.gif)
Robert Grenier (poet)
Encyclopedia
Robert Grenier is a contemporary American poet associated with the Language School
. He was founding co-editor (with Barrett Watten
) of the influential magazine This
(1971–1974). This was a watershed moment in the history of recent American poetry, providing one of the first gatherings in print of various writers, artists, and poets now identified (or loosely referred to) as the Language poets
.
He is the co-editor of The Collected Poems of Larry Eigner
, Volumes 1-4 published by Stanford University Press
in 2010, and was the editor of Robert Creeley
's Selected Poems, published in 1976. Grenier's early work, influenced by Creeley, is noted for its minimalism
. Grenier's recent work, however, is as much visual as verbal, involving multicolor "drawn" poems in special (and not always reproducible) formats.
and the University of Iowa
Program in Creative Writing. He has taught literature and creative writing at UC Berkeley, Tufts, Franconia College
, New College of California
and Mills College
.
His works include Sentences, Series, Oakland, A Day At The Beach, Phantom Anthems and OWL/ON/BOU/GH.
In an essay from the first issue of This, Grenier declared: "I HATE SPEECH". Ron Silliman
, commenting on Robert Grenier's gesture
some years afterward, wrote:
Grenier’s recent "books" have been variously described as folios of haiku
-like inscriptions or transcriptions. Examples of his current holograph poems can be seen on-line through the Grenier Author Page at the Electronic Poetry Center
(see section below: "External links"). Curtis Faville (who co-edited the The Collected Poems of Larry Eigner with Grenier) states that Grenier "has gone on to produce a new hybrid form--neither "poetry" nor graphic art—which treats words (letters) as a form of literal visual design, in which "legibility" hovers at the edge of apprehension".
Language poets
The Language poets are an avant garde group or tendency in United States poetry that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
. He was founding co-editor (with Barrett Watten
Barrett Watten
Barrett Watten is an American poet, editor, and educator often associated with the Language poets.Since 1994, Watten has taught modernism and cultural studies at Wayne State University in Detroit...
) of the influential magazine This
This (magazine)
This is a poetry journal associated with what would later be called Language poetry because during the time span in which This was published, "many poets of the emerging Language school were represented in its pages"....
(1971–1974). This was a watershed moment in the history of recent American poetry, providing one of the first gatherings in print of various writers, artists, and poets now identified (or loosely referred to) as the Language poets
Language poets
The Language poets are an avant garde group or tendency in United States poetry that emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s...
.
He is the co-editor of The Collected Poems of Larry Eigner
Larry Eigner
Laurence Joel Eigner / Larry Eigner was an American poet of the second half of the twentieth century and one of the principal figures of the Black Mountain School....
, Volumes 1-4 published by Stanford University Press
Stanford University Press
The Stanford University Press is the publishing house of Stanford University. In 1892, an independent publishing company was established at the university. The first use of the name "Stanford University Press" in a book's imprinting occurred in 1895...
in 2010, and was the editor of Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley
Robert Creeley was an American poet and author of more than sixty books. He is usually associated with the Black Mountain poets, though his verse aesthetic diverged from that school's. He was close with Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Allen Ginsberg, John Wieners and Ed Dorn. He served as the Samuel P...
's Selected Poems, published in 1976. Grenier's early work, influenced by Creeley, is noted for its minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
. Grenier's recent work, however, is as much visual as verbal, involving multicolor "drawn" poems in special (and not always reproducible) formats.
Life and work
Robert Grenier is a graduate of Harvard CollegeHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
and the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
Program in Creative Writing. He has taught literature and creative writing at UC Berkeley, Tufts, Franconia College
Franconia College
Franconia College was a small experimental liberal arts college in Franconia, New Hampshire, United States. It opened in 1963 on the site of The Forest Hills Hotel on Agassiz Road, and closed in 1978, after years of declining enrollment and increasing financial difficulties.A small, eclectic...
, New College of California
New College of California
New College of California was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1971 by former Gonzaga University President, Father John Leary. After 37 years, it ceased operations in early 2008....
and Mills College
Mills College
Mills College is an independent liberal arts women's college founded in 1852 that offers bachelor's degrees to women and graduate degrees and certificates to women and men. Located in Oakland, California, Mills was the first women's college west of the Rockies. The institution was initially founded...
.
His works include Sentences, Series, Oakland, A Day At The Beach, Phantom Anthems and OWL/ON/BOU/GH.
In an essay from the first issue of This, Grenier declared: "I HATE SPEECH". Ron Silliman
Ron Silliman
Ron Silliman is an American poet. He has written and edited over 30 books, and has had his poetry and criticism translated into 12 languages. He is often associated with language poetry. Between 1979 and 2004, Silliman wrote a single poem, The Alphabet...
, commenting on Robert Grenier's gesture
Gesture
A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of speech or together and in parallel with spoken words. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body...
some years afterward, wrote:
Grenier’s recent "books" have been variously described as folios of haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
-like inscriptions or transcriptions. Examples of his current holograph poems can be seen on-line through the Grenier Author Page at the Electronic Poetry Center
Electronic Poetry Center
The Electronic Poetry Center, sponsored by various departments at SUNY Buffalo, is an online resource for digital poetry. It was founded in 1995 by Loss Pequeño Glazier and Charles Bernstein, making it one of the oldest resources for poetry on the World Wide Web...
(see section below: "External links"). Curtis Faville (who co-edited the The Collected Poems of Larry Eigner with Grenier) states that Grenier "has gone on to produce a new hybrid form--neither "poetry" nor graphic art—which treats words (letters) as a form of literal visual design, in which "legibility" hovers at the edge of apprehension".
Books of Poems
- Dusk Road Games (poems, 1960–66). Cambridge, MA: Pym-Randall Press, 1967.
- Sentences Towards Birds (41 poems from Sentences). Kensington, CA: L Press, 1975.
- Series (poems, 1967–71). San Francisco: This Press, 1978.
- Sentences (500 poems on 5" x 8" index cards, boxed, 1972–77). Cambridge, MA Whale Cloth Press, 1978.
- CAMBRIDGE M'ASS (265 poems on 40" x 48" poster). Berkeley, CA: Tuumba Press, 1979.
- Oakland. Berkeley, CA: Tuumba Press, 1980.
- A Day At The Beach. New York: Roof Books, 1985.
- Phantom Anthems. Oakland, CA: O Books, 1986.
- What I Believe. Elmwood, CT: Potes & Poets Press, 1988.
- What I Believe transpiration/transpiring Minnesota (66 8.5" x 11" pages, unbound, boxed). Oakland, CA: O Books, 1991.
- 12 from r h y m m s (12 4-color 8-1/2" x 11" drawing poems in envelope). Columbus, OH: Pavement Saw Press, 1996.
- OWL/ON/BOU/GH (32 4-color 11" x 17" drawing poems in black portfolio). Sausalito, CA: Post-Apollo Press, 1997.
External links
- Robert Grenier EPC Author Page at the Electronic Poetry Center (EPC)
- Text Festival Grenier Page relates Grenier's participation on 29 September 2005 , in Great Britain
- Guide to the Robert Grenier Papers, 1941-1999 located at Department of Special Collections, Green Library, Stanford University Libraries
- Ron Silliman on Grenier's minimalism American poet Ron SillimanRon SillimanRon Silliman is an American poet. He has written and edited over 30 books, and has had his poetry and criticism translated into 12 languages. He is often associated with language poetry. Between 1979 and 2004, Silliman wrote a single poem, The Alphabet...
discusses both Robert Grenier and American poet Aram SaroyanAram SaroyanAram Saroyan is an American poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist and playwright. There has been a resurgence of interest in his work in the 21st century, evidenced by the publication in 2007 of several previous collections reissued together as Complete Minimal Poems.- Biography :Saroyan was born...
in the context of their minimalismMinimalismMinimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
(On Silliman's Blog, May 21, 2007). Scroll down to the comments section for an interesting history of Grenier's various writing periods and publications provided by American poet Curtis Faville - Robert Grenier and Charles Bernstein: A Conversation appearing in the on-line zineZineA zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
: JacketJacket (magazine)Jacket is an on-line literary periodical edited by the Australian poet John Tranter. The first issue was in October 1997.Each new number of the magazine is posted at the Web site piece by piece until the new issue is full, when the next issue starts. Past issues remain posted as well...
, No. 35 (2008) - Larry Eigner Author Page at Stanford University Press The publisher of The Collected Poems of Larry Eigner, Volumes 1-4 offers extensive resources on Eigner's life to include reviews, descriptions, and a pdf file of Grenier's "Introduction"