Two new Ashbery grails

[@apoetreadstowrite]

Ashbery is terrific; difficult but so essential... Hunky John indeed!

[@leafyconcern]

@@apoetreadstowrite you’re seein what I’m seein

[@PaperBird]

congrats on the finds! go for Flow Chart if you see it

[@TheBookedEscapePlan]

Flow Chart is so absorbing.

[@TheBookedEscapePlan]

I think it's funny how divisive "Tennis Court Oath" was when it was published because I personally love the book. But it is a really, really weird book, even for Ashbery. (I have the same "Hunky John," as you call it; it fits in the pocket well.) "Some Trees" is one of my favorite Ashbery books. I personally like the recent line of Yale reprints. I'm really surprised you don't like them. They are very nicely designed. I don't know that I could commit to a favorite Ashbery book; some of them are so different from each other. But "Some Trees" holds as very special place in my heart, and I was first able to read it thanks to those Yale reprints.

[@leafyconcern]

@@TheBookedEscapePlan you make a good point about how the reprints are a good way to increase accessibility to great collections like ST. I just didn’t like the rounded edges and the excess of text on the cover and the many different fonts and the large year number. Same exact book without the big years would have been a big yes from me. As it stands it’s just an unenthusiastic yes

[@aaronfacer]

Great finds! I wanted to know that I picked up my first ever book of Ashberry's poetry just the other day, based at least partly on your enthusiasm for him in your videos. I'm very much looking forward to diving in.

[@leafyconcern]

@@aaronfacer enjoy! Which one did you get?

[@aaronfacer]

@@leafyconcern I picked up the 1985 Selected Poems. Hopefully that will be enough to get me started!

[@leafyconcern]

@@aaronfacer that’s the second book I got. Started with worldly country and then got the selected. That’s a perfect place to start.

[@joshuacreboreads]

Cool video! I own the library America volume 1 edition. As yet, I have only sampled him. His poetry can be so difficult, but so rewarding too!

[@leafyconcern]

I agree. For what it's worth, I also recommend Anthony Madrid, Anne Waldman, Wang Wei, Basho, Robert Frost, and Paul Muldoon.

[@joshuacreboreads]

Madrid, Waldman, and Wei are all new names to me! I will check them out. 😃

[@matthewsapio4863]

You might like his translation of Rimbaud's Illuminations.

[@leafyconcern]

@@matthewsapio4863 looking for a copy of that right now