On April 2, 2009, in the penultimate event of the Spring 2009 New Writing Series schedule, Flarf poets Nada Gordon and Gary Sullivan read to an audience of nearly 60 people in Soderberg Auditorium. After a combined reading of about 40 minutes, Gordon and Sullivan took questions from the audience.
Documentation
For more photos, visit the NWS flikr page. The event was recorded on digital video tape by Carey Haskell.
Set Lit
For the first half of the reading, the poets read alternately. In the following set-list, GS beside a title denotes that Gary Sullivan was the reader, NG beside a title denotes that Nada Gordon was the reader.
1) To a Sought Caterpillar (GS)
2) An Abecedarian of Spam Senders (NG)
3) They of the Mayonnaise (GS)
4) Unicorn Believers Don’t Declare Fatwas (NG)
5) The Giraffe (GS)
6) A Fun fact About Light (NG)
7) Plop Takes (GS)
Nada Gordon
8] Ding
9) Between “Cartoon Sight” and “Floozy Winds”
10) Voice Dhoti Gong
11) Wrong Face
Gary Sullivan
12) Mmhmm
13) Anagrams of American Imperialism
14) Poem
15) Mooing Sound
16) Own Face
17) Kenfuckintucky
18) My Poetry
19) My Favorite Poets
Nada Gordon
20) I Love Men
Nada Gordon and Gary Sullivan (song)
21) “A Few of My Favorite/ Inexplicable Things”
Questions
1) Are there more poets like you out there?
2) What kind of reactions do you get from different audiences?
3) How long have you guys been together, either working professionally or personally?
4) When did you start combining comic art and poetry? (for GS)
5) What do you think the computer is going to be to poetry?
6) How did you write that question poem? (for Nada)
7) Do you guys have a specific writing process?
8] What kind of balance do you try to achieve between the realistic/ concrete and the absurd/ abstract in your poetry?
UMaine New Writing Series 