August 2000 Poet's Statement

This August, the third time I have participated in this enchanting/exhausting ritual, I had my best experience to date. There was a level of consistency that was very satisfying. It left September ALMOST poem-less with all the damn typing I had to do, (& with the simple task of survival, but that is another story).

My thanks to Danika for continuing to coordinate the festivities, to Stephanie Skura—my partner—for putting up w/ such irresponsible, important, childish nonsense, to Tod McCoy whose website expertise and effort on our behalf is commendable and to the other participants.

Again, my list of August inspirations is large & I may forget one or two and exclude one inspiration whose intent was not admirable. My travels seem mundane when compared to SOME participants, but my home town of Chicago did also inspire some good work.
So, thanks, in no particular order to:

Ralph Blum, Diane di Prima, Jerome Rothenberg, William Carlos Williams, Robert Duncan, Thelonious Monk, Don Harmon, David Francis, John & Roberta Olson & the rest of the Subtext Collective, John Hogue, Herbert Marcuse, Bud Powell, The Chicago White Sox!!! - Stanley Kubrick, Carl Sandburg, Lillian Too, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Keith Jarrett, Clayton Eshleman & Sulfur, Charles Olson, Sharon Doubiago & always, the Rebel Lion.

As usual, all these poems were written spontaneously and the only changes have been cosmetic, like commas, or other punctuation. Most of the poems were written in Projective Verse, using the breath line & syllable as the poem's structure. There were a coupla acrostics, at least one pantoum and NO SESTINAS! I often used lines by other poets as a starting point and kind of divination. Next yr I may write at 5:15 as I am getting too old for this.

Paul E. Nelson
1AM 10.2.00
Auburn, WA