Trump

Donald Trump’s pattern of denying that he ever loses anything…

#trump #trumpcourt #stormydaniels #trumpcase #hushmoney #trumpfelony

Full video at YouTube: « Everything’s Rigged! »

https://youtu.be/fEPj5YmYNhk

Writers as Filmmakers as Artists as Musicians 1

Increasingly one finds the phenomenon of writers who are also filmmakers. Multimedia art-making is nothing new, but it’s taken a long time to begin to gain acceptance in the stuffy, hidebound world of literary production. The trend, though, will almost certainly continue. 

And one reason for that is the trend has always existed: from Blake to Peake to the poet/painters of Joseon, artmaking and writing have always had  the potential for a symbiotic relationship. And some writers simply enjoy art-making. This was true , for example, of PK Page. 

But the trend expanded in the 20th century, as poets became singers and vice versa. From Cohen to Dylan to Mitchell to Lennon to Springsteen, there is a large number of songwriters admired precisely for the poetic sophistication of their lyrics. In the 21st century, poets sometimes branch into music long after establishing literary reputations. 

For example, Steve Heighton became serious about performing his music shortly before his death: https://youtu.be/zdGkPrvYOMI?si=8__6AYb3ltAaeA14

And auteur filmmakers have always been, by definition, writers. But how about multimedia narratives that combine several art forms into a single artistic artefact? That form could be musical/ literary or artistic/ literary; however, I think the newest territory to be discovered is combining *all* these elements; that is, a film made by an artist/writer/musician. I call this type of filmmaking the authorial movie, and have made over 1,500 of these that are specifically literature-connected. It is a major body of work.

If curious, here are a few examples:

Three Tragedies, Four Seasons (take 7)

https://youtu.be/GV2sxT5t8yg

These authorial movies tend naturally toward poetry (because of its generally shorter length). But they can take the form of short stories and novel excerpts, too.

Last Question of the Evening 4K Mar 30 20

https://youtu.be/dYR6NYukpuM

More about bamboo

 

Bamboo groves and zoning.

Aging parents, away

 

 Looking after aging parents from far away.

Bamboo wind

 

Bamboo groves are particularly nice places to experience wind, both as a visual and aural experience.

#fieldrecording #bamboogarden #bambou ##대나무숲 #명상 #meditation #naturesounds #southkorea

YouTube link; https://youtube.com/shorts/DG7PDz1I81c?si=NmoWGYYPgDUGQVGC

Trains in Japan

 

On why train service is so popular in Japan 

용인 산책/ Hiking in Yongin

 

Spring flowers

 

Spring ambient from Korea 

Protecting nature

 

Cranes in South Korea are one species that’s benefited from improved environmental protection.

Protecting wild birds in S. Korea #koreannature #asianwildlife #wildlife #한국의야생동물 #경기도 #cranes #두루미

Boy Meets Girl After Battle 2

This poem, "Boy Meets Girl After Battle 2," was published in the online literary journal Word City. In it, I employed a childlike cadence to critique of war's devastating impact on human lives. The poem describes a girl grievously wounded by shrapnel, her home destroyed by artillery fire. Despite her injuries and the shock of her ordeal, she survives, only to be discovered by a platoon. The soldiers' reactions range from indifference to minimal kindness.

War, as we know, makes normal people callous. The work attempts to highlight the dehumanization and moral decay that can accompany war. The final soldier's search for loot amidst the chaos serves as a poignant commentary on the exploitation and disregard for human suffering that often occurs in war-torn areas. The simple, rhythmic language is intended to contrast with the grim reality of the situation.

This poem also a moviepoem . If curious, YouTube link: Boy Meets Girl After Battle (part two)

https://youtu.be/ohVwbNav880

Climbing in Korea

 

Mountain climbing in Korea 

Airplanes and pollution

 

Airplanes and pollution

Aging parents

 

Aging parents and long distances

Auster, CanLit, and the search for vitality

 Korean-American literary writer R. W. Kwon recently wrote an interesting take down of essays in which all the principals always act reasonably and decently. It’s a good point because it’s not how human always act, even when they pride themselves on their maturity. Canadian critic Steven Beattie seconded Kwon, adding that there’s a certain of reader that wants boring novels — that is, novels without conflict.

Boringness in essays (Kwon’s complaint) or boringness in novels (Steven’s) is nothing new. As coincidence — chance, let us say — a literary novelist criticized for having just this failing recently died. His name was Paul Auster. 

I recall once having a conversation with my brother Richard about Auster’s work. Richard said, « It’s just one plodding sentence after another. You wonder when it’s going to stop. » 

Auster himself has many defenders — they tend to be rather thin skinned about critiques aimed at Auster; indirect evidence that the core of his support is middle brow — that is, readers who want their novels to be boring yet at the same time classified as art; a genre of cultural production I term “midrature”. And Canadian letters, FWIW, also provides many examples of this. 

So … what is to be done? How can we create a literary culture that, to use Philip Roth’s phrase, combines high seriousness with great playfulness?

Part of the answer is to stop looking at traditional methods of literary production to save lit culture from its drearier pretensions. In order words, do not make  the (middlebrow) mistake of assuming literature exists only or above all in the form of an offset printed book that’s been curated by a Selector Class which mystifies its own self-interests. Look instead to new media and certain forms of underground publishing. 

John Metcalf called for just that. But he didn’t quite seem willing to take the argument to its logical conclusion, which was to celebrate interesting writing wherever it was produced, whether it had the stamp of institutional approval or not. 

This is one reason I started publishing my late brother’s work as videopoems. 

Example here: A Moviepoem about Winter: Richard’s Last Universe

youtu.be/wqroSWmtJyw

Or as straightforward spoken word: Richard's writing - April 19/20 - 1

youtu.be/qssW5v-GRYw

Critics in anglo Canada are particularly susceptible to walling themselves off from anything that’s not “proper”. 

It’s a blind spot in the way Canada produces culture, and its publishing industry has, ironically, paid a huge price; its audience share is described by one insider as “the worst in the literate world”. 

This is a sad consequence of a middle power such as Canada not placing enough energy into creating genuinely democratic and vital cultural scene. Instead, we’re weighed down by institutions that are instinctively inclined toward “literature” that’s actually social work or a watered down imitation of interesting literature. 

My guess is there will be an interesting debate on the worth of Auster’s novels; American letters is big enough that it can endure such a debate without people freaking out and becoming vindictive.

The opposite is sadly true in Canada. The result is a stymied literature, a mystified literature, a moralizing literature, a message-carrying literature, a cautious literature, and, yes, a boring literature.

Yongin - project still

 

Remembering Richard

 

 Recalling my brother’s poetry