Events

[POETRY] There is a rich tradition of experimental poetry in the Bay Area that dates back at least to the 1950s “Berkeley Renaissance” circle of Jack Spicer, Robin Blaser, and Robert Duncan, through the “Beat Poetry” scene of the late 1950s and into the 1960s, a tradition that intertwines with UB’s storied Poetics Programs on many fronts. With their passion for small press activity, poets’ theater, and challenging poetry that involves translation and linguistic experimentation, Joceyln Saidenberg and Brandon Brown are two of the most adventurous avatars of that tradition. They’ll present a poetry reading at the Western New York Book Arts Center on Thursday, March 26. Saidenberg, whose most recent book is Dead Letter (2014), is a founding editor of KRUPSKAYA Books and a contributing member of galleries and collectives in the Bay Area. Her collection Cusp (2001) was chosen by poet Barbara Guest for the Frances Jaffer Book Award and received a grant from the Greenwall Fund in conjunction with the Academy of American Poets. Saidenberg’s work often pushes at syntax with repetition and short, truncated sentences punctuated with bursts of dialogue, exploring issues of narrative and the body. Brandon Brown has published a translation of Catullus (2011), and his most recent books are Flowering Mall (2012) and Top Forty (2014). Brown also edits KRUPSKAYA Books, frequently participates in the San Francisco Poets Theater, and curates a reading series at the Bay Area Public School.