Welcome to Experiments in Text. Read my message below as a refresher. I sent it a few days ago and it contains information about this course and readings for Wednesday.
This blog will be a clearinghouse for things interesting (links, text, emphemera), but also, from time to time, a place where we continue discussions that have come out of our time in class.
With this week’s readings under our belt, I want to start off with a simple question: Why do we write? And a follow-up question: What does one mean when one says “Creative Writing.” As in: “I’m taking this, um, creative writing class. I guess I’ll be doing some creative writing this quarter.” What does that mean?
Think about these rather basic questions as we head into Day 1. Feel free to post comments. Note that a) contributing to this blog is not required of you, but, of course, encouraged; and b) make sure to do the readings, links below; and c) feel free to check out the other links, some of which we’ll be using quite often, discussing them in the larger context of building alternative writing communities.
See you Wednesday.
Solidarity,
David
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Experiments In Text: Building Alternative Writing Communities. First, I want to thank all of you for enrolling in this virtual bachinal of textual exploration. This should be deeply pleasurable. I will email you in the next few days with a link to our course blog. This blog will primarily be for various things we find interesting and want people to know about. It will also be a clearinghouse for the readings I will be sending you over email.
Reminder: We’re meeting on WEDNESDAY, OCT 1, 6-8pm SEM II D1107. All courses (Weds and Sat) will be in SEM II D1107. Wednesday will generally be for seminar/lecture/performance, while Saturday will generally be dedicated to peer critique and workshop.
Readings: All readings will be available to you either a) as attachments via email, b) via links over email, or c) as handouts. There are NO BOOKS TO PURCHASE for this course.
Expectations: Come to class. Be engaged. Treat others as they would like to be treated. If you don’t know how they would like to be treated, ask them.
Our course is designed to be a) collaborative, b) exploratory, and c) kinetic. By “kinetic” I mean moving about not only within the space of Sem II, but within and outside of socio-political literary spaces that are contemporary and vital. We will be sampling these communities, collectives, and happenings, as the quarter permits. By “collaborative” and “exploratory” I mean that we begin on equal footing, each bringing our own creative ideas, manuscripts, scribbles, etc., hoping to realize them more fully. Since most of this course will be dedicated to working on our own and each other’s creative works, I hope that we will be able to critique these works in small groups and one-on-one with the confidence that each person will be honest, dedicated, empathic, and respectful of difference.
Second, I’m strongly recommending that you join me in attending a party/adventure/fundraiser put on by students who brought you P R E S S, last year’s first-ever literary conference at Evergreen, and now an ongoing collective dedicated to literary intervention here and in the region. Some of your fellow Experiments in Text students are organizing the event – Crossing the Event Horizon – and what will come of it? Short term: live music, DJ, readings, fun. Longer term? The collective’s literary magazine, Olympus Found. The show kicks off at 8pm at 1001 State and Quince. I hope to see you there.
Third, find below readings for the first day of class, this Wednesday. They are short but challenging. Please read the essays by Tristan Tzara and Joan Retallack first. Then take a look at the Gertrude Stein poem. All of these are attached as well in DOC format – in case you would (I would) like to print them out.
If you have any questions, always feel free to email me. wolachd@evergreen.edu
I am very much looking forward to working with all of you, getting to know you, and making some productive trouble.
In Solidarity,
David Michael Wolach
Member of the Faculty, The Evergreen State College
Visiting Professor, Bard College Workshop in Language & Thinking
Editor, Wheelhouse Magazine http://www.wheelhousemagazine.com
READINGS:
Joan Retallack, What Is Experimental Poetry? – http://jacketmagazine.com/32/p-retallack.shtml
Tristan Zara, Dada Manifesto: http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:YBrP-Nh0iLwJ:www.391.org/manifestos/tristantzara_dadamanifesto.htm+%22Tristan+Tzara%22+and+%22Dada+Manifesto%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
Gertrude Stein
IF I TOLD HIM, A COMPLETE PORTRAIT OF PICASSO
If I told him would he like it. Would he like it if I told him.
Would he like it would Napoleon would Napoleon would would he like it.
If Napoleon if I told him if I told him if Napoleon. Would he like it if I told him if I told him if Napoleon. Would he like it if Napoleon if
Napoleon if I told him. If I told him if Napoleon if Napoleon if I told him. If I told him would he like it would he like it if I told him.
Now.
Not now.
And now.
Now.
Exactly as as kings.
Feeling full for it.
Exactitude as kings.
So to beseech you as full as for it.
Exactly or as kings.
Shutters shut and open so do queens. Shutters shut and shutters and so shutters shut and shutters and so and so shutters and so shutters shut
and so shutters shut and shutters and so. And so shutters shut and so and also. And also and so and so and also.
Exact resemblance to exact resemblance the exact resemblance as exact as a resemblance, exactly as resembling, exactly resembling, exactly
in resemblance exactly a resemblance, exactly and resemblance. For this is so. Because.
Now actively repeat at all, now actively repeat at all, now actively repeat at all.
Have hold and hear, actively repeat at all.
I judge judge.
As a resemblance to him.
Who comes first. Napoleon the first.
Who comes too coming coming too, who goes there, as they go they share, who shares all, all is as all as as yet or as yet.
Now to date now to date. Now and now and date and the date.
Who came first Napoleon at first. Who came first Napoleon the first. Who came first, Napoleon first.
Presently.
Exactly as they do.
First exactly.
Exactly as they do too.
First exactly.
And first exactly.
Exactly as they do.
And first exactly and exactly.
And do they do.
At first exactly and first exactly and do they do.
The first exactly.
At first exactly.
First as exactly.
At first as exactly.
Presently.
As presently.
As as presently.
He he he he and he and he and and he and he and he and and as and as he and as he and he. He is and as he is, and as he is and he is, he is
and as he and he and as he is and he and he and and he and he.
Can curls rob can curls quote, quotable.
As presently.
As exactitude.
As trains.
Has trains.
Has trains.
As trains.
As trains.
Presently.
Proportions.
Presently.
As proportions as presently.
Father and farther.
Was the king or room.
Farther and whether.
Was there was there was there what was there was there what was there was there there was there.
Whether and in there.
As even say so.
One.
I land.
Two.
I land.
Three.
The land.
Three.
The land.
Two.
I land.
Two.
I land.
One.
I land.
Two.
I land.
As a so.
They cannot.
A note.
They cannot.
A float.
They cannot.
They dote.
They cannot.
They as denote.
Miracles play.
Play fairly.
Play fairly well.
A well.
As well.
As or as presently.
Let me recite what history teaches. History teaches.
Would he like it would Napoleon would Napoleon would would he like it.
If Napoleon if I told him if I told him if Napoleon. Would he like it if I told him if I told him if Napoleon. Would he like it if Napoleon if
Napoleon if I told him. If I told him if Napoleon if Napoleon if I told him. If I told him would he like it would he like it if I told him.
Now.
Not now.
And now.
Now.
Exactly as as kings.
Feeling full for it.
Exactitude as kings.
So to beseech you as full as for it.
Exactly or as kings.
Shutters shut and open so do queens. Shutters shut and shutters and so shutters shut and shutters and so and so shutters and so shutters shut
and so shutters shut and shutters and so. And so shutters shut and so and also. And also and so and so and also.
Exact resemblance to exact resemblance the exact resemblance as exact as a resemblance, exactly as resembling, exactly resembling, exactly
in resemblance exactly a resemblance, exactly and resemblance. For this is so. Because.
Now actively repeat at all, now actively repeat at all, now actively repeat at all.
Have hold and hear, actively repeat at all.
I judge judge.
As a resemblance to him.
Who comes first. Napoleon the first.
Who comes too coming coming too, who goes there, as they go they share, who shares all, all is as all as as yet or as yet.
Now to date now to date. Now and now and date and the date.
Who came first Napoleon at first. Who came first Napoleon the first. Who came first, Napoleon first.
Presently.
Exactly as they do.
First exactly.
Exactly as they do too.
First exactly.
And first exactly.
Exactly as they do.
And first exactly and exactly.
And do they do.
At first exactly and first exactly and do they do.
The first exactly.
At first exactly.
First as exactly.
At first as exactly.
Presently.
As presently.
As as presently.
He he he he and he and he and and he and he and he and and as and as he and as he and he. He is and as he is, and as he is and he is, he is
and as he and he and as he is and he and he and and he and he.
Can curls rob can curls quote, quotable.
As presently.
As exactitude.
As trains.
Has trains.
Has trains.
As trains.
As trains.
Presently.
Proportions.
Presently.
As proportions as presently.
Father and farther.
Was the king or room.
Farther and whether.
Was there was there was there what was there was there what was there was there there was there.
Whether and in there.
As even say so.
One.
I land.
Two.
I land.
Three.
The land.
Three.
The land.
Two.
I land.
Two.
I land.
One.
I land.
Two.
I land.
As a so.
They cannot.
A note.
They cannot.
A float.
They cannot.
They dote.
They cannot.
They as denote.
Miracles play.
Play fairly.
Play fairly well.
A well.
As well.
As or as presently.
Let me recite what history teaches. History teaches.
OPTIONAL:
Hans Richter, Inflation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD3_ptNEFQQ
Feel free to comment…
A). I think all writing is inherently creative, as the goal in most forms of writing is to create a text that says something in a new way. But, that’s probably just the semantics asshole in me. With the term “Creative Writing” specifically, I think that suggests to me that one is trying to create a world and/or characters that will ultimately express an idea, or group of ideas, as well as emotions in an artistic format. I know that poetry is included, and regarding that, I would say the narrator becomes the character and the poetry his world, or an emotional response to the world as the character sees it.
B). I think people write for a nearly infinite amount of reasons. The one that would seem the most universal is that the author has something they need to express. It can be anything, a philosophy, a new place, some type of character, usually all of the above, but there’s always room for a different approach. Or it could always be as simple as simple gratification.
I believe that some people need to express what is inside of them. I believe that through expression we learn who we are. We discover what we think and explore our personalities. I do not know if any thought can be expressed in a new way, but it is through the arts we express the thoughts and feelings that are inside us and in tern, hopefully become unique in doing so.