OK - what was the last book of poetry by a living poet you read? Dead poets - even Ted Hughes - not accepted. Has to be alive, and has to be a book not a performance.

(personally, I think that anyone who doesn't read contemporary poetry, isn't a real poet, just a pretend one)

Cooee! by Peggy Poole, but I am only a pretend poet.

Hven't read any performances. That may be for real poets.

Lorks a lordee, Steven! I thought I was provocative but that post takes not just the biscuit but the wagon wheel. Last one I read the whole book of was Alan Corkish (partly because he'd asked me to review it for the back cover, but would have read it anyway in the fullness of time - i did an honest review for it). I don't think reading living poets makes you a real poet. I think writing poems does... but then you know what a stickler I am for not spuriously redefining words and claiming that your new meaning is the correct one and the dictionary's one is wrong. Looking at the stuff I did starting out, it is every bit as original and unusual (when compared to other living poets's stuff, which may or may not be a good thing, but is certainly a thing) as anything I write now - I disliked so many different dead poets and the high-minded crap about flowers (flowers are wankers - I loathe them) and bog-standard viewpoints on relationships etc that I wanted to write stuff that was very different from that. It turned out to be very different from most poets' stuff before I'd even looked at what many of the living poets were doing.
I always forget who is living and who is dead (find it helps me to have a varied sex life) but have recently read most of a whole book by Tom Paulin (surprisingly good in parts of it but a bit of a concept album where everything blands into one), large chunks of various books by Seamus Heaney (because his singles are great, his album tracks are very readable and he does comparatively few fillers), large chunks of various books by Carol Ann Duffy (Some virtuoso passages that really stand out but the gets a bit samey and see above comment about bog standard viewpoints on love - think it's probably because she writes so many of them; nobody has THAT much to say), and a fair amount of the John Cooper Clarke one with the shirt on the cover (hit and miss but great when he's in the zone, which is always when you have the least expectation). Oh and Andrew Motion (didn't get very far through that one before hurling it across the room. Mostly, i prefer anthologies.

Roger McGough`s "Collected Poems"
396 funny, emotional, thought provoking, and inspirational poems. Rogers unique and distinctive style is a pleasure to read.

Robert Shepherd's Complete Twentieth Century Blues, at the moment.
Pat Winslow's latest
+ about 4 others

(re: McGough, I'd recommend Brian Patten too, if you haven't already read him. I just about prefer him to McGough (though they're both good at that direct, approachable poetry that has probably helped a lot of people to read poetry.)

I've just read 'Poems from a Northern Soul' by John Siddique. I listened to John read some poems from this book last year, Poems which prompted me to buy the whole book. Although I have to say, I was a little disappointed with some of the work that features inside. He does however, have a particular style and it's worth keeping the book by your bedside. If only with which to swat the occasional, unseasonal insect.

Just as I've always thought: most performance poets don't read.

I have 28 + poetry books on my shelves well thumbed, read and re read. Good, bad,indifferent and inspirational. Do not assume that you have significant insight into everything Steven.

Some American poetry books I own that I’d recommend to UK poets:

The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley 1945 – 1975

The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley 1975 – 2005

Lawrence Ferlinghetti - ’These are my rivers’ 1955 – 1993

Charles Bukowski - New Poems - ’Come on in!’

Charles Bukowski - New Poems - ’The flash of lightning behind the mountain’

The Collected Poems of Kenneth Patchen 1936 – 1957

Gregory Corso ’The happy birthday of death’ – 1960

Gregory Corso ’Elegiac feelings American’ – 1961

Gregory Corso ’Gasolene’ – 1958

John Berryman - ’Selected Poems’

John Ashbery ’Selected Poems’
Gary Snyder ’No Nature’
Gary Snyder ’The reader’

Allen Ginsberg ’Howl and other Poems’
Allen Ginsberg ’Selected Poems 1947 - 1995’

Charles Olson - ’Selected Poems 1960 - 1993’

e.e.cummings - ’100 Selected Poems’

Jack Hirschman - ’Front Lines’ Selected Poems
Jack Hirschman - ’The Back of a Spoon’

Jack Kerouac - ’Book of Haiku’
Jack Kerouac - ’Scattered Poems’
Jack Kerouac - ’Book of Blues’
Jack Kerouac - ’Mexico City Blues’
Jack Kerouac - ’Heaven & other poems’

Allen Cohen - ’Book of Hats’

Sylvia Plath - ’Collected Poems’

Anne Waldman - ’In the room of never grieve’
Anne Waldman - ’Fast Speaking woman’

Lenore Kandel - ’The Love Book’

Denise Levertov - Selected Poems’

Diane di Prima - ’Revolutionary Letters’
Diane di Prima - ’Loba’

Anthology - ’A different beat - writings of women of the beat generation’

Anthology - ’the angel hair’ edited by Anne Waldman

Anthology - ’The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry’ edited by S.A.Griffin

Anthology - ’An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’ edited by Allen Cohen

Anthology - ’The Beat Book’ edited by Anne Waldman

Studies - ’The Paris Review - Beat writers at work’.

Studies - ’The lower East side poetry scene in the 1960’s’.

Studies - ’Zen and the Beat way’ by Alan Watts.

Studies - ’Howl for Now - a celebration of Allen Ginsberg’s epic protest poem’

Walt Whitman - ’Leaves of grass’
Walt Whitman - ’The Complete Poems’

Wallace Stevens - ’Selected Poems’



jgh

Dear Steven

Between writing, rehearsing, negotiating gigs, doing my tax return (in rhyming couplets), gigging, studying my artform at readings/performances and on youtube, holding down a demanding full-time job, supporting as many poetry events as I can manage, doing up a house and being a husband, son, friend and father, I'm currently reading and preparing to review

Jon Andersen (editor) Seeds of Fire - Contemporary Poetry from the Other USA

Martin Espada (Pulitzer prize nominee) Crucifixion in the Plaza de Armas

Both by Smokestack Books following a truly excellent but ill-attended lunchtime reading by both these American poets at Central Library recently.
http://www.smokestack-books.co.uk/

Also currently enjoying the Bloodaxe Book of Poetry Quotations whilst dipping into the latest crop of mags, zines, chapbooks and CDs picked up on my travels.

Can I stop "pretending" to be a poet now please?

Well, that caused a stir. Glad to see that three more of you do read. Out of the hundred and odd or so on writeoutloud, that's not a big percentage though.

Steve - I can't help wondering if your survey is valid in any way. You are not measuring how many performance poets read but rather how many performance poets want to tell you what they read.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who reads but really has very little interest in sharing what I read with others. Everything I read obviously has some input into my future thinking and therefore writing, but I don't often feel the need to mention that I've been reading "Insert name from reading list here". I suspect many others here also read but don't feel the need to tell everyone.

Just my thoughts.

Seamus

A Bit Of Stevishness

It was good that they banned whaling,
quite the cruellest thing.
All those lovely mammals
hooked by the harpoon sting.

There's no rhyme or reason to it.
Just a vile and vicious sport.
To taunt fine entertainers
with a mean, high minded thought.

Deride their deadly doggerel
and ridicule their rhyme.
Despise their lack of scholarship,
condemn their litercrime.

See the silly wails squirm
upon this deadly hook.
Their angry rants and and drunken drawls
will not be brought to boook.

So sad that whaling carries on
and wailers suffer still.
These noble beasts will persevere
despite the poisoned quill.

Nothing to do with me, mate, that's not how I pronounce my name.

And reading doesn't equate to scholarship. It's just that I fail to see why anyone would write poetry if they don't actually enjoy reading it. Bit like playing guitar and not liking music.

:)

There is some truth to what Steve says.
I have come across a number of people who write poetry but do not read any on a few occasions and I'm not just talking about performance poets; I've had too many submissions from 'poets' and sometimes you can tell straight away whether they have actually read poetry. I think it's up to some to pass on recommendations where needed.

The current book of poems I'm reading at the minute is a Yeats 'selected'. I cannot help myself going back to those two poems 'Demon & Beast' and 'The Second Coming'.


Also, I don't think it's enough to just 'read' poetry. You should become immersed, involved with it. Climb into those stanzas and have a poke around, see what the poet is doing and why with that poem.


Hopefully this website will be allowing itself a shift in focus towards the written word in the near future.

The reading of poetry expands the word hoard we have in our heads, all reading does that.But the structure and devices used by experienced poets is also taken inside,then taken out and used when we write our own poems. Reading poetry does not make you a poet,it is what you do with it that counts.

For example you may feel you keep writing the same poem again and again, in the same way, using the same vocab. This may be the sign that you need to read more widely or try to write in a new way.

some people think that reading too much poetry by other people will change their poetry, make them sound like someone else, stop them being unique.But poets are usually stronger willed than that I think, plus copying is no bad thing.It's the basic way of learning. Your own personality will have out, have a little faith in yourself.

Plus as John points out great poets can inspire us to new heights, introduce us to new thoughts, to new politics, to new poetic forms.

When your bored with reading yourself it's time to read someone else. :-)

jgh

John G hall

Just finished contemporary American Verse, Kerouacs on the road and the Ginsberg book that Johhny Hall mentions.

Jarvis cockers poetry is worth a look.

---

I think Steve Waling is correct to say some performers dont read (a great deal of) contemporary poetry, its true for one person, me.

I have a massive massive amount to learn and a very long road to go. The road will more than likely end up nowhere, thats fine Steve as long as I don't end up like you (no offence there) Its just I have got attached to my flamboyant and colourful life, I got attached to complimenting people and credit wher eits due. (look at Tony Walshes achievements the man sweats poetry, heart and soul grafter that man)
theres no way youre telling me that your statements are not designed to prod and poke this lil ol bees nest.

perhaps a good thing.
probably
maybe we don't wanna hear what you have to say, the ol truth hurts syndrome, hmmmm
I'm here to learn

you better teach me, or don't make such statements.
Ill kick your arse if you do.

Speak harshly to your little boy
and beat him when he sneezes
He only does it to annoy
because he knows it teases.



Keep on readin' folks...

Yuk! Rhymes bring me out in hives.

Worse than dead reverend paedophiles.

Speak gently -- let not harsh words mar
The good we might do here!