One pleasure of walking the streets of St. Gallen, a town near the foothills of the Swiss Alps, was climbing its steep alleys and staircases through winding passages, and then, surprisingly, coming upon a kiosk that advertised the Wortlaut literary festival, where I would be reading alongside the American poet Jan Heller Levi.
In St. Gallen, Switzerland
Poetry and Music at the Palace in St. Gallen
They like poetry in Switzerland. Our readings went really well, and we had an enthusiastic crowd.
Not a Ghost of a Chance
Launching a trade war with his tariffs, he tanked the markets and sent his favorite message.
Seeking to Sue the NYPD
Noted Author Richard Kostelanetz Writes . . .
“On 9 May 2024, five days before my 84th birthday, twelve NYPD raided my studio/home in Queens, NY, looking initially for printed child pornography, following the receipt of a few mostly innocuous images from a book written by someone else that I tried to publish through Amazon KDP. Finding nothing in my collection of 25,000 books, they then filched all my MAC computers and backups — my lifework as a writer & artist — that I neglected to store externally. … [He has since learned that he’s not “a person of interest,” meaning he’s not suspected of a crime.] The NYPD still has invaluable material ten months later destroying my professional career. … I’d like to sue them for the return of my work and professional damages incurred.”
Kostelanetz is seeking an attorney to press his case.
Jim Jarmusch Talks About Kenneth Koch
The indie filmmaker was one of many notable speakers at “Kenneth Koch at 100: A Celebration,” held last month at The New School’s Auditorium in Greenwich Village. Kenneth Koch was Jarmusch’s teacher at Columbia, “a kind of godfather to me, aesthetically,” he said, noting further that the “so-called New York School of poets in general remain as my godparents in almost anything I create.” Among the more interesting tributes were Maxine Groffsky’s and, via video, Alex Katz’s. I found Jarmusch’s the most amusing.
Thinking of Gregory Corso’s ‘Happy Birthday of Death’
Not ready for his closeup.
Reading at the Palace [Updated]
It’s getting closer to our poetry reading at the Palace, where Florian Vetsch will host the poet Jan Heller Levi, winner of the Walt Whitman Award given by the Academy of American Poets, and yours truly, along with Clemens Umbricht. DJ Soulsonic will do his thing with the music we selected.
They Called Him ‘Lord of the Gadflies’ . . .
But he was much more than that: Bold spirit, world traveler, street-smart Chicago kid, precinct worker, union organizer, auto worker. Soldier, leftist, Hollywood agent, target of the McCarthy Red Scare. Journalist, novelist, winner of the National Book Award for his memoir, “Going Away.” Screenwriter of “Frida,” about the painter Frida Kahlo. Lover of Nobel laureate Doris Lessing who depicted him in her most significant novel, “The Golden Notebook.”
Musk and His Chainsaw Are Still Coming for You
You think DOGE is gone? He’s still here! And so is his chainsaw!
Proposal for a Billboard
The tag team of Elon Musk and Donald Trump were cheered ringside by MAGA Republicans during el presidente’s speech to the joint session of Congress.
Awards Mean Little Beyond Publicity
Are awards the staff of life? Of course not. But they certainly seem like food for the hungry.
You Are All Deleted. You Are Deleted Forever.
AGITPROP PROPOSAL FOR A BILLBOARD: To be deleted is not a matter of the Internet. It’s a matter of reality.
The White House
Color it brown.
Against the Death Penalty
Death Row Prisoner’s Statement:
« I do deserve to be executed, bottom line
I ain’t goin’ t’candy coat it
I deserve to be executed
by the law of the State of Indiana
I deserve to be executed. »
Double Trouble: Bacon Sometimes Meets Picasso
This is what happens when you take a razor to a pair of images cutting them up in vertical strips. And this is what happens when the procedure is applied to a single image, then doubling the result upon itself. Jiří Kolář gave the name “rollage” to this kind of minimalist collage technique.
My Books
Several books of poems are published by Moloko Print and Stadtlichter Presse in bilingual (American-German) editions, and by Cold Turkey Press in handmade chapbooks. “The Z Collection” appeared in three editions, by AC Books, Blue Wind Press, and Moloko Print.”
Poetry and Music at the Palace
Florian Vetsch reads with Jan Heller Levi & Jan Herman on April 1, 2025, in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Vetsch has translated poems by both into German. During the evening, poems will be recited bilingually by the writers, and their backgrounds will be discussed. DJ Soulsonic (aka Mr. Wempe) will play music selected by the speakers. Special guest poet Clemens Umbricht will perform his translation of Jan Heller Levi’s poem “I Lost My Best Friend to Music” as well as his own New York poem.