PoemTalk Podcast #127, discussing Ashbery's "The Short Answer," August 20, 2018
Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.
PoemTalk Podcast #9, discussing Ashbery's "Crossroads in the Past," August 13, 2008
Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.
Of note: Critical and genetic edition of The Skaters, ed. Robin Seguy: EPC. Includes holographs, unpublished poems, and a text-voice aligned version of Ashbery reading the poem.
Reading Commotion of the Birds in his Hudson Home, June 17, 2017
Reading for a Tribute to James Tate, Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, NYC, February 4, 2016
Two poems by James Tate — "Goodtime Jesus" and "My Private Tasmania" (4:05): MP3
Reading at Pioneer Works, Red Hook, Brooklyn, December 8, 2015
John Ashbery celebration featuring readings by Geoffery G. O’Brien, Mónica
de la Torre, and John Yau, with opening remarks for John Ashbery by Ben Lerner. Further information on this event can be found at the
Pioneer Works programs archive, here.
Reading "Europe" from The Tennis Court Oath, Sections 1-25, for the Paris launch of Olivier Brossard's translation of The Tennis Court Oath, NYC, November 19, 2015
(poems read include 'How to Continue', 'Hotel Lautréamont', 'Sleepers Awake', 'Ignorance of the Law Is No Excuse', 'A Worldly Country', 'If You Said You Would Come With Me'.)
Please note: the quality of this recording, which was taken from a videotape of the event, is less than optimal; however we
felt that its significance merited our posting it, and have done our best to make the audio as clear as possible
John Ashbery
After John's retrospective reading at the Bard 80th birthday celebration, we gathered at Finberg House. Pierre Jorris narrates with Joan Retallack close by. (mp4, 14 seconds, 10.5 mb)
Lecture: "Why Must You Know:" The Poetry of John Wheelwright (50:29): MP3
These lectures were later revised and published as Other Traditions (Harvard University Press, 2001). Special thanks to the Woodberry Poetry Room at Harvard University for providing these recordings.
John Ashbery (in New York) was interviewed by John Tranter (in Sydney), in May 1988. This interview was edited by John Tranter, and broadcast on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Radio National program 'Radio Helicon', on Sunday 19 June 1988, from 8.15 to 10.00 p.m., with other material.
A partial text of this interview appears in Jacket Magazine's second issue, available here.
Includes readings from St. Mark's Church, May 26, 1971; CBGB's Benefit, c. 1980; and St. Mark's Church, May 4, 1983
Appearing with Robert Creeley in "Attitudes Towards the Flame," part of "The Territory of Art" radio series, produced and (c) by Museum of Comtemporary Art, Los Angeles, 1983
written by Julia Brown, produced by Ara Guzelimian
"Mr. Ashbery reads two poems from his collection entitled Some trees; two from Rivers and mountains; two from The double dream of spring; one from Self-portrait in a convex mirror; and three of his other poems. Stanley Kunitz introduces the poet and moderates the discussion." - Library of Congress Catalog
Note: Bill Berkson gave the introduction at this event. The gallery reading was organized by
Ruth Kligman, and the reading of "The Skaters" was the first ever. It is Berkson's recollection
that the standing-room-only audience included Edwin Denby, Frank O'Hara, and "many of the younger
New York poets (Padgett, Berrigan, Towle, Shapiro) and also Andy Warhol."
Reading at The Living Theatre, New York City, September 16, 1963
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