Ron Silliman



photo: © 2008 Charles Bernstein/PennSound

LINEbreak program with Charles Bernstein


Ron Silliman on Live at the Ear, a compilation from Elemenope Productions, 1994.

Reading at The Grand Piano June 20, 1978
Complete Reading (44:00): MP3

Reading for the Anthology Film Archive, March 8, 1981
Complete Reading (40:29): MP3

LEGEND, read by Andrews, Bernstein, DiPalma and Silliman in NYC, March 10, 1981

Segue Series Reading at the Ear Inn, NYC April 7, 1984
Complete Reading (31:37): MP3

Segue Series Reading at The Ear Inn, NYC April 12, 1986
Complete Reading (37:27): MP3

Segue Series Reading at The Ear Inn, February 15, 1987
Complete Reading (38:28): MP3

Segue Series Reading at The Ear Inn, January 29, 1994
Complete Reading (36:46): MP3


Reading at Lehigh University, March 17, 1997
complete reading (35:50): MP3
question & answer session (37:07): MP3

(reading courtesy of Jack Krick)

PhillyTalks Episode #3 with Jeff Derksen, January 21, 1998


Reading at SUNY-Buffalo, March 16, 2000
1. Introduction (11:02)
2. 'Paradise' (1:05:47)


Segue Series Reading at Double Happiness, May 13, 2000
1. introduction (1:48): MP3
2. Silliman's introduction (1:18): MP3

from the "You" section of The Alphabet
3. 17. (2:30): MP3
4. 18 (for Bob and Francie) (2:34): MP3
5. 26 (0:39): MP3
6. 38 (for Linh Dinh) (2:44): MP3
7. 52 (2:30): MP3

from the "VOG" section of The Alphabet
8 Silence of the Looms (5:14): MP3
9. Elegy for Larry Eigner (4:10): MP3
10. Spiderduck (11:59): MP3

complete reading (38:22): MP3


Silliman on Williams as part of the "9 Poets Read Themselves through Modernism" event at the Kelly Writers House, October 12, 2000: 25 minute RealAudio file


Reading at La Tazza, Philadelphia, August 8, 2003
complete reading (18:03): MP3

(reading courtesy of Jack Krick)


Reading at the Kelly Writers House, University of Pennsylvania
September 21, 2004:
1. Introduction by Bob Perelman (6:07)
2. Albany (5:55)
3. Quindecagon (9:57): text, © Ron Silliman 1995, 2004
4. from Xing (20:48)
5. Woundwood (8:07)
6. Discussion (10:05)


Talk at Kelly Writers House, University of Pennsylvania,
"Theorizing" series, February 23, 2005:
"Plotless Prose: Robert Duncan's H.D. Book" (large file, about 1 1/2 hours)


Segue Series Reading at the Bowery Poetry Club, November 19, 2005
1. introduction (3:43): MP3
2. Silliman's opening comments (3:08): MP3
3. Quindecagon (8:38): MP3
4. Albany (5:26): MP3
5. on Under Albany (1:53): MP3

from Under Albany
6. "If a function of writing is to express the world" (4:40): MP3
7. "A benefit reading" (10:17): MP3
8. "Co-payment" (3:37): MP3

complete reading (42:07): MP3


Amy King interviews Ron Silliman on a miPOradio POdcast (1:24:25)
The Bowery Poetry Club, November 19, 2005


Desert City at Chapel Hill, NC.
March 2nd, 2006.

Kutztown State University, Kutztown, PA.
March 6th, 2006.


Reading for the Contemporary Writers Series at Mills College, October 2, 2007

1. Introduction by Stephen Ratcliffe (6:10): MP3
2. The Age of Huts (15:10): MP3
3. A Chinese Notebook (7:09): MP3
4. 2197 (10:26): MP3
5. Q&A (15:48): MP3

Complete Reading (58:35) MP3


from A Celebration of George Oppen's 100th Birthday at the Kelly Writers House, April 7, 2008
"Three Regrets for George Oppen" (7:49): MP3

(read Silliman's essay on his blog)



The Alphabet Reading at the Kelly Writers House, February 17, 2009

1. Introduction by Jessica Lowenthal (3:09): MP3
2. Statement by Rachel Blau DuPlessis (10:44): MP3
3. Introduction by Charles Bernstein (5:18): MP3
4. Introduction by Bob Perelman (4:12): MP3
5. The Alphabet Reading (52:10): MP3

Complete Recording (1:08:10): MP3

Watch a video recording of this event via KWH-TV


Segue Series Reading at the Bowery Poetry Club, April 4, 2009

Complete Recording (begins midway through) (17:46): MP3

Also of Interest at PennSound:

Silliman with Andrews and Bernstein, March 6, 1981
In conversation: 1. (44:37) MP3  // 2.(44:43) MP3 // 3. (43:32) MP3

Silliman reading Philadelphia (2:45) for Episode 6 of Live at the Kelly Writers House

Poetry and Empire: Post-Invasion Poetics [Presented at the ICA, University of Pennsylvania, 2003]
    Friday reading
    Saturday reading

Discusion with Al Filreis and Bob Perelman after the Bob Cobbing celebration at the Kelly Writers House, October 11, 2007 (5:31)

Statement made by Rachel Blau DuPlessis for the celebration of Silliman's The Alphabet (February 2009) [MP3]


Ron Silliman on PennSound Daily

• February 23, 2009: "A Celebration of Ron Silliman's The Alphabet at the Kelly Writers House"
• February 15, 2009: "A Celebration of Ron Silliman's The Alphabet at the Kelly Writers House"
• September 29, 2008: "Ron Silliman: New Recordings from 1997, 2003"
• April 1, 2008: "Ron Silliman: Two Recent Segue Readings Segmented"

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the author. © 2004-2007 Ron Silliman. Used with permission of Ron Silliman. Distributed by PennSound.