otential Literature review
M A N Y
SUB TLE
C H A NN E L S
IN
PRAISE
OF
P O T E N T I A L
L I T E R A T U R E
What do you find odd about this? Ouvroir de littérature potentielle is a French institution. It is as French as they come. Poetry written in between subway stops, constrained writing in which the detective novel is written without the use of the letter e. The lipogram (as per wikipedia: writing that excludes one or more letters. The previous sentence is a lipogram in B, F, H, J, K, Q, V, Y, and Z), etc
no rules, no limits, no conventions, no formats, no patronizing, no templates, no concessions: in one word, no constraints … In our culture, nothing seems to be tolerated that limits the writer’s essential freedom, her spontaneity, his eagerness to make associations while writing. In literature, however, and probably in some other fields too, freedom conceived in terms of “no this and no that” is just a myth, and a harmful one. -jan baetens
Daniel Levin Becker is an Oulipian like Dan Brat. DLB became an Oulipian at age twenty-four, the same age DB became an Oulipian. DLB sought to write a book about the Oulipo, a French academic-like group or gathering which assigned itself in charge of literature experimentation by imposing limitations on writing. Unlike DB, DLB probably found an interest in Oulipian writing at an early age. The man has contributed to and worked for The Believer and Dusted Magazine among other publications. He plays music, he write music criticism, he reviews literature and translates books, he presumably speaks more languages than French and English, and he's an ivy leaguer. He went to France to catalog the Oulipo on a Fulbright. John Ashbery went to France on a Fulbright.
DLB runs us through a history of the Oulipo, describes the founding meetings between enthusiastic Raymond Queneau and François Le Lionnais using the Collège de 'Pataphysique as a jumping point. We learn about the illustrious members of the Oulipo, Italo Calvino and Marcel Duchamp among them, the various personalities and contributions of the group, the meetings they hold, the meals they eat and the wine that is served. The mission of the group is clear. They search for new writing techniques utilizing innovative constraint tools. DLB gives us some insight into the various attempts at potential literature, explaining Jacques Jouet's formulation and eventual execution (twice) of the metro poem, in which he rides through every stop of the Paris metro, thinking of a new line in between stops, and then writing down the line only when the train is stopped. As soon as it moves forward, the writing stops and the new line begins. George Perec's La Disparition (A void). Sounds pretty diff inted. Memebers of the Oulipo: Claude Berge, Italo Calvino, Bernard Cerquiglini, Stanley Chapman, Marcel Duchamp, Paul Fournel, Jacques Jouet, François Le Lionnais, Hervé Le Tellier, Jean Lescure, Daniel Levin Becker, Harry Matthews, Ian Monk, Oskar Pastior, Georges Perec, Luc Etienne Périn, Raymond Queneau, Jean Queval, Pierre Rosentiehl, Jacques Roubaud, Albert-Marie Schmidt. Jeudis - Oulipo meetings. Sometimes open to the public. Special assemblies. Dinner. Wine. Jokes. Oulipian members constrain themselves in writing but not professions, including mathematicians, composers and etceteras. You derive creativity from constraints.
A very diff inted book.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
The Curfew by Jesse Ball: A Review
THE
CURFEW
Excellent prose. Great commentary about the book format, how a narrator plucks the strings but doesn't truly disconnect from the central narrative. Perfect pacing. Unsettling.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
M
I
L
A
N
R
E
V
I
E
W
of
G
H
O
S
T
S
The first thing I noticed about this book is the typos. Typoes? Typography. The first thing I noticed about this book is the authors. I recognize Tao Lin's name (Yuck! Coming out as a Tao Lin h8r jk I don't hate but this guy is the worst!). The first thing I noticed about this book is the cover art. The graphics (drawings) are done by Matt Furie. I love Matt Furie. I am not sure how to pronounce his name. I like to pronounce it the same way I do "fury." But he could be a furry. Or a brony. I found out about his artwork back in two-thousand and seven through 4chan. I am a big fan of his boy's club series. Reading the stories in this book you notice MFA caliber. There's a story about a pilot I recommend you check out.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of THERE AND BACK by Mark King
I can't tell what country Mark King's photographs are taken in. At first I'm thinking Vegas or New Orleans. But then maybe he's in the Caribbean. It reeks of professional photography bending the rules. Framing and light are powerful tools for a creative vision. King has two crucial characteristics of a good artist. He's talented at his craft. He has interesting subjects. His photographs don't seem to explore anything specific, but rather an open exploration of possibly implausible scenarios. A diff inted artist for sure.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of Techno Junkies by Sean Pryor
The idea behind techno junkies isn't original. A man feels a disassociation with the physical world and attempts to find happiness by merging into virtual reality (THE SINGULARITY). Sean Pryor illustrates a secluded man who feels pressured by his mother to embrace a world which he feels alienated from. The man falls in love with a cyber woman named Zerone and achieves a metaphysical love connection with her by splicing his soul (or w/e) into a network of wires plugged directly into his body. An ambiguous ending, but even more interesting is what comes after the ending. Some extra illustrations by Pryor. A Native American. An Astronaut blues singer. Fun with alligators. What I like to imagine is Pryor himself sitting on the toilet. Pants off. Shirt on.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of the young dissenter's handbook by Ryan Eggensperger & Dan Strauss
Apparently this comic book is inspired by one of those "X things you must do before you die" lists. Each page presents a different scenario in which a bald man is depicted going through the banality of life in the modern age. The character is moody, greedy, insecure, lonely, delusional, entitled, very funny. Some of the pages are more absurd than others, and the slight reference here and there to pop culture and social norms. Nothing better than a book with only one line per page.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of Wet. an erotic collection volume one
Papercut Press, based out of Brooklyn, NY claims to be a
The book is well designed. It is printed. The writers may certainly be considered underrepresented. I don't recognize any of them. I don't know about the rest but I'll take their word for it. This is a print lit mag that borders on the diff inted. It opens with a missed connections posting (featured above) which plays with the format of erotic story-telling. There is a mix of comics, illustrations and photographs, more traditional short stories and poems, all of them sex-related. Most of them sexy. Think I'll keep my mouth shut on this one and just tell you to GO BUY IT! But I don't know where. I picked this one up at a bookstore in Bushwick. I don't know the name but I think it's on Flushing, near Wilson. Not one hundred percent sure though so...
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of 3 Kims by Alexandria J Seekely
This short lil treat of a mag borders on the absurd. New Aesthetic. Tumblr sensibilities. A book of different internet "quotes" about the three succeeding Supreme Leaders of North Korea. Highly entertaining for the forty-five seconds it takes you to read through.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of Ornage by Tom Peyton
It is difficult to find Tom Peyton on the internet. In fact I got nothing. Orange blends photography, collage, poetry. New Aesthetic that the alt lit kids can get into.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of PEEK by Elizabeth Farrell
This is the best comic book/small zine I have ever discovered. Thirteen illustrations of school girl upskirts. Short. Sweet. Sexy. Thank you Elizabeth Farrell. So good I think even Nick Gazin featured it.
EXTRAS 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) EXTRAS
The Curfew by Jesse Ball: A Review
CURFEW
by
JESSE
BALL
Excellent prose. Great commentary about the book format, how a narrator plucks the strings but doesn't truly disconnect from the central narrative. Perfect pacing. Unsettling.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A Review of The Milan Review of Ghosts
theM
I
L
A
N
R
E
V
I
E
W
of
G
H
O
S
T
S
The first thing I noticed about this book is the typos. Typoes? Typography. The first thing I noticed about this book is the authors. I recognize Tao Lin's name (Yuck! Coming out as a Tao Lin h8r jk I don't hate but this guy is the worst!). The first thing I noticed about this book is the cover art. The graphics (drawings) are done by Matt Furie. I love Matt Furie. I am not sure how to pronounce his name. I like to pronounce it the same way I do "fury." But he could be a furry. Or a brony. I found out about his artwork back in two-thousand and seven through 4chan. I am a big fan of his boy's club series. Reading the stories in this book you notice MFA caliber. There's a story about a pilot I recommend you check out.
A review of THERE AND BACK by Mark King
I can't tell what country Mark King's photographs are taken in. At first I'm thinking Vegas or New Orleans. But then maybe he's in the Caribbean. It reeks of professional photography bending the rules. Framing and light are powerful tools for a creative vision. King has two crucial characteristics of a good artist. He's talented at his craft. He has interesting subjects. His photographs don't seem to explore anything specific, but rather an open exploration of possibly implausible scenarios. A diff inted artist for sure.
A review of Techno Junkies by Sean Pryor
The idea behind techno junkies isn't original. A man feels a disassociation with the physical world and attempts to find happiness by merging into virtual reality (THE SINGULARITY). Sean Pryor illustrates a secluded man who feels pressured by his mother to embrace a world which he feels alienated from. The man falls in love with a cyber woman named Zerone and achieves a metaphysical love connection with her by splicing his soul (or w/e) into a network of wires plugged directly into his body. An ambiguous ending, but even more interesting is what comes after the ending. Some extra illustrations by Pryor. A Native American. An Astronaut blues singer. Fun with alligators. What I like to imagine is Pryor himself sitting on the toilet. Pants off. Shirt on.
A review of the young dissenter's handbook by Ryan Eggensperger & Dan Strauss
Apparently this comic book is inspired by one of those "X things you must do before you die" lists. Each page presents a different scenario in which a bald man is depicted going through the banality of life in the modern age. The character is moody, greedy, insecure, lonely, delusional, entitled, very funny. Some of the pages are more absurd than others, and the slight reference here and there to pop culture and social norms. Nothing better than a book with only one line per page.
A review of Wet. an erotic collection volume one
Papercut Press, based out of Brooklyn, NY claims to be a
small press based out of Brooklyn, ny.
We focus on underrepresented writers and strange works that are unlikely to be published.
We believe in beautiful, well-designed, printed books.
The book is well designed. It is printed. The writers may certainly be considered underrepresented. I don't recognize any of them. I don't know about the rest but I'll take their word for it. This is a print lit mag that borders on the diff inted. It opens with a missed connections posting (featured above) which plays with the format of erotic story-telling. There is a mix of comics, illustrations and photographs, more traditional short stories and poems, all of them sex-related. Most of them sexy. Think I'll keep my mouth shut on this one and just tell you to GO BUY IT! But I don't know where. I picked this one up at a bookstore in Bushwick. I don't know the name but I think it's on Flushing, near Wilson. Not one hundred percent sure though so...
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of 3 Kims by Alexandria J Seekely
This short lil treat of a mag borders on the absurd. New Aesthetic. Tumblr sensibilities. A book of different internet "quotes" about the three succeeding Supreme Leaders of North Korea. Highly entertaining for the forty-five seconds it takes you to read through.
A review of Ornage by Tom Peyton
It is difficult to find Tom Peyton on the internet. In fact I got nothing. Orange blends photography, collage, poetry. New Aesthetic that the alt lit kids can get into.
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
A review of PEEK by Elizabeth Farrell
This is the best comic book/small zine I have ever discovered. Thirteen illustrations of school girl upskirts. Short. Sweet. Sexy. Thank you Elizabeth Farrell. So good I think even Nick Gazin featured it.
EXTRAS 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) EXTRAS
BONSAI by Alejandro Zambra
Recommended to me by the poet Gregory Solano. Poetic. Short. It's a movie.
TOILET BOWL: SOME NOTES ON WHY I WRITE by Kate Zambreno
I love Heroines. But you know that.
HAT TRICK by: Dr. Phil
Some kid on termbo sent me this back in two thousand nine. Hilarious.
SLIME DOG: YOU ARE MY FRIEND by Daniel Alexander aka SNACK PACK aka SNCKPCK
A tumblr alt lit type kid inspired by LIL B I'm assuming with an amazing PR machine.
