One of the books that has had a profound effect on me is You Go The Words by Gunnar Björling. Although originally published in 1955, it has only recently been translated. Björling’s book consists of erasures yet they feel organic and alive, as opposed to mechanical or forced. This book will make poets rethink what is said and what is left out as well as how one is using the page.
Eric Baus’ Tuned Droves is another book that has made me reconsider what a poem can be. Baus uses a plethora of methods in sculpting this book and the result is a pleasurable dense and dark affair with an imagined world that feels more real than the real world.
Steven Karl will read on November 14th at Bushwick Reading Series.
The Bushwick Reading Series 