Like a bird that trails a broken wing under a bridge of stone the river shuddered by.
published 16th September 2017
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Under The Cliff Like by Tim Allen – out in 6 days
10 SepUnder The Cliff Like’ is constructed from the ‘Title And First Line Index’ in the 1962 edition of ‘Granger’s Index To Poetry’ (Columbia University Press. U.S.A.) which I found in a junk shop. It was written in 1996. In alphabetical order all entries beginning with ‘Like’ are juxtaposed with the equivalent number of entries beginning with ‘Under’. There are no alterations other than elimination of commas and the capital letter of the juxtaposed line plus the insertion of full stops at the end of each pairing.
Some samples will appear over the next 5 days.
Poetry Wholes blog piece at Nice Cuts
7 JunThe very lovely people at Nice Cuts have published a blog post in which Stephen Emmerson and James Davies reflect on Poetry Wholes. Here’s a snippet –
I often perform using the Poetry Wholes. I ask members of the audience for a book. I need five in total. I ask for prose books (not poetry), and I get novels, textbooks, newspapers, instruction manuals and other interesting textual artefacts. I then place each of the Poetry Wholes over a page in each of the books and improvise a poetic reading. By that, I mean I use rhythm. I love doing it. I’ve done it scores of times since they were first published in 2014. I never know what I’m going to get.
The Poetry Wholes act as windows into a poetry that surrounds us. It’s everywhere, but we can’t always see it. Often a poem is about what’s not visible, what’s not tangible, and I hope that the Wholes create tiny portals into those murky spaces where art exists in the boundaries of the everyday.
Stephen Emmerson’s Poetry Wholes, Second Edition out now
8 MayThey’re back but this time made of wood rather than plastic!
After the calls for a second edition of Poetry Wholes we’ve finally succumb. For information about the first edition click HERE
Poet Stephen Emmerson has worked with if p then q to create the incredible Poetry Wholes, Second Edition. An explanation of what they are is below. And below that are some images of the box and its contexts along with two overjoyed users who, two years later, are still on work experience at if p then q. The Poetry Wholes are made of high quality mdf and come housed in a box with a set of instructions. Unlimited edition. Copies will also be available to use at The Poetry Library London and Special collections at The University of Buffalo.
What are they? Each Poetry Wholes contains 5 templates which you can use to make instantaneous poetry in a range of styles. Choose from the following:
- Minimalism
- The Sonnet
- ‘Vito Acconci’
- The Ballad
- The ‘Slash’
How do I use them? Simply take a regular ‘A5’ size book such as a novel or a book of poems and place your template over the top. Now you have a poem!
How do I record my poem? Try writing them down the old fashioned way with a pen, photograph them or even cut the poem out using a craft knife – remember if you don’t own the book you should get permission from the owner before doing this!
Why not try? Literary texts and other ‘A5’ size books are not the only things to try! Why not try old packaging found around the house, your favourite websites or magazine and billboard adverts. The possibilities are endless!
See more below and follow the link to purchase.
The Wholes out of the box
The Wholes in the box
Using ‘Vito Acconci’ on The 78 Storey Tree House by Andy Griffiths
“her sons do w” (The slash on Mark Venezia’s Jackson Pollock)
Tom Gates by Liz Pichon gets minimised
“fish is”
A sonnet made from James Davies’ Plants
BUY NOW with postage UK – £13
BUY NOW with postage worldwide – £17
Stephen Emmerson’s Poetry Wholes – second edition
19 AprComing soon. For anyone that missed the first edition there’s info HERE.
Stephen Emmerson’s Family Portraits on Steven Fowler’s 3 am top reads list
14 DecGood times for Stephen Emmerson’s Family Portraits which is if p then q’s first venture into hardback books.
Emmerson is criminally underrated, he should be seen as a major, pioneering figure of the British avant garde and his work from publisher If P Then Q furthers that reputation. It’s a gesture in a book, an austere refusal of the indulgent lyric.
MORE at 3am
Family Portraits is HERE
