More Elegy than Memoir (First Reaction)

Yes, it is a memoir. But by the end of the book, it became for me a lovely elegy for Robert Mapplethorpe and the friendship that they had built and that Smith lost with his death. Maybe it is just my emotionally unstable state these days, but I found myself crying at the end. Very simple and elegant book, I never felt the heavy handedness or self-centered quality that inhabits most memoir.

I loved the vignette where the book gets its title. I need to remember to take my students seriously, because they take themselves seriously. They are just kids, but they are creative human beings as well.

Part of why I loved reading this book is because Patti Smith and her music has been a constant since my sister gave me Horses when I was 15 or 16, and then finding a copy of Radio Ethiopia at the k-mart in Victoria the next year. When I came to Austin for a speech tournament, I went to Grok Books (now Bookpeople) and found a copy of Smith's poetry. I used a quote from her liner notes to Radio Ethiopia to introduce my poems I was reading in speech tournaments. The year Dream of Life came out I was teaching in Beeville and the uprising in China was occuring so close after the fall of the Berlin wall. I remember listening to People have the Power and believing it.

Several years ago, Patti Smith played a free concert in Waterloo park. Lisa and I left the children with the grandparents and stood in the cold drizzly park to see her. One of the best concert experiences ever. During Gung Ho, a song about Viet Nam and Ho Chi Min, the Star Flight landing at Breckenridge added a surreal element to the whole event.

Thanks Richard for choosing this book.

The Jackson Song

I posted this on Facebook back when I started reading "Just Kids" Now that I have finished and since she talked about this song near the end of the book, I thought I would post it again.

Review of Just Friends

Unpretentious, poetic, and inspiring - loved the reminiscing of NYC. Love that place. Never heard any of her music (I know who she is, but I never listend to any albums - missed the boat on that one.) I'm checking out "Horses" right now. Great stuff.

PS - I'm going to do some research on Mapplethorpe photography when I get back to work on Monday. I'm excited to see what he has to offer. Thinking about doing a Mapplethorpe photgraph poetry to picture project with my kids...lol.

Robert Mapplethorpe Photos

Click here for photos.




His photos are quite stunning.

Patti Smith. Gloria. First Song on her First Album

David Foster Wallace is my Justin Bieber

I know, I know, I've been totally obsessed over this guy. Don't worry - the feelings will eventually quell once his new book comes out this month. I'm just very excited to read his final work (well, his pieced together work) and after reading our book for this month, it only intensifies my anticipation.

I'm looking forward to what people thought about the book - oh, and to drink beer.

See you guys on Sunday.

Taylor Mali on the Importance of Proofreading

you will laugh out loud. You will.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/article.html?id=241610

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/journal/article.html?id=241610

Interesting article by John Ashbery on the difficulties of translating Rimbaud's Illuminations. See picture of Rimbaud at the top of this blog.

Language Group at University of Houston Victoria Campus

Among other things, they talk about how differently private college profs read as compared to public college profs. Makes sense in the terms of discourse communities, figured worlds, and communities of practice.

http://societyforcriticalexchange.org/default.asp

Great article on DFW

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v33/n08/jenny-turner/illuminating-horrible-etc