The Project is Closed

It seems that I have just moved on from this project now, probably no returning to it. I’ve already blabbed on too much about these poems and my process (blahblahblah) — it’s time to just stop. The poems have been removed from the site in hopes of finding them a home in a journal somewhere where they may be (hopefully) more widely appreciated.

Chow! Ahr Revwar!

Project Reading List

Besides reading some of the input texts as they are fed into the mix, I also have been reading some books lately that are generating for the project a clearer ethos than I’ve had set I set it aside earlier this year. I’m remembering what the impulses behind this work were.

Some books on the list: Carolyn Nordstrom’s Shadows of War, Lust (from the Seven Deadly Sins lecture series) by Simon Blackburn, Violence by Slavoj Zizek, Three Steps on the Ladder of Writing by Helene Cixous and, invariably, a Buddhist Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon, In the Buddha’s Words by Bhikkhu Bodhi (ed.).

I have found repeatedly that non-fiction, especially historical, anthorpological, socialogical and philosophical/religious texts are much more inspirational to me when working on projects than any type of literature or literary text, including other poetry. I suppose it makes me feel a greater connection to (and better perspective on) the world outside of myself and my art – something in great need of encouragement always.

The Project Continues

At last I’m returning to work on this project. Today I’ve reworked the source input file, removing all of the Project Gutenberg texts because they were seriously watering down the language I wanted for this project. I add Delta of Venus (I thought I had already) and now I need to balance the sexually charged content with more political and internet babble. I’m currently grabbing blog posts and comment streams from The Nation Blogs. The source text links on the side of the page are up to date.

I’m still building up the output selections file. New poems will follow soon.

Notes from my Thesis Defense

My committee was very impressed in particular with these five poems in my thesis. I’m just writing down here a few of comments they made about it:

• There is a global / postcolonial imagination working agressively here. I take this as a hopeful direction in my work.
• The sense of discomfort with and distancing of the author from the identity of “American” is apparent in the poems, as I mount a critique against American Imperialism while positioning myself outside of it.
• The imagination at works is hyper-American, in that it is fixated on the two great American literary themes, Love and Violent Death. In ways this is similar to the themes that wind through a light heart, its black thoughts, but the movement is very different here.

When I do eventually pick this series back up, I’m definitely going to have some of these comments in mind.

The Influence of R. Crumb on This Project (and its Author)

I’ve been a big fan of R. Crumb since a friend of mine introduced me to his comics in high school. He has undoubtedly had an influence on my sexual imagination, probably to the same extent as William S. Burroughs and his Cities of the Red Night trilogy. It is this realm that I am exploring with this series of poems, which should continue to expand over the next several months. R. Crumb’s representations of sexuality and lust are a conscious influence from here out.

The images below should lay out some of the themes from Crumb’s work that will figure in His & Hers. I found them online. I may add some more of my favorites later on when I have time to scan them.

I guess this is an admission that, deep inside, I am one sick fuck.

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sexism

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feminism

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race

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racism

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shameless perversity

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uncensored male fantasy

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male inadequacy / sub-dom

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school girls

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delicious, meaty women

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