The Associated Writing Programs (AWP) conference comes to Chicago this year and brings with it Kevin Killian.
Killian, co-editor with David Brazil of THE KENNING ANTHOLOGY OF POETS THEATER: 1945-1985, will be signing copies of the anthology as well as his numerous other books, at the Small Press Distribution booth. Just come down to the AWP book fair in the basement of the Hilton. It is enough to remind you of the late Etta James’ hit “Down in the Basement.” But then again, the seedy parlor affair vibe only extends so far when it comes to creative writing as a professional organization, no? Kevin’s signing is scheduled for 3:00 PM on Friday, March 2nd.
Killian is presenting that morning at 10:30 AM as part of the panel entitled “Recovery/Discovery: The Art of Bringing Queer Literary Heroes Back into Print”–also on the panel are Christopher Hennessy, Mark Doty, Stephen Motika, and David Trinidad.
At 7:00 PM the previous evening, Kevin will read recently published essays and poetry in dialogue with “Anagram City,” the current exhibition at the Golden Gallery.
Among the poets featured in THE KENNING ANTHOLOGY OF POETS THEATER are Charles Olson, John Ashbery, Frank O’Hara, Russell Atkins, Gregory Corso, Helen Adam, Michael McClure, James Broughton, Kenneth Koch, Jackson Mac Low, Lorenzo Thomas, Anne Waldman, ruth weiss, Ron Padgett, Hannah Weiner, Lew Welch, Sonia Sanchez, Joe Brainard, Bruce Andrews, Keith Waldrop, Rosmarie Waldrop, Bob Holman and Bob Rosenthal, Steve Benson, Ted Greenwald, Carla Harryman, Ntozake Shange, Bob Perelman, Kit Robinson, Robert Grenier, Alan Bernheimer, Charles Bernstein, Stephen Rodefer, Fiona Templeton, Kenward Elmslie, and Leslie Scalapino. Also included are previously unpublished plays by Jack Spicer, V.R. “Bunny” Lang, James Schuyler, Robert Duncan, Madeline Gleason, Diane di Prima, Barbara Guest, James Keilty, Theresa Hak Kyung Cha, Johanna Drucker, and Nada Gordon. The editors provide informative and provocative prefatory matter, including extensive notes on each play, as well as several that fall within the purview of the book but, for one reason or another, were omitted, as with Pedro Pietri’s The Masses Are Asses or Jessica Hagedorn’s Tenement Lover. Rounding out the book are contemporary classics: LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka’s Dutchman and Kathy Acker’s The Birth of the Poet. See this informative review by Mac Wellman for more on the anthology.