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rodney1946's review
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
In this, Maggie Nelson's phd thesis on the Women of the New York School, she has a great chapter on Alice Notley, from which I have gleaned the following quotes:
Alice Notley as quoted and channeled by Maggie Nelson:
"Notley privileges the play of gender performativity, along with a long standing belief that cross-gender identification is a central aspect of being a poet: “I used to have this whole girl theory of poets, that all poets are essentially girls, and especially all the ones I related to, and that was what made all male poets different from other men. . I think that men who are poets have to be in touch with their girl selves in order to be good poets, and I'm beginning to think its' my responsibility as a woman poet to be in touch with my male aspects in order to work properly."
from an Interview with Ed Foster, Summer 1987
Alice Notley as quoted and channeled by Maggie Nelson:
"Notley privileges the play of gender performativity, along with a long standing belief that cross-gender identification is a central aspect of being a poet: “I used to have this whole girl theory of poets, that all poets are essentially girls, and especially all the ones I related to, and that was what made all male poets different from other men. . I think that men who are poets have to be in touch with their girl selves in order to be good poets, and I'm beginning to think its' my responsibility as a woman poet to be in touch with my male aspects in order to work properly."
from an Interview with Ed Foster, Summer 1987
micdaba's review against another edition
4.0
I did it!! After letting this book stare me down for three years, I finally took it off the shelf and got it done. I attended a conversation with Maggie Nelson and Michelle Tea earlier this year, where Maggie described this book simply about people she found “rad”. It’s an exploration of the topics that she has since covered in greater depth. It’s all here— art, sex, gender, cruelty, politics, and freedom.
aristosakaion's review against another edition
in truth i've only read the first part and i'll get to the second part after i brush up on the poets involved there, but i absolutely love frank o hara, gertrude stein, and joan mitchell and adore maggie nelson's writing. so when i discovered a book about frank o hara, stein, and mitchell was written by nelson i went a little nuts. nelson's academic and critical voice is sharp and succinct and sometimes goes on too long for my liking. seeing her invoke barbara guest and sylvia plath, too, comparing their poetics in lieu of the rise of women poets in america during the 20th century was so insightful to read.
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