An archive of Cormac McCarthy reviews.A NY Times Magazine profile of McCarthy.
CA Conrad Somatic Poetry Exercise No. 3: "Eat a little dark chocolate before getting on the subway. Sit in the middle of the car, and don't get on a car where there are no seats for you. Sitting is best for this. Eat a little more dark chocolate. For the next few stops examine the interior of the car with care. Then close your eyes, and as the car rolls on its tracks make a low hum from deep inside you. don't worry, no one can hear you, trust me, I've tested this with a friend. As soon as the cat stops write nine words as fast as you can before the train moves again. These are not words you were thinking about, just write, don't question what you write, just write. Repeat this humming and writing for nine stops. Get off the train. Find a bench or patch of grass. Now look at that first set of nine words carefully, then write something about the words. What do they mean to you? Then move on to the next set of nine words and repeat. After this is finished poke around all this writing and see what kind of poem is hiding inside it. It's there, trust me it's there. You've just emerged from the underground, rumbling and grumbling and there is something waiting for you to discover it. (Please note:) Try to not engage with anyone while in the car, or while leaving the subway. Don't break your concentration. Maybe have a little note prepared to hand a friend you might run into that explains why you can't talk to them. Don't wait for their response, just hand them the note and get about your business, you're busy. And they will understand, don't worry, just get going for your poem."
Books I'm lugging:
Sommer Browning, Vale Tudo
Alex Lemon, At Last Unfolding Congo
Norman Mailer, The Spooky Art
Arianne Zwartjes, (Stitched) A Surface Opens
Christian Wiman, Ambition & Survival
New issues of Fence and Cannibal
An interview with Robert Hass.
Cystic Fibrosis Fact: In 2006, the predicted median age of survival was 37 years.
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