Rare Books and Manuscripts Library

The Rare Books & MSS Library has put up an exhibit of stunning books from the Library’s almost complete collection of works from Granary Books, one of the leading and most innovative publishers of artist’s books. The exhibit is in the Library’s Gallery, open Monday-Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 10-8, Friday 10-6, and Saturday Sunday noon-5.

The opening on January 21, 2010, was well-attended, and featured a presentation by Steve Clay, the publisher of Granary Books, who talked about the press and some of the individual books on display.

The exhibit was curated by John M. Bennett, Avant Writing Collection.

 Snapshots from the Event:

John M. Bennet and Steve Clay

Looking at the Books

Carol Diedrichs, Steve Clay, Ann Hamilton, Gay Jackson, John M. Bennett

The recently published catalog, Visual Poetry in the Avant Writing Collection has received very positive reviews in three key publications: Umbrella, June 2008, says the book is “beautifully printed and designed, [and] belongs to every art as well as literature collection…anywhere”. The book review journal Rain Taxi, Winter 2008-2009, calls it a “stunning catalog” and discusses several aspects of it at some length; and the Small Press Review/Small Magazine Review, Nov-Dec 2008, calls it “a key vispo publication”, discusses it at length and the reviewer concludes that he would “be shocked if any other poetry publication of 2008 is half as important for poetry”.

Edited by John M. Bennett, the catalog is available for $30 at the RBMS Library, or can be seen as a PDF on the RBMS webpage, http://library.osu.edu/sites/rarebooks/, click on “Visual Poetry in the Avant Writing Collection” in the column on the right.

Blue Lion Books has just published a book by John M. Bennett, SPITTING DDREAMS. SPITTING DDREAMS consists of 2 books written in the late 1970’s through early 1980’s, “Spitting” and “Ddreams”, never before published. “Spitting” includes poems from Bennett’s “Spitter” period, and employs various lunatic repetitive and anaphoric techniques. “Ddreams” is very different: a series of minimalist visions, ranging from the bizarre to the mundane, arranged in an over-arching symmetrical pattern. The book includes 2 groups of visual poems from the period.

Available as a printed book on-demand or as a free download from http://www.lulu.com/content/4718619

John M. Bennett participated in the Encuentro Internacional de Poesia Experimental “Amanda Berenguer”, in Montevideo, Uruguay, August 28-31, 2008. He gave 2 presentations: “Poesia y Poesia Visual de John M. Bennett”, and “La Poesia Visual Internacional en la Coleccion Avant de la Universidad Estatal de Ohio, USA, Poesia Visual”. The four days of meetings, curated by the reknowed Uruguayan poet Clemente Padin, were attended by numerous writers, performers, and scholars from Uruguay, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Chile. Bennett and his wife, C. Mehrl Bennett, were the only invitees from the US.

Visual Poetry in the Avant Writing Collection, the catalog compiled by John M. Bennett and designed by OSU’s University Publications, won an Award of Excellence in the University College Designers Association national competition. There were 1600 entries and 193 awards given. There is a link to a PDF version of the catalog on the RBMS main webpage and in an announcement below.

The Rare Books & MSS Library has published a full-color illustrated catalog, VISUAL POETRY IN THE AVANT WRITING COLLECTION, Edited and Introduced by John M. Bennett, with additional introductions by Dr. Marvin Sackner, and Bob Grumman. 142 pages, profusely illustrated.

A PDF may be viewed at: http://library.osu.edu/sites/rarebooks/avant/VisualPoetry.pdf

John Bennett was interviewed about his reading preferences in OSU’s OnCampus:
http://oncampus.osu.edu/article.php?id=2107

RBMS has received and loaded onto its website an archival version of Jim Leftwich’s blog, Textimagepoem, which is an extraordinary source for experimental and innovative poetry, visual poetry, mail art, and much more. See it at
http://library.osu.edu/sites/rarebooks/finding/TextImagePoemArchive.php

John Bennett has published 4 books, the first 2 of textual poetry, the second 2 of visual poetry: L ENTES, Puhos, Finland/W. Hartford, CT: Blue Lion Books, 2008 (579 pp.); IN THE BENNETT TREE, co-author Gregory Vincent St. Thomasino, Brooklyn, NY: E Ratio Editions, 2008 (with transductions and essays on Bennett by St. Thomasino); EET, W. Hartford, CT: SmallChapbookProject-2, 2008; and DUH HUD, LaFarge, WI: Xexoxial Editions, 2008.