There's great blurb up at www.timeoutny.com about our April 17th Protest, at their "Out There" section. It does a good job of representing why we'll be, well, out there this coming Monday. Kudos to writer Billie Cohen for her fairness.
The piece includes a quote by Phillip Lopate, who sadly demonstrates his cluelessness. Lopate has no idea what the lit underground is, or who's part of it. Yes, we have a sizeable contingent of writers in their 20's, men and women like Patrick Simonelli, Patrick King, Marissa Ranello, Leopold McGinnis, Emerson Dameron, Brady Russell, and so on. BUT, characters in their 30's and 40's remain key players, including Steve Kostecke, Jeff Potter, Frank Walsh, and myself.
More than this, the two legendary underground writers who'll be reading/performing with us on the 17th, Jack Saunders and Richard Kostelanetz, are both in their 60's! In other words, our ages have nothing to do with it.
Lopate demonstrates how encased (like in a hardened missile silo) is his narrow point-of-view. Try to change the System of producing literature itself? Create an independent alternative? Unheard of! It can't even be contemplated by fossilized Insiders like himself.
The ULA vision is that writers themselves run the entire process of literature. We're in charge! With our kind of publishing "company," there is no top dog on the highest floor of the skyscraper, detached from the art, making the decisions from his isolated office, a la Morgan Entrekin. No Overdog pulling down a huge salary and raking in the profits while writers serve for peanuts at his beck and call. No gigantic overhead of layers of literary bureaucrats. We run our operation like gang of cooperative revolutionaries. The pressmen and pr people and artists sit around our "boardroom" making the calls as a group. Writers and artists are not at the bottom of our structure, but the top. (Or rather, there is no bottom or top.)
With us, writers and artists are involved in every step of the creative process.
By the way, we have two presses now working with us, www.outyourbackdoor.com and www.litvision.org. Both are run by key ULAers who also write, advocate, the whole nine yards.
Writers: Take note of our alternative! Thanks.
(More info at www.literaryrevolution.com.)
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7 comments:
The snobbery of your statement discredits itself.
Why are you afraid of new ideas?
Must we all conform?
The condescending snobbery is undeserved, Not Very.
How long would a blog put up by any of the tepid names who'll be on the Miller Hall stage last? What would they have to say, beyond the same-old same-old? Not a one has had a new idea in decades-- if they ever had.
We're levelling the playing field, and this scares people.
Our opponents arguments would have more weight if they were doing anything exciting. they're not. And so, the position of literature in this society continues to slide.
We're trying to turn the tide, in various ways, with various strategies and ideas.
Our growth in strength has seemed incremental-- but continues, relentlessly. We have a hard-core of dedicated members, and after Monday, we'll be adding more; those who'll earn their "colors" with the ULA by performing at our counter-reading.
Yes, many of us got our start in literature by producing and selling zeens.
How many would Lopate or Moody or Shinder sell if they were in the same boat? Zero? All of us in the ULA who were zeensters built modest followings-- often among those who read no other publications. We introduced literature to the people. We KNOW it can be done on a larger scale. We just need to get the word out, which is what we're doing.
Too bad that someone's privileged sinecure is thereby threatened.
(Btw: When I did "New Philistine" in the 90's I had as paying subscribers many of the most-hyped writers of the day-- many who may be good friends of our "Not Very Swift" poster. This in addition to ordinary people; folks working at 7-11 and gas stations. Yes, we can reach people-- better than you mandarins. We just need the opportunity. Scorn us, as you certainly would've scorned the Beats in their heyday, it doesn't matter. We're creating our own opportunity. Bet against us? You'll lose. Stand aside, because we've barely started to make noise.)
I just finished stapling subtitles and stereo sound on to my feature length film. Might be on sale soon.
One can't censor someone who doesn't exist. I've said before that mere hate-filled spam will no longer be tolerated. We welcome open and HONEST debate-- and are waiting to see it from you.
Re the two names you mentioned. They were in the ULA not even long enough for a cup of coffee, and really had no impact either way. Or, the only impact they had was in their attacks on us after they left the organization. Curious, though, that you link the two names. At least one of the individuals doesn't enjoy the link.
We've been attacked continually by the Overdog crowd since the beginning-- from the moment we started our first Protest against the philanthropic grants given to extremely rich people. Very quickly my snail mailbox was filled with anonymous hate mail, my phone ringing night and day with crank hate phone calls. Mr. Lopate should be aware of this before calling US antagonistic.
At the same time, I'm well aware that a certain percentage of the attacks on the ULA come from ex-ULAers. What we're attempting isn't easy, and isn't for everybody. Our campaign takes dedication-- extreme dedication, along with teamwork and cooperation. A few individuals, after trying on our colors, chose to abandon the racetrack. Now they sit in the stands watching, all the while yelling "You'll never make it!"-- and if we ever come close to the finish line they'll run onto the track and knock us over to make sure we don't!
Re the ULA: We've never been stronger. We have a big three-day event upcoming in Cleveland this July. Our membership is working actively to promote our cause throughout North America. Sure, we're making a little noise this week to let people know we're still around, not going anyplace-- but the bigger picture is the work we're doing behind the scenes in building and strengthening thhis organization. The Tim/Noah affair only made us stronger, intensifying our desire to increase our cooperation, and to work out among ourselves any perceived difficulties. We have our own internal forum where these discussions now take place. The movement is very healthy.
Re Mr. Moody. His colleagues have come out of hiding, yet the Poster Boy of Literary Corruption remains silent. We lowly zeensters are beneath Rick's scrutiny. From his lofty perch, he won't deign to acknowledge our existence. In this respect he's the perfect embodiment of American caste society.
In sum, every attempt by us to create a dialogue with the established lit-world has been squelched-- until with one of our poets about to go on-air before one million people, they felt they had no other choice, and emerged from hiding, at long last into the light of day.
p.s. In fairness to TimeOut NY, they are hardly a "third-rate website," but one of the major magazines in New York City. It's THE place where city residents find out what's happening. The piece on us is in the magazine, current issue. I just picked up a copy. Page 12.
Where are you posting from, anyway, demi-puppet? Careful or you just may give away your identity!
Ah yes, to aristocrats, the masses are always nothing, aren't they, "Swift"?
Get used to our presence. We're not going away.
What's their circulation?
Granted, it may not reach one million people, like WNYC, but it reaches enough.
Yeah, not very impressive, but we'll take it. As outsiders generally shut out completely by this noisy society, we're happy to have any kind of a voice.
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