SELECT POEMS

by John M. Bennett

A selection from over 40 years of Bennett's work, introduced by Ivan Argüelles. “Where to begin writing about this baffling and certainly most “avant-garde” of all poets living and working in the USA today? Bennett’s reputation is international, and his interest in Mesoamerican culture has drawn him frequently to that part of the world where he is a recognized figure. His experimentations over the years have encompassed multiple techniques, including visual poetry, and his own “polyglottery,” moving in and out of English, Spanish, Portuguese, French or some Mesoamerican language. What may seem aleatory is in fact more intentional and grounded than is first apparent. Bennett has roots in traditional literatures, those of 'Siglo de Oro' Spain and of Elizabethan England, but he is capable of transducing those literatures, metamorphosing them by way of the avant-garde movements of the 20th century, into something utterly innovative and New, such as few contemporary artists have done.”

444 pages, Paperback

First published December 3, 2015

About the author

John M. Bennett (b. 1942) is a poet, visual poet and musician living in Columbus, Ohio. In 1974, he founded Luna Bisonte Prods, a small press releasing his own poetry and art, as well as other writers’ work. He edited and published the Lost and Found Times magazine from 1975 to 2005. He is curator of the Avant Writing Collection at The Ohio State University Libraries, Columbus, OH. In 2002, he exhibited some specimens from this collection during a show called An American Avantgarde: Second Wave. The 84pp catalog is a perfect introduction to the world of visual poetry and is linked to below as a PDF file. Bennett has published over 400 books, chapbooks, cassettes, and CDs of poetry and other materials. He has collaborated with numerous avantgarde poets, artists, and musicians since the 1970s, lately with the Be Blank Consort, a quartet of sound poets including Scott Helmes, Carlos Luis, and Kathy Ernst, performing with occasional guests.

[This UbuWeb Resource is edited by Benjamin Bennett.
https://www.ubu.com/vp/bennett.html]