Alice Notley, Eric Dolphy and Upstairs at Duroc

Saxophonist Eric Dolphy:
the subject of my poem in the latest issue of Upstairs at Duroc

I’ve been reading the latest issue of Upstairs at Duroc. This international journal comes out once a year; this is the 12th issue.

Published in Paris, Upstairs at Duroc is filled with literary works of prose and poetry in English.

I'm about halfway through the issue.

Alice Notley’s work is included, which isn’t so odd, seeing as she lives in Paris.  I knew of Notley from Grave of Light, which collects her writing from 1970-2005. I’ve included some of those poems on my show, “Audio Saucepan.”

The 4-page piece in Upstairs at Duroc begins with the author in conversation with a word. Or no, it begins with a conversation with someone named Marie.

It returns to the idea of the word as person, a thing that can talk, that can ask questions. This is one of the things that I love about poetry, the way it grabs my hand and takes me into the surreal.  Suddenly, I’m in a place where “the word” talks.

That, in itself, is dimensional.  Of course, we all use words to talk, but this word has emotion; it thinks and feels. It talks back.

Alice Notley’s writing makes me certain I’ve walked into a dark tunnel. Even though I don’t know what’s happening, I like it in there. It’s weird, but it feels good. Cool and damp on my skin.

Turns out, this is an excerpt from Notley’s new book, Culture of One, due out next month from Penguin. It’s about the Southwest - my home. I want to read more….

And, by the way, one of my jazz poems is in this issue of Upstairs at Duroc – a piece about jazzman Eric Dolphy.