Noah, I am a big fan of your work, and poetry in general. I have to admit though, I don’t really understand this. When I read these, I’m mostly confused, as my brain is trying to make it make sense. Is that the idea? I feel like it points out that reading is for making meaning, and there is no meaning here, except within individual words.
Another question, (and I’m sorry if I seem like an asshole; I’m genuinely curious and feel like I can ask you) how do you know when you’re done with the poem? Is there a structure you’re sticking to? Some set of rules?
no need to apologize! poets like to talk about their poetry!
These poems are both kind of algorithmic/restricted poems; the Gertrude Stein poems in IX all use the words in one stanze of her work and rearrange them...so each section fo the poem is done when I finish all the words! The 8 x 16 is similar; I started with a poem (now lost) and then rearranged the words according to a series of words (first word from each line, fourth word from each line, whatever)...so again, when you've run through the algorithm and used all the words, each section is done.
as to what they're about...I mean, part of it is trying to make sense and failing, which you can see as a function of language itself, or as a more interior sense of being caught in a loop of garble and stutter. So the feeling of confusion and maybe anxiety is kind of the point (for me writing them, maybe for people reading them.)
I ordered my copy. Thank you for being open and always interesting. One thing I really appreciate about your stack is that I never know what the day has in store, but it’s always something that opens some windows in my brain.
Noah, I am a big fan of your work, and poetry in general. I have to admit though, I don’t really understand this. When I read these, I’m mostly confused, as my brain is trying to make it make sense. Is that the idea? I feel like it points out that reading is for making meaning, and there is no meaning here, except within individual words.
Another question, (and I’m sorry if I seem like an asshole; I’m genuinely curious and feel like I can ask you) how do you know when you’re done with the poem? Is there a structure you’re sticking to? Some set of rules?
It is intriguing.
I figured out the rules I think- they’re in the title. 🤦♀️
no need to apologize! poets like to talk about their poetry!
These poems are both kind of algorithmic/restricted poems; the Gertrude Stein poems in IX all use the words in one stanze of her work and rearrange them...so each section fo the poem is done when I finish all the words! The 8 x 16 is similar; I started with a poem (now lost) and then rearranged the words according to a series of words (first word from each line, fourth word from each line, whatever)...so again, when you've run through the algorithm and used all the words, each section is done.
as to what they're about...I mean, part of it is trying to make sense and failing, which you can see as a function of language itself, or as a more interior sense of being caught in a loop of garble and stutter. So the feeling of confusion and maybe anxiety is kind of the point (for me writing them, maybe for people reading them.)
I ordered my copy. Thank you for being open and always interesting. One thing I really appreciate about your stack is that I never know what the day has in store, but it’s always something that opens some windows in my brain.