A Poet and an Unusual Edward Gorey Story

First, the Edward Gorey story. Below is a picture of something worth knowing about. Edward Gorey was one of my formative influences. Luckily, Joey de Villa, the Accordion guy scanned images from the rare book below, The Recently Deflowered Girl. Please read and laugh and feel weird accordingly.



In other news, last night, at Modern Times Books, I saw a reading by the great poet: William Taylor, Jr. Here is a picture of his book, Words For Songs Never Written:



You should be reading him. You should be going to his readings. His poems are beautiful, funny, melancholy, acerbic, consoling and triumphantly human all at once. You can find Taylor's books for sale here: So Much Is Burning and here: Centennial Press. His poems have gotten me through some of the darkest and brightest parts of my life. Thanks Bill!

After the reading we got into the following discussion about poetry at the Elbow Room. Who's better?, we asked each other:

a) Sexton or Plath, b) Baudelaire or Rimbaud, c) Keats or Byron, d) Olson or Duncan.

A discussion that just reminded me I should read more poetry. Tis good for honing words, flexing your metaphors and just generally building that soul of yours that keeps you from going under.