Just a note about my long journey toward cultural visibility: toward the end of 2009, Maria Damon, a friend of mine in vispo and related art, sent me an essay on my mathemaku by an undergraduate student in a class she was teaching on (I believe) “micropoetry.” I don’t know whether I’m pleased or alarmed at how well a mere college student analyzed my work. Of course, I did like fact that the essay was an appreciation, and that it got attention in a college class. I figure that once college students, and blogger, start writing about my work, one of my main fast-lane ambitions will eventually come to pass: a whole book about my work (by someone other than myself). The essayist, by the way, is Joey Engelhart.
I had meant to post his essay long ago, but something kept me from getting permission from him, then I got diverted into other projects. I came across the e.mail Maria sent it to me in yesterday while searching my e.mail for something else, remembered that I wanted to post it and got in touch with Maria about it. I now have Joey’s permission ot post it, and have done so: in the new “Discussions of Bob Grumman’s Poetry” slot among the “Pages” to the right of this entry.
A little later in the day, I got an e.mail from Conrad DiDiodato, the word-dreamer: poetics blogger, letting me know about an entry he’d made in this blog a month of so ago about my mathematical poetry. It’s very positive. Insightful, too, I think. I’ll be asking him for permission to put it into my collection of “Discussion of Bob Grumman’s Poetry.” Next, something by William Logan, I’m sure. (Unironically speaking now, he is the critic I think I would most want to examine my work–because (1) he might find flaws in it I can correct, and (2) he would definitely provide idiocies for more intelligent critics to work off of, and for me to laugh at.