Pop Quiz

You might already know this but The Clean Part will be hosted this year by the wonderful Sheldon Memorial Gallery (pictured in the picture). We have some phenomenal poets lined up for this year's season--Z & I have a bit more finalizing to do with the schedule, but mark your calendars with these dates.





Friday, September 22, 2006
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Saturday, April 14, 2007










And definitely mark first your calendar & then something else (something secret--don't even tell your husband) for this. The Wave Books bus tour will be swinging through Lincoln on Monday Sept 11th with about a bajillion poets. I'm not exactly sure who yet, but it could include Eileen Myles, James Tate, Cole Swensen, Dean Young, Joshua Beckman, Noelle Kocot, Matthew Zapruder, Tyehimba Jess, Hoa Nguyen, Richard Siken, Katy Lederer, Dara Wier, Arthur Sze, Catherine Wagner, Srikanth Reddy, Matthew Rohrer, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Bhanu Kapil Rider, John Clare, Mina Loy, Christopher Smartt, Audre Lorde, Countee Cullen, Geroge Oppen and over 100 more.

Today for the first time in my life I was part (or rather a poem of mine was part) of a reading response quiz in a lit course. The answer was "Chemists." Apparently most of the students got it right, which is good for them. I had a good time talking broadly about the line in David (Mad Dog) Madden's lit course. It's strange & wonderful to me that I can return to dunderheadedly simple questions such as "What is poetry?" & "How does poetry come to have meaning?" & continually find them refreshingly new. It feels good to not be locked into a aesthetic structure that I have to defend, that rather I can reinterpret the value & delights of poetry continually.

Here's a pop quiz about me:

1. Mathias Svalina _____________________ the goddamned government.

a) couldn't give a damn about
b) is way-proud of
c) makes a delicious omelet
d) eats the omelet while reading the paper
e) and generally has a lovely morning
f) though it is a tad hot

2. The proper misspelling of Mathias Svalina's name is

a) Mathias Savlina
b) Matthias Salinas
c) Matthew Saliva
d) Matthew Sutter
e) Your first love's name
f) a telephone number that you remember but can't remember whose number it is (how weird!)


Also, if there is something wrong with you then you should probably listen to Marissa Nadler. If you don't you might end up in a christian-hippie coffeehouse with someone saying "You seem to almost be self-actualized" to your face & you will not feel the urge to either hit them, spit on them or falter like a popped tube. She will make you feel how a sniper feels about his bullets.