A Rag Man

Obviously, this reading and following was about anagrams. Personally I like the idea of the anagram as a poetic device and truly applaud those who used the technique before the internet and computerized generators (it took me about 5 minutes to think of what I could have by anagraming the word anagram just to get the title of this post). Anagraming is also unique and interesting because there are so many different word combinations that go unnoticed. I think we all settle into our own comfortable vernacular and stray rarely from a strong list of words that we feel comfortable with. When putting things as simple as your name into an anagram generator, there are often words that we seldom see or use (omelet eon gym gun is one anagram for Tommy Eugene Long).

The Disappearance seems like a wonderful experiment and it must have been a painstakingly arduous task to write 300 pages without the letter E. As I read the small piece shown, I became highly impressed at the execution of such a task. Exercises like these truly reinforce the power of the human brain. Well, its either that or we don't need the letter "E" (I quote the simpsons when Homer writes a restaraunt review on the computer and his keyboard doesn't have a letter E " we don't need no stinkin E's...Extravagent Eateries..no...food box...by homer...no...Earl.. no...aha BILL Simpson!") The Christian Bok book, and flash demo of E especially, was wonderful. Something about mermen and greek crews erecting vessels was wonderful use of one vowel throughout. It is definitely presented well on the internet utilizing modern mediums.


(I couldn't) (think of) (what to) (anagram)

cold unit fink tho hat tow raga man
lucid not fit honk watt ho a nag ram
cloud tin fink hot what to a gram an
Doc unlit of think that ow a mag ran
cut do nil hat wot a ma rang
Colt dun I thaw to a nag arm
Tic old nu haw tot a nag mar
cold I tun tatt how a rag am
cunt idol watt oh a gar man
could nit hat two gar am an

gibberish I know but like the title says..I couldn't think of what to anagram

Oulipo

Just browsing the Wikipedia page, I really like the snowball idea. It seems that would be difficult and once you get past 12 or 13 letters per word, it would be very difficult.

As a whole, I find this style of poem writing different than my personal tastes but very interesting. The fact that it was founded by poets and mathematicians really stands out as not only art that uses language as a medium, but also math. I think of these two methods, Dada and Ouliop, Dada is more toward my sensibility because it seems to have more artistic freedom. Though some Dada works are found poems and shuffling around words, from the examples on the wikipedia page, the examples of Oulipo poetry seem procedurally constraining. S+7 is a fun way to write poetry but it is purely based on whatever words are already written and a predisposed number, whereas there is some creativity in line length in a found poem. Obviously the Oulipo is fresher considering it was founded later than Dada, but a lot of Oulipo is based from Dada. The similarities in having certain procedures, not worrying about rhyme and meter, being irrational for the sake of the work are found in both the Oulipo and Dada philosophies.

Whenever there is a definite procedure, like those used by Dada and Oulipo, there is always going to be absurdity. It would very rare, and somewhat even more absurd, to do an S+7 poem and find a real cohesion in the words used. I think the point of these types of works is to use words in a creative and non-constructive manner; these works are often times rooted in a grammar-less grammar. To use poetry in the same way that we use spoken language is like painting a picture just as it is seen, and Oulipo and Dada try to create new rules, or not, in order to see how far they can contort language with no regard for traditional linguistic comprehension.

Wikipedia Page Oulipo

Oulipo potential works notable also The may constraints used void of History

Oulipo However suggestion colloquium During Pataphysique members La

Oulipian Some man Plasiris elaborate Queneau's indepently 10 approximately constraints some replace dick on snowball a lipogram writing letters. prisoners a palindromes sonnets members founding members the pataphysicians Noel Valerie Jacques Claude Jacques Anne Michelle Latis Francois Jean Michele Raymond Jean Albert Members Noel Valerie Marcel Jacques Claude Andre Paul Italo Francois Bernard Ross Stanley Marcel Jacques Luc Frederic Paul Anne Michelle Jacques Latis Francois Herve Jean Daniel Harry Michele Ian Oskar Georges Raymond Jean Pierre Jacques Olivier Albert References Mathews Motte Queneau The Lapprand See Ouxpo Outrapo Ougrapo External Excerpts A Essay an The French French French Absurdist Visual Music Literature Cinema General Categories

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I just decided to write down the first word of every line on the Oulipo wikipedia page...it's not really mathematical but it definitely is void of any true thought, foresight, or emotion

Dada response (from Tuesday)

Collage

Of course we are familiar with collage! In the American educational program I grew up in, collages were as prevalent as recess lol. I decided to look at some Raoul Haussman and really liked the Raoul Dada-Messe from 1920. The collage works are impressive but I feel that without substantial explanation, I don't really understand them. In the time period when the Dada movement emerged, the world was a much different place and so the art to me, though possibly intentional, seems overly abstract and ungraspable. I further looked at the Hannah Hoch collage Cut With the Kitchen Knife through the first Epoch of the Weimar Beer-Belly Culture and was enamored with the sheer amount of material, but i feel like I understood the message behind The Beautiful Girl. Especially today, I can't comment about in the past, the BMW logo is totally synonymous with wealth, prosperity, and money. From a modern lens, it is a commentary on ideals of beauty and femininity, dare I say intelligence with the inclusion of the light bulb, and monetary gain.


Ready Mades

One of my favorite "found" poems is the Williams' poem "This is Just to Say" because there is a lot of artistry in it's simplicity. I'm glad it was used as an example in this course because I feel it is an important poem. The idea of the readymade poem, however, usually gives me conflicting feelings: on one hand I agree that art is art whether it is found or created, and on the other hand it makes me a little uneasy that someone can find a piece of writing, take away the context, or overtly expose its context, and call it art. In the case of poetry, I find collage a truer form, in my opinion, of art than purely found poems because the artist has some say as to decisions made in the piece. A collage can be several cut ups of poems, phone books, advertisements, whereas a strictly found poem might be a recipe from a local cookbook regurgitated as a work of art.

Basic Chance operation

I have never played with this type of poetry writing but respect it's roots. Though I find it hard to believe that shuffling cut out words into a new format by picking them from a bag bears any resemblance to the artist itself, I like the randomness of the excercise.


Found Poem (Taken from a Legal Brief...names have been changed)

"Settlement Brief Page One"

Superior Court of the State of
California, County of San Diego, Central
Judicial District

Janice Fry
an individual
& William Fry
an individual
Plaintiff

v.

Los Cochinitos Restaurant,
and
Julio Gonzalez
et. al.

Case no. Not yet filed
plaintiffs settlement rief
Date of Accident: 11-01-03

-----

I took this from My dad's Law Office but obviously had to change the names but the point is the same.

Introduction to 399

Disregard the title of the blog...I set this blog up for a prior class and now i am being internet-environmentally friendly by recycling and using this blog again. Anyway I'm Tommy Long. If you have had class with me before than that should be substantial enough of a description..if not thenI don't know what else to really say as in my case I believe my name is the only description that is fitting of me. Just kidding, but honestly I don't know what to say other than welcome, I'm Tommy. I'm kind of a graduate kind of a senior still. I am from San Diego, CA where I am looking for a job currently. I will be a graduate with a degree in English and Writing. I really miss playing football but I will never have to get screamed at by middle aged men who are living vicariously through a team of spry athletic men so I am thankful for that.I like to have fun, write, create masterpieces, travel, spend time with my nieces, If you get some time browse around here and you can see the poems I wrote for a chapbook poetry book and if you REALLY want to order one then I'll make you one. Otherwise have fun.

Constraints and Procedural writing

I understand the idea of constraints as far as procedural writing goes (if those two even go together, if not then I am obviously an idiot). It makes sense that when writing under a certain procedure, like a sonnet as explained, that the poet has to adhere to certain constraints or rules that make said piece of writing a sonnet. You can't call yourself a basketball player if you are kicking the ball.  Conversely, I really like proceduralism mainly because I like the detached feeling portrayed. In Kasey's case, using only the salutations of his emails gives no feeling to the work, no forethought, and no emotion; the poem is strictly what it is meant to be (a found poem from already written texts in various emails).

Aleatory writing

I see how this type of writing is very close in nature to stream of consciousness. Though I very closely agree with a point brought up by Kasey about thoughts being random. I agree that it is very difficult not to censor your thoughts, and nearly impossible to maintain that there is no invisible net inside your head that doesn't screen things to an extent. Randomization of thought is a very tricky idea to grasp because how can thoughts truly be random if you (or I) are the one thinking them and each of us does have our own unique quirks and dispositions that motivate our thoughts.

Free Verse

I think it is ironic how free verse in itself becomes a tradition or a procedure. If you look at a common accepted definition that free-verse is sort of "everything else" that doesn't fit a specific mold, constraint, procedure or tradition, then isn't it still fitting all of those things in itself. Can you play a game that has no rules? Not really because a game with no rules has one rule: there are no rules. I think free verse is the same type of catch-22. Though it adheres to no specific rule in conjunction with rhyme, meter, assonance, etc. by not adhering to those constraints, free verse poems are adhering to the rule that they don't adhere to those rules...if that makes sense.

----------------------------------Poem begins...now

Sitting Shirtless

I am here in the morning darkness

since

my mother's apartment has poor illumination.

And as I write for class,

trying to continue to type

but deleting when I see fit

I pause to scratch my face

seconds ago.

I scanned back to Kasey's blog

in order to see

if this poem, would fit the criteria

he laid out. I am still unsure.

It is early still

to some people

but the morning is more than half over.

I, on the other hand, am unemployed.

--------------------------------------------------poem over

That's it for now, it is time to look at some other blogs and wait for the responses to come rollin in...