On June 9-10, I attended the 2006 Wisconsin Writers Conference at UW-Baraboo/Sauk County in Baraboo. This was the second such conference, which is held every two years, and features extensive readings by Wisconsin writers, as well as presentations about Wisconsin literature. This year I read twice from my farm-related writing, and made two presentations of my essay, "Lorine's Toolbox: A Working Poet Examines Niedecker's Poetics." I got to attend several readings and presentations throughout the conference and, as is my habit, I made some notes on what I heard. This is my short-hand report on one of those events.
J.D. Whitney
read from Grandmother Says, at 9:00 a.m. on Friday. The book, published by Arctos Press (PO Box 401, Sausalito, CA 94966-0401 - $12.00), is the complete edition of Whitney's "Grandmother Says" series and it features an introductory note by Gary Snyder, who speaks of this "Grandmother" that Whitney is channeling: "the playful spirit, life, energy of the organic world itself, an embodiment of multi-formed always-changing life; that lives whatever comes, with all the hard-won lessons and teachings." Whitney himself, in introducing his reading, said Grandmother is "a shape-shifter and trickster" in native stories.
Though written out, Whitney's poems retain elements of an oral tradition; they are conversational, yet sharp-lined and taut, and they move.
Grandmother speaks of "people making love, hunched together in the middle like a spider - not enough legs, but good try...."
How long should people live? Coyote decides: "longer than bugs, shorter than trees."
"Grandmother lets some people wear duck suits, even if they are...."
Why does there have to be thunder at night, while people are making love? "Wakes up the kids, so there won't be too many people...."
Grandmother has two vaginas, the second on the back of her neck. "She calls it her teaching vagina."
Beavers have "water-slapper tapper tails." People "wiggle when they walk, drive each other crazy...."
"All those waters trying to get back together into one again...."
"Fire was once a person she knew, because she was the person when she wore her red dress...."
"Grandmother has lots of sisters, some younger, some older, some of them men...."
To be continued....
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