Else, in Substance

by Marjorie Welish

Poetry. ELSE, IN SUBSTANCE advances specific tactics for constructing poems of sequences, or parts of sentences. The title poem proposes that a word is put through trials of similarity and The necessary dress/ The contingent dress.// For the thesis that/ realizing the ideal// cannot be/ in objects such as these// lexicons/ not self-identical,// as of forgetful Greece,/ say again,// say again,/ in memoriam// happens always, frequently/ in prophetic dress... Another poem, titled Possible Fires, compiles three procedures for rendering sentences from words, or rather, allows the relay, a variant of the relay, and an algorithm to do their work. These and the rest of the poems that constitute this book affirm Marjorie Welish as one of America's most challenging and rewarding authors. Welish is the author of AND THE WINDOWS FLEW OPEN (Burning Deck) and TWO POEMS (Z Press), both of which are available from SPD. Saddlestapled chapbook.

Audio CD

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Marjorie Welish is a poet, artist, and art critic.

Welish is a graduate of Columbia University and received her M.F.A. degree from Vermont College and Norwich University. She is also a painter and is represented by Baumgartner Gallery (New York City) and Aaron Galleries (Chicago).