The Outlaw Poets of American Poetry

[Gerard K H Love]

I just received this book The Outlaw Poets of American Poetry as a gift. I immediately scanned through it to see who was included and was surprised that Bukowski is not included. He is mentioned several places as someone who influenced some of the chosen contributors, but they did not publish anything by Bukowski.

The book was edited by Alan Kaufman and our dear S.A. Griffin and includes Joan Jobe Smith and several other friends of Bukowski, but not him. Does this mean Bukowski is too mainstream or maybe he is the outlaw of the outlaw poets?

I could not find mention of this book in the forum so if it is already in here....whatever.

 

[Mark73]

He is the godfather of the outlaw poets to the publishers, maybe. Are the other contributers alive? Could be a reason for not including something written by Buk.

 

[cirerita]

s.a. griffin wanted to include a few Bukowski poems, but for some reason I think he was not allowed to do so.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Black Sparrow is credited as publisher for a least a couple of entries so I would not think that Black Sparrow would have been the reason.

 

[marina del rey]

I think in the foreword (or somewhere around there) S.A. Griffin acknowledges Buk's absence.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

That reminds me, they mention the Meat Poets. Is that somehow derived from the Beat Poets?
I don't have the book with me now so I need to read all of it. One thing I've noticed after three attempts to read the book I can only make it through one or two poems and I fall fast asleep. It could be due to some disorder of my own but I'll try drinking some coffee next time I sit down with it.

 

[mjp]

What is an outlaw poet, I wonder?

The argument that "the establishment" has some sort of stranglehold over what poetry is published doesn't hold water anymore, and hasn't for, oh, fifty years or so. So tags like "outlaw" make me cringe. Kinda like calling yourself "cool," or "marvelous." A real outlaw wouldn't let their work be in a book with a title like that. They would tell the editors to go fuck themselves.

Maybe that explains Bukowski's absence. ;)

What's wrong with people, anyway? No one gives a shit about anything anymore. I'm surprised they didn't get a grant from Walmart to publish that book (if they didn't). No one has any balls. Poets make me sick.

You know, in a manner of speaking.

 

[james]

what's an outlaw poet? apparently, these handsome fellows...

http://www.outlawpoet.com/

the black dude in cowboy hat and sunglasses is DEFINITELY an outlaw.....


also, i think that website pre-dates the internet! wow!!!

 

[Bukfan]

What is an outlaw poet, I wonder?

The opposite of an in-law poet maybe? It sounds like it's a name a bunch of relatively unknown poets have given themselves - "they don't wanna print our poetry. That makes us outlaw poets, baby".

Maybe that explains Bukowski's absence. ;)

Right! - The Absence Of The Hero. ;)

 

[Gerard K H Love]

The opposite of an in-law poet maybe? It sounds like it's a name a bunch of relatively unknown poets have given themselves - "they don't wanna print our poetry. That makes us outlaw poets, baby".

;)

If you look at the preview of the book these are a few names, known to me and I know very little.
Jack Micheline , Henry Miller, Norman Mailer,
Tupac Shakur, William Carlos Williams , AllenGinsberg,
Bob Dylan, Neal Cassady , A. D. Winans,
Richard Brautigan, Leonard Cohen, Harold Norse,
Woody Guthrie, James Dean , Tom Waits,
Gerald Locklin, Bob Kaufman, Ann Menebroker,
Jackson Pollock, S A Griffin , Steve Richmond,
Jack Kerouac , Hunter S Thompson, William S Burroughs,
Neeli Chekovski, Eric Brown , Patti Smith,
Jim Morrison , Pedro Pietri , Walt Whitman,Richard Pryor
Lenny Bruce, Lou Reed.
to name a few. Then again maybe Bukowski's people didn't want him included with someone in the list.

 

[mjp]

what's an outlaw poet? apparently, these handsome fellows...

Oh jesus christ.

Yes. See, those are the outlaws of poetry. No doubt. Now I know. Thanks for clearing that up.

Hey there! My name is Nikki and I will be your host for today. I am 5'5 with blonde hair and brown eyes. I enjoy both time with my friends and by myself. When I am by myself, I enjoy reading romance, horror, and mystery novels. I love the beach, the mountains, the park, anything scenic. I like going camping and fishing with my family and boyfriend. When I am with friends, I can just hang out and talk, or a can go to the movies, go bowling, go shopping or I can go up to one of my favorite places, the Coffee Scene. Which brings me into another talent I have found I have. In the past year, I have discovered that I not only enjoy writing poetry, but that I am not that bad at it either. I have not been writing very long, like I said I just started writing a year ago, so I don't claim that my poetry is the best or even the most talented but it is a way for me to express my feelings and point of view on some things.

Yeah, that's one frightening hombre, right there. She sounds like she'd just as soon gut you with a dull knife as read you a poem, eh?

why me.

 

[ROC]

That would have made a more interesting book title; 'The Absence of Bukowski'.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Thank you James for your link, it is much more fun. mjp should have put this link in for Nikki's Poem Acorn and Walnut.

 

[mjp]

...James Dean...

They forgot Sarah Palin and Buzz Aldrin.

 

[bospress.net]

Blame Alan Kauffman for Bukowski's absence.

 

[Bukfan]

If you look at the preview of the book these are a few names, known to me and I know very little

I recognize most of those names and they're well known poets. So much for my 'relatively unknown poets' theory. :o
I guess they hoped the 'outlaw poets' label would help sell some more books.

 

[Joe Batters]

Remember the Outlaw Bible of American Poetry? One poem by Buk. But I did discover Mikey Piñero. Thank you fat, fucking overpriced piece of shit book!

 

[jordan]

alan kauffman was an early investor in chance press. he donated some broadsides from a different small press that we then sold (upon his instruction) to a third small press, raising around $35.00.

so yeah, there's that.

 

[nervas]

Thank you James for your link, it is much more fun. mjp should have put this link in for Nikki's Poem Acorn and Walnut.

Ha, I got through the whole thing. Brilliant, just brilliant, I'm searching eBay on a second browser right now for Nikki stuff...

 

[Joe Batters]

Remember the Outlaw Bible of American Poetry? One poem by Buk. But I did discover Mikey Piñero. Thank you fat, fucking overpriced piece of shit book!

Sorry. Same book.

 

[Rekrab]

Now this is some bad-ass writing:

"Fragile like glass
With just a lil sas"

That is definitely outlaw. She should be arrested for that.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

Blame Alan Kauffman for Bukowski's absence.

No not Alan Kaufman.

This from the publisher's note: By Neil Ortenberg

Also, there were a few, not many, poets whose permission proved impossible to get, Bukowski being the most glaring example.

Also let's make it clear the outlaw poets web site james found is not the same as this book. As classy and glassy as that page might be it is not the same.;)

 

[bospress.net]

That is what Neil Ortenberg says....

If you believe him then you will believe that they could not get Bukowski's permission...

Bill

 

[Gerard K H Love]

I was published in a book that mentioned Bukowski

It seems as if they would have at least had Bukowski in that collection, at any cost.

It almost appears to me that that book came out after he died. If that is the case then there was no getting his permission. You know, I really was...

 

[Gerard K H Love]

If you look at the preview of the book these are a few names...

Shame on me I didn't list Todd Moore.

 

[justin grimbol]

whats wild is---and now i havent flipped through that book in while---but i think that franceye is in there.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

I just read her poem in there this afternoon. It is short and sharp as a splinter. If Marina writes or the grand kids write look out.

SA Griffin is one of my favorites in there so far.

 

[Lolita Twist]

"Outlaw" is a double standard. There are still things that are frowned upon in society today - so I guess if you did those things (drank too much, shot up too much, gambled yourself into debt, fucked yourself into AIDS) and wrote about them with "style", you'd be considered an outlaw poet. Which is rather awful sounding... so I guess if you proclaim it, you instantly lose the title. But I guess the outlaw wouldn't want the title in the first place - they wouldn't really want anything would they? Like Mr. Supertramp McCandless?

I think I'm calling my memoirs Cool. Marvelous. Outlaw.

 

[Gerard K H Love]

I see your point but I think Outlaw Poet means not the same old meatloaf. As well the Outlaw Poet does not follow the established rules of written poetry beyond just rhyme or rhythm. Freestyle but not slam. SA Griffin mentions something like that hopefully he will chime in here.

 

[Digney in Burnaby]

FWIW, an essay by Todd Moore on Outlaw Poetry's origins (as he saw it):

http://web.archive.org/web/20070720221751/www.saintvituspress.com/PAGE3.html