tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754504884280015526.post1586590199206060387..comments2011-06-11T12:33:24.566-07:00Comments on The Sexy Poets Society: Readings and CraftThe Smack Daddyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16938359299185892266noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8754504884280015526.post-85539781057599142342010-07-31T12:42:02.620-07:002010-07-31T12:42:02.620-07:00Ah man, I haven't read ANY of these. But my fa...Ah man, I haven't read ANY of these. But my failures aside, this is a great post Tony. Thanks for writing these out and hopefully people will check them out.<br /><br />Also, you've been talking about the Roethke field trip for awhile now and we should make that happen. FIELD TRIPS RULE.<br /><br />While we're on the topic of influential works, I'd love to hear what else people would recommend or what has influenced their own works or artistic views. <br />Off the top of my head, three books that have really influenced me:<br /><br />1. Sleeping on the Wing by Kenneth Koch and Karen Farrell. My boy Ken Koch has influenced me enormously over the years in general, but this book is exceptionally great for giving ideas and reflections on poetry, as well as being a kick-ass small scale anthology of important works. It was actually written for poetry classes, and was used at EMU so it's really easy to find copies around the area - especially at Cross Street books. Thats where I got mine.<br /><br />2. Language, Thought and Reality by Benjamin Whorf. <br />Sapir-Whorf, bitches. The beauty of their ideas brought me to tears once. So much of how humans relate to their own existence and spirituality is discussed linguistically. I'd say, really, a must-have for poets, even if you ultimately think it's bullshit. In which case, lets talk about it. I'd love to hear what you have to say.<br /><br />3. The Collected Works of Frank O'hara. My poetry made a dramatic shift when I started reading this guy (as well as Kenneth Koch, really.) His work is incredibly accessible, but heart-wrenchingly lovely without the cheese. He died too young and the world was deprived of great poetry. <br /><br />What do you have on yr shelves?The Smack Daddyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16938359299185892266noreply@blogger.com