Books Read 2011

11. Broadway 2- ed. James Schuyler/ Charles North

I think I thought this was a rare item when I bought it from Green Apple back in 2001. I knew James Schuyler was a rare item, I knew that he only gave like 3 readings throughout his entire life, one of them being a late, odd Poetry Center solo reading (late 90s?). I remember feeling really uncomfortable while watching my dubbed VHS copy of that reading on my TV/VCR-in-one. Jimmy seemed a bit overwhelmed, walking to microphone, not acknowledging the audience at all, never looking up from the page, and then after concluding his reading, exiting as suddenly as he started.  It was baffling, I didn't know what to think. And then later with more biographical context, it made a lot more sense.

12. Live Girls- Beth Nugent

I bought this in 1999 at a DVC Bookstore clearance sale, snagged this one and a book called Formosa Straights for a dollar each. This was a fairly terrible book and I have nothing else to say about it. Oh, well, I liked the yellow cover.

13. Rosemary Stretch- Betsy Fagin

"Betsy" is a pretty good name, in the key of "Ruth" or "Bernice," something very F. Scott Fitzgerald about it. Every time I see "Rosemary Stretch" I think of Rosemary Griggs. Did you know that Rosmarie Waldrop spells her name "Rosmarie"? Every time I type her name I pronounce it in my head like "Ross-Marie"...

14. Sulfur #4

I remember Clayton's wife Caryl combing his hair for him right before he was set to take the stage at a Poetry Center reading back in 2002 (?). It wasn't a reading actually, it was a slide-lecture about Ice Age cave art in Southwestern France. I feel like it was an evening event, it was dark outside. I started reading Eshleman in earnest this year after being blown away by the "6 Writers On Eshleman" section in Temblor #6. I would like my wife to comb my hair in the presence of strangers someday. I would like to see Ice Age cave art someday. I really hated Herzog's Cave Of Forgotten dreams.

15. Combo #7

Every time a new issue of Combo would appear in the bathroom Steve Orth would say "ANOTHER issue of Combo?!" And I'd say "yep..." Combo had some of the best covers in the game.