At the Poetry Center 1957, L-R: Ida Hodes, Jack Spicer, Ruth Witt-Diamant, Robert Duncan
In 1974, John Taggart asked me for an essay for an issue of Maps dedicated to the work of Robert Duncan. I chose to do a close reading of the first poems of Duncan’s now-classic Opening of the Field where I suggested that Duncan set them out as an argument from which to mount the large, unnamed Life Work that began with these poems. Later today, I will be participating in Penn’s Poetry in 1960 symposium, and will allude to this piece, tho not read from it.
December 6 in Philadelphia
Poetry in 1960: A symposium
with introduction by Al Filreis,
Bob Perelman on The New American Poetry edited by Donald Allen,
Ron Silliman on The Opening of the Field by Robert Duncan,
Rachel Blau DuPlessis on Second Avenue by Frank O'Hara,
Chris Funkhouser on Stanzas for Iris Lezak by Jackson Mac Low,
Erica Kaufman on The Location of Things by Barbara Guest,
Judith Goldman on The Bean Eaters by Gwendolyn Brooks,
Kristen Gallagher on Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note by LeRoi Jones,
Danny Snelson on Cartridge Music by John Cage,
Michael S. Hennessey on A New Folder edited by Daisy Aldan,
Charles Bernstein on On My Eyes by Larry Eigner, &
Mel Nichols on Hymns of St. Bridget by Bill Berkson & Frank O'Hara
Live video from the symposium here
