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This Thursday, the New Writing Series will be welcoming back renowned poet Robert Grenier. In his last successful visit in the fall of 2000, Grenier’s vibrant improvisational presentation and eccentric poetic forms truly captivated the audience’s attention as he genially engaged them in open discussion about his poetry. Expectations are high for another fascinating, thought provoking performance.
Grenier is the author of several books, including “Dusk Road Games” (1966), “Sentences” (1978), and “Phantom Anthems” (1986). From 1971-1974, Grenier was the co-editor of the hallmark poetry magazine “This,” considered by most New Language poets to have laid the foundations for their New Language poetry. This art form’s a contemporary avant-garde American movement that emphasizes the materiality of language, and the readers’ role in creating meaning from the poem. He was editor of Robert Creeley’s “Selected Poems,” issued in 1976. Presently, Grenier’s experimental poetry has been featured in prestigious New York art exhibits, such as the Marianne Boesky Gallery in Manhattan, a rarity for most poets.
According to Steve Evans, coordinator of the New Writing Series, Grenier’s unconventional style is a genuinely unique art form consisting of multicolored “drawn” poems that refocuse interpretation to a visual perspective rather than a predominantly verbal one. This challenges the audience to interpret poetry in unorthodox ways.
Indeed, Grenier’s work concentrates on the materiality of language as a tangible, observable object, a fundamental characteristic of the New Language poets. In fact, according to Evans, he is often regarded by literary critics as a poet who bridged the gap between the New American poets such as Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac and the New Language poets.
“It’s truly amazing,” commented Evans, reflecting on Grenier’s unique, visual considerations for language. “I’ve never seen anything remotely like what he does.”
Grenier provides an extraordinarily unique, contemplative experience that delves deep into the heart of language, asking such fundamental questions as ‘What is language, and what does it do?’ According to Evans, Grenier’s presentation will certainly be a worthwhile, rare opportunity, and he encourages anyone with even the remotest curiosity to attend.
Bangor Daily News