MLA POETRY READING PART I

What began as a small "off campus" reading by innovative poets (and one critic) during the 1989 conference of the Modern Language Association has now grown to something like a floating BURNING MAN of verse. This year's gathering of the poets took place on Philadelphia's Rittenhouse Square on Dec. 29. That first reading, organized by Rod Smith in D.C.'s Adams Morgan neighborhood, was a comparatively simple affair. This year's, undertaken by Bob Perelman and company, required sponsorship (thanks, University of Alabama Press) and even insurance (evidently somebody thought getting more than half a century of poets in one room represented a substantial risk). The poets read roughly, and roughly in alpha order by first name. Most were surprisingly good about staying within their two minute allowance. (I have the digital recording, and thus the evidence of who was naughty and who was nice.) I'm sorry I wasn't able to get photos of everybody. (Hey, I don't even have a photo of myself reading.) But here, roughly in order of their appearance, are the poets themselves.





THE LIST (with annotations by Ron Silliman)

Aaron Kunin

Adam Fieled


Sasha Steensen

Ron Silliman & Lamont Steptoe

Tom Devaney

Ben Friedlander in red -- Bill Howe in thought

Bob Perelman

Aaron Kunin, Hank Lazer & Joseph Donahue

Brent Cunningham phones in his performance

Brian Kim Stefans

Camille Martin

Cathy Eisenhower

Christian Bok

Eduardo Espino (Loren Goodman reading the translation)

Elaine Terranova

Ethel Rackin

Evie Shockley

Frank Sherlock







Hank Lazer

Maria Damon continues her epic serial work in progress

Herman Beavers

Jena Osman

Jennifer Scappetone

Joan Retallack

Caroline Bergvall

Johanna Drucker

John Wilkinson

Josh Schuster

The Insured