that one stayed in place for about a month before someone had it removed.  I remember staring at it in disbelief each time I passed it -- I couldn't really fathom that he had gotten away with such a huge display that appeared at a glance to be the correct ad but was, in fact, more revealing and damaging, in my humble opinion -- I was super-impressed.  I so wish I had photographed his actions ... I saw regular street signs that he had replaced too.  Who was that dude?  I used to imagine myself doing something similar with poetry, to the point that I did begin leaving printed out poems in obvious places for a while (i.e.
 counters, cafe tables, subway seats, etc) ... I think I even left some in non-poetry books on bookstore shelves ... alas.  

Here comes the idealist again:  a few years ago "flash mobs" came into existence for a spell.  I mean, if some stranger named Bill can get fifty or a hundred strangers to converge in a location and execute some seemingly purposeless act in unison - through email directives only - successfully so, what can poets who have a shared interest in poetry do?

Flash mobs:  http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/internet/08/04/flash.mob/

"Adam, one of the organizers of the proposed London flash mob, said: "Flash mobs anchor the online world into the real world -- they are a manifestation of your 'cc' list" -- a reference to the electronic 'carbon copies' used to distribute e-mails widely. 
        Bill, the reported creator, told CNN: 'I called ours 'inexplicable mobs'. For some people, it is purely funny. For others, it is social -- they like being out with people. For others, it is political -- just getting out in the streets is a political act. I personally like it because it is aesthetic -- I love seeing all the people come together, seemingly out of nowhere.'"


Going back to my Saturday night elsewhere now ...


TheOldMole <Opus40-01 at opus40.org> wrote: Bob -- Actually, I don't even have any problem with Bernstein or Grumman 
or King, either. Nothing like a little rock throwing to spice up any art 
form.

Bob Grumman wrote:
>
>
>> I'd be angry at the suppression of non-mainstream poetry, if that's 
>> actually been happening, but somewhat less outraged to discover that 
>> mainstream poetry is the kind most accepted by the main stream.
>
> Agreed.
>
>> I don't  have any particular problem with National Poetry Month, any 
>> more than with Black History Month or Earth Day.
>
> Earth Day is fine with me.
>
>> My suggestion to partisans of poetic schools that aren't popular is 
>> (a) try to figure out some way to make yourselves popular,
>
> Not make ourselves popular so much as make our existence 
> recognized--and I can't see any other way to do that than by 
> constantly yelling, however boringly, "we exist, too!"
>
> --Bob G.
>
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>

-- 
Tad Richards
http://www.opus40.org/tadrichards/
http://opusforty.blogspot.com/

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