Literarisches Events (in and around Lawrence KS)

  • PATRICIA LOCKWOOD. Lawrence. Thursday, September 11, 7:00 p.m., Spooner Hall, KU Campus.
  • PATRICIA LOCKWOOD. Lawrence. Friday, September 19, 7:00 p.m. Lawrence Public Library. Sponsored by Raven Bookstore.
  • DENNIS ETZEL, JR. & RACHEL CROSS. Lawrence. Thursday, September 25, 7:00 p.m., Raven Bookstore, 6 E. 7th St.
  • TONY TRIGILIO. Lawrence. Thursday, Oct. 2, 4:00 p.m., English Room, Kansas Union, KU Campus. FREE.
  • CALEB PUCKETT & JUSTIN RUNGE. Lawrence. Thursday, October 16, 7:00 p.m., Raven Bookstore, 6 E. 7th St.
  • BEN LERNER. Kansas City, MO. Thursday, October 23, 7:00 p.m., Epperson Auditorium, Vanderslice Hall on the KCAI campus, 4415 Warwick Blvd.
  • KRISTIN LOCKRIDGE & ROBERT DAY. Lawrence. Thursday, December 4, 7:00 p.m., Raven Bookstore, 6 E. 7th St.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Extirpate Irony (??)

My response to this Salon article:

DFW Is Dead

We’re supposed to be unironic now; so I guess I better write about the neon-red tulip beds on a pastoral campus. From a distance, they look like a swath of red, and I’m glad the red isn’t blood. As far as I know: this isn’t on TV. Violets are supposed to be the drops of Attis’ blood, I heard. I’m staying unironic, talking about universal human values, like beauty, love, death, cash flow, not necessarily in that order. (Uh oh – watch it – I detect a hint of irony). Well, yes, but what created all this irony we’re swimming in in the first place? Bored teenagers? The seventh day? The seventh seal? Throw her a fish! (Come on, writer – this isn’t a joke. Help us change our lives without changing our income. Speak of the rigged markets, the artificial persons, the Heartbleed, but do so earnestly. Make your heart bleed. After all, there is no blood on your street) As though there were somewhere to go back to? As though sincerity hasn’t been commodified as well? “Being ignorant, comfortably,” dreaming of being apart from the Bourse. The Archaic Torso of Apollo lamp is set to medium-hi and says there is nowhere you are not observed. You must change your password. (OK – that’s it. I’m shutting this ^$*&*^%& poem down! Irony is so . . . 2008. We want something new, the next big thing, something that makes us keep wanting something new. We want to know what’s left in the bottom of the box).