[-empyre-] Poetry as hesitation
Laurent Sauerwein
srwn at me.com
Sat Mar 7 17:13:56 EST 2009
Usually wary of definitions and classifications, I find myself
nevertheless drawn to them when I sense an opportunity to bring them
to a level of crisis. Crisis as poetic opportunity. Neither bucolic
reverie, nor apocalyptic despair. Hard-core playfulness. Light-hearted
toil. Dead serious duchampian tongue in cheek. Levinas face to face
and Lacan when I can. Tension always, slight and extreme, elastic
stretches, marathon sprints, endless tweets, sluggish flux, flashes of
brick and mortar, pixel and human cell, arching constructivist
deconstruction, compact bulk and vaporized dissemination, pin-point
localizations engulfed in oceans of data and nebulous blobs of orphan
signifiers, architecture lost in liquefaction, dubious losses and
obvious gains, minimalism to the max, hybrid more or less, fuzzy
zones, funny bones, knock on wood materialism flirting with
exasperation and reluctant transcendance all in the same breath.
French poet Paul Valery's definition suits me fine: "Poetry is a
prolonged hesitation between sense and sound."
"Prolonged" is what really gets me going. Sorry for the long wordy
post. Clinging to words in an ocean of data.
___________________
Sent from my iPhone
___________________
Laurent Sauerwein
Currently in South India
+91 904 765 00 44
On Mar 7, 2009, at 6:30, empyre-request at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. to all members: what is e-poetry to you? (Alan Sondheim)
> 2. to all members: what is e-poetry to you (Simon Biggs)
> 3. Re: to all members: what is e-poetry to you?
> (xavier at confettis.org)
> 4. Laura Borras and e-poetry (Jason Nelson)
> 5. Laura Borr?s (Giovanna di Rosario)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009 20:18:47 -0500 (EST)
> From: Alan Sondheim <sondheim at panix.com>
> Subject: [-empyre-] to all members: what is e-poetry to you?
> To: empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> Message-ID: <Pine.NEB.4.64.0903052015140.14357 at panix3.panix.com>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
>
>
> In relation to John's reply, perhaps it's the e- as if e-poetry were a
> priori electronic/electric (not to forget semaphore). So a
> delimitation is
> already in place. e- tends towards new media, however defined, and it
> might be well to consider e-poetry as writing-in-media, left open. I
> tend
> to think I work in poetics, not poetry, and something like "poetics
> of the
> other," rather than tied to, say, Aritotelian poetics or poetics of
> the
> epic, whatever. So that simultaneously a weight and freedom of
> language is
> implied, and language itself takes wings -
>
> Alan
>
>
>
> | Alan Sondheim Mail archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/
> | To access the Odyssey exhibition The Accidental Artist:
> | http://slurl.com/secondlife/Odyssey/48/12/22
> | Webpage (directory) at http://www.alansondheim.org
> | sondheim at panix.com, sondheim at gmail.org, tel US 718-813-3285
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 06 Mar 2009 08:22:45 +0000
> From: "Simon Biggs" <s.biggs at eca.ac.uk>
> Subject: [-empyre-] to all members: what is e-poetry to you
> To: <empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> Message-ID: <C5D68DD5.1ECA6%s.biggs at eca.ac.uk>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> This might be poetry ? sub Bob Dylan ? but I wouldn?t call it e-
> poetry. For
> something to be e-poetry (or digital poetry) it has to depend on a
> computational system to exist. The piece on vimeo could be done with
> conventional analogue electronic systems. It could be done with film
> using
> mechanical and chemical processes. Most works commonly referred to as
> e-poetry are misnamed.
>
> The key to digital poetry is that it involves a particular type of
> writing ?
> a writing that is computational. Computers are language systems,
> symbolic
> machines, and when deployed within a certain frame the result is
> digital
> poetry. Simply using a computer to make something does not make that
> thing
> digital in its mediality.
>
> Regards
>
> Simon
>
>
> On 6/3/09 01:00, "empyre-request at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au"
> <empyre-request at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au> wrote:
>
>> this is epoetry:
>>
>> http://vimeo.com/3431670
>
>
>
> Simon Biggs
> Research Professor
> edinburgh college of art
> s.biggs at eca.ac.uk
> www.eca.ac.uk
> www.eca.ac.uk/circle/
>
> simon at littlepig.org.uk
> www.littlepig.org.uk
> AIM/Skype: simonbiggsuk
>
>
> Edinburgh College of Art (eca) is a charity registered in Scotland,
> number SC009201
>
>
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 10:57:26 +0100 (CET)
> From: xavier at confettis.org
> Subject: Re: [-empyre-] to all members: what is e-poetry to you?
> To: "soft_skinned_space" <empyre at gamera.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> Message-ID: <49400.81.251.18.185.1236333446.squirrel at confettis.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1
>
> hello,
>
> I tried to answer that question on this site.
> Living in France, I am limited to e-poetry in French.
> This work is not finished, soon other interviews will be put online.
> http://www.confettis.org/wordpress_2.5/
> @+
> Xavier
> ------------------------------|
> URL == http://->
> -> |_confettiS.org
> -> |_villeSAllantVers.org
> -> |_emigratrion.confettiS.org
> ------------------------------|
> |_XavierL
> |_++ 33 [+]6 72 86 66 63
> -------------------------------|
>
>>
>>
>> In relation to John's reply, perhaps it's the e- as if e-poetry
>> were a
>> priori electronic/electric (not to forget semaphore). So a
>> delimitation is
>> already in place. e- tends towards new media, however defined, and it
>> might be well to consider e-poetry as writing-in-media, left open.
>> I tend
>> to think I work in poetics, not poetry, and something like "poetics
>> of the
>> other," rather than tied to, say, Aritotelian poetics or poetics of
>> the
>> epic, whatever. So that simultaneously a weight and freedom of
>> language is
>> implied, and language itself takes wings -
>>
>> Alan
>>
>>
>>
>> | Alan Sondheim Mail archive: http://sondheim.rupamsunyata.org/
>> | To access the Odyssey exhibition The Accidental Artist:
>> | http://slurl.com/secondlife/Odyssey/48/12/22
>> | Webpage (directory) at http://www.alansondheim.org
>> | sondheim at panix.com, sondheim at gmail.org, tel US 718-813-3285
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> empyre forum
>> empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
>> http://www.subtle.net/empyre
>>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Fri, 6 Mar 2009 05:21:44 -0800 (PST)
> From: Jason Nelson <heliopod at yahoo.com>
> Subject: [-empyre-] Laura Borras and e-poetry
> To: soft_skinned_space <empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au>
> Message-ID: <201299.18259.qm at web30203.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>
> All,
>
> I wanted to continue discussing e-poetry, the varied and interesting
> definitions and ideas
> to date point to our varied and dynamic ways of dealing with what
> some might call e-poetry.
>
> However, I'd like to introduce another thread. The issue of what has
> happened to Laura Borras.
> Giovanna di Rosario and Juan B. Gutierrez better understand, as
> they are colleagues and
> close friends with Laura, the details and will add their thoughts
> soon.
>
>
> But Laura's situation is not only tragic, but also brings to light
> concerns both with our
> E-Poetry community in specifics and the academic world in general.
>
> Briefly, Laura Borras was/is a tenured professor in Spain who has
> long been a major player
> in the E-Poetry community. She started and secures funding for one
> of our only international
> awards, she runs a vibrant and well known research and learning
> center on E-literature
> in Hermeneia, she has recently had numerous large grants for major E-
> poetry projects
> and she and her University were set to host E-Poetry 2009.
>
> And just a few days ago.....she was fired. Despite tenure. Despite
> her international standing,
> long and impressive CV, amazing teaching, she was fired. And not
> fired though a long process
> complete with warnings and appeals and such. But just fired, with no
> specifics and only a vague
> explanation.
>
> We obviously do not know the situation in detail. But even the lack
> of appeals to a tenured professor
> should scare us all.
>
> Her firing brings up many issues regarding academic freedom, the
> vunerability of our E-Poetry
> group, of how we operate on the drive and production of very few
> individuals, and many others.
>
> So.....perhaps we can discuss the issues with a goal for a plan for
> E-Poetry 2009.
>
> cheers, Jason
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 7 Mar 2009 00:33:04 +0100
> From: Giovanna di Rosario <giodiros at gmail.com>
> Subject: [-empyre-] Laura Borr?s
> To: empyre at lists.cofa.unsw.edu.au
> Message-ID:
> <e09d04750903061533i586ba2c5h2ec72ebd36ec774e at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"
>
> Hi everybody,
> first of all many thanks to Jason who suggested to discuss this
> "incredible"
> issue here, and thanks also for inviting me.
>
> My name is Giovanna di Rosario I'm a PhD student at UOC, Universitat
> Oberta
> de Catalunya, in Barcelona (Spain). I'm Italian and I arrived at UOC
> last
> here to finish my PhD under the direction of Dr. Laura Borr?s. I
> started my
> PhD at the University of Geneva, but I also studied and/or worked
> at the
> University of Siena (Italy), Strasbourg (France) and Jyv?skyl?
> (Finland)
> - I can say that I'm an European researcher:-)
>
> I?m writing this post because as may many of you already know Dr.
> Laura
> Borr?s was fired from Universitat Obertat de Catalunya 2 weeks ago,
> just 3
> months before E-Poetry Festival which she was organising (we carry on
> fighting for the cause!) I know she feels embarrassed and ashamed
> for this
> ordeal, but she shouldn?t because it?s not at all her fault!
>
> The letter for her dismissal literally reads that the reason is ?the
> voluntary, evident and continued diminution of work". Now for
> anyone who
> knows Laura these reasons are preposterous and insulting to say
> the very
> least. I would like to invite all the readers to take a few minutes
> to
> glance at her c.v. available on line and judge her value and her
> devotion to
> her job by yourselves.
> http://www.uoc.edu/in3/hermeneia/CV/lborras_cv/lborras_cv.htm .
>
> She has been working for UOC for over 10 years now. Around 5 years
> ago, she
> won the most competitive and prestigious scholarship in Spain (it
> amounted
> roughly in 200.000? there were only 2 eligible candidates from UOC:
> Laura
> and another researcher) selfishlessly she ?invested? this money at
> UOC ,
> continuing her research , and by creating Hermeneia which has been
> directed
> with passion and enthusiasm, and in fact *Hermeneia* is one of the
> *only
> two* UOC?s research groups recognized by the Catalonian Government
> As you are also probably aware she is a member of ELO
> Literary
> Advisory Board, and she was selected as one of the editors for ELC
> vol. II.
>
>
> Then there are all the projects that Laura was able to find funding
> for (the
> new Master on Literary Studies in the Digital Era which is completely
> sponsored and the latest one was the GPS project which would have
> been
> presented at e-poetry and which gave Hermeneia around 90.000?) by
> Grup 62
> the most prestigious Catalan editors. Regarding that all her
> students are
> under shock, they ask for explanations, and they want at least to be
> evaluated for the final course by Laura, but the new direction
> (they have
> been very quickly in reorganizing her work!) won?t allow that.
> Finally, in
> addition and as a curiosity Laura is every week a guest in a Catalan
> tv show
> which highlights all major events happening around the world, so as
> you can
> see she is also very engaged at a cultural level here in Catalonia.
>
> Just 10 days before her dismissal she was asked by the Catalan
> Minister
> for Universities to be part of a panel for the National Research
> Plan for
> in Catalonia which only proves that she has always worked hard and
> well!
> What is also very irritating is that she has kept working as usual
> even if
> the last past months have been very difficult for her due to personal
> reasons.
>
> I met Laura the first time in 2006 and I?ve spent the last year
> working
> here with her and I can say without any doubt that she is an excellent
> researcher and a great director, and all the support she received
> from the
> Academic world proves that.
>
> I take the opportunity to thank all who sent letters to our Rectora
> and all
> who signed the petition letter which was sent to UOC.
>
> Finally I think that what they did to Laura is outrageous and
> unfounded, she
> is a very talented researcher, a loved and esteemed professor, a
> motivating
> director, a wonderful person and also a beautiful and young woman,
> which in
> a Latin country and in academic circles presents a large handicap
> and an
> object for jealousies.
>
> So here are the facts and I would like to thank the readers for have
> taken
> these few minutes in reading this post. Please feel free to express
> your
> views and feelings.
>
> Thanks again!
> Giovanna
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