http://grandtextauto.org/2005/06/19/from-coast-to-cradle/ A group blog about computer narrative, games, poetry, and art. Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:43:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 http://grandtextauto.org/2005/06/19/from-coast-to-cradle/comment-page-1/#comment-62416 scott Mon, 20 Jun 2005 04:02:39 +0000 http://grandtextauto.org/?p=843#comment-62416 I thought that John Asbury was indeed one of southern New Jersey's, if not the nation's, leading poets. Like many other attendees, I was blinded by the light of his performance, lost in the flood of somehow more sensible than sublime stretched and bent backwards metaphors. After the reading I bought two of his books and as he put his pen to the page I thought about saying something marginally witty like could I get your John Ashbery, Hancock? or that's not what I came for, I came for you, for you, I came for you but instead settled for Autograph? I really enjoyed your reading. He is like a spirit in the night, he's alright. I thought he was particularly good not only during the read but also the Q and A, deftly handling not only the "how do I get rich and famous as a poet?" question (A: You don't), the "What do you read?" question (A: The key to understanding my work is to read the complete Proust), the "Can I ask a personal question? Are you married and do you have children?" (A: I'm gay but I do have a bibliographer), and the classic "How important is hip-hop to contemporary American poetry?" (A: 50 cent does nothing for me but John Cage is the sheezit.) Incidentally, Ocean City is NOT the Ocean City in John Barth's "Lost in the Funhouse" and if you order a Coors in O.C. you will not get a poorly brewed beer but a classic American soft-serve cone. I thought that John Asbury was indeed one of southern New Jersey’s, if not the nation’s, leading poets. Like many other attendees, I was blinded by the light of his performance, lost in the flood of somehow more sensible than sublime stretched and bent backwards metaphors. After the reading I bought two of his books and as he put his pen to the page I thought about saying something marginally witty like could I get your John Ashbery, Hancock? or that’s not what I came for, I came for you, for you, I came for you but instead settled for Autograph? I really enjoyed your reading. He is like a spirit in the night, he’s alright. I thought he was particularly good not only during the read but also the Q and A, deftly handling not only the “how do I get rich and famous as a poet?” question (A: You don’t), the “What do you read?” question (A: The key to understanding my work is to read the complete Proust), the “Can I ask a personal question? Are you married and do you have children?” (A: I’m gay but I do have a bibliographer), and the classic “How important is hip-hop to contemporary American poetry?” (A: 50 cent does nothing for me but John Cage is the sheezit.) Incidentally, Ocean City is NOT the Ocean City in John Barth’s “Lost in the Funhouse” and if you order a Coors in O.C. you will not get a poorly brewed beer but a classic American soft-serve cone.

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