Monday, November 23, 2009
Michael Robbins on my malfeasance:
*
(see my earlier post on this: http://knottprosepo.blogspot.com/2009/11/plus-ca-change.html . . . )
*
This is one of his many imprecations against me, as featured on his blog:
"Some of the Lulu books are prefaced by two pages of anti-blurbs (”[Bill Knott is] incompetent” & so on), many of them wrenched from the context of appreciative reviews, by the likes of Christopher Ricks . . ."
I can't find my xerox of the Christopher Ricks review (The Massachusetts Review, Spring 1970 issue), but have ordered another one which should arrive in about a week and which I will then scan in its entirety onto this blog as a jpeg file, where anyone can make their own judgement as to whether it is indeed an "appreciative review" . . .
To say that "many of" the quotes I print in my LULU books are "wrenched from the context of appreciative reviews" is untrue—one or two of them may be wrenched thus, though I would dispute even that, and would claim that even those one or two are not inaccurate in spirit—
and then there's this: in many of the LULU books I also include two pages of favorable blurbs and excerpts from reviews which actually are appreciative—
Does Michael Robbins consider these latter also fraudulent?
All the quotes I use are sourced, and all those sources can be checked out by anyone who wants the truth,
though I suspect that these sensationalist accusations of my malfeasance in this matter
are a paparazzian fanfaronade so coquettish in its hyberbole, so gossipy-glicksome,
that few if any will bother to seek out and verify the mere factual.
*
*
(see my earlier post on this: http://knottprosepo.blogspot.com/2009/11/plus-ca-change.html . . . )
*
This is one of his many imprecations against me, as featured on his blog:
"Some of the Lulu books are prefaced by two pages of anti-blurbs (”[Bill Knott is] incompetent” & so on), many of them wrenched from the context of appreciative reviews, by the likes of Christopher Ricks . . ."
I can't find my xerox of the Christopher Ricks review (The Massachusetts Review, Spring 1970 issue), but have ordered another one which should arrive in about a week and which I will then scan in its entirety onto this blog as a jpeg file, where anyone can make their own judgement as to whether it is indeed an "appreciative review" . . .
To say that "many of" the quotes I print in my LULU books are "wrenched from the context of appreciative reviews" is untrue—one or two of them may be wrenched thus, though I would dispute even that, and would claim that even those one or two are not inaccurate in spirit—
and then there's this: in many of the LULU books I also include two pages of favorable blurbs and excerpts from reviews which actually are appreciative—
Does Michael Robbins consider these latter also fraudulent?
All the quotes I use are sourced, and all those sources can be checked out by anyone who wants the truth,
though I suspect that these sensationalist accusations of my malfeasance in this matter
are a paparazzian fanfaronade so coquettish in its hyberbole, so gossipy-glicksome,
that few if any will bother to seek out and verify the mere factual.
*
*
Sunday, November 22, 2009
UCAL TRIUMPHS
*
I assume the decision of the National Book Award judges to give the poetry prize this year to a book published by the University of California Press
was meant to be a rebuke to those UCal students who are denouncing tuition increases and the elimination of their services at that school—
the judges are in effect chiding these protesters:
Ingrates! look at what your money goes to support: great works of verse like this! You should be proud and thankful that your money is used to publish 50 dollar volumes like this one.
Isn't that why the judges made their choice: isn't it intended to admonish those rebellious youths and their lack of appreciation for the value of the cultural capital produced by this university?
Surely the judges have voted yea to the established priorities of UCal, in particular the budget decisions made in the past, which granted such wise funding to its poetry series.
The judges have taken their stand in support of the status quo—
the judges have issued a censure against any student
who might object to wasteful expeditures by academic authorities responsible for fostering artistic extravagances like the one being honored on this occasion—
*
It seems obvious that the NBA poetry judges opted to pick a book published by a university press
(any UnivPress book, it didn't matter which)
as a show of support for the efforts of such presses,
some of whose poetry series are in danger of being curtailed or cut altogether in the current financial crisis,
and of course as a protest against the defunding of those presses and those poetry series.
(One guesses the next National Robogenetics Awards will be decided along similar lines.)
***
I assume the decision of the National Book Award judges to give the poetry prize this year to a book published by the University of California Press
was meant to be a rebuke to those UCal students who are denouncing tuition increases and the elimination of their services at that school—
the judges are in effect chiding these protesters:
Ingrates! look at what your money goes to support: great works of verse like this! You should be proud and thankful that your money is used to publish 50 dollar volumes like this one.
Isn't that why the judges made their choice: isn't it intended to admonish those rebellious youths and their lack of appreciation for the value of the cultural capital produced by this university?
Surely the judges have voted yea to the established priorities of UCal, in particular the budget decisions made in the past, which granted such wise funding to its poetry series.
The judges have taken their stand in support of the status quo—
the judges have issued a censure against any student
who might object to wasteful expeditures by academic authorities responsible for fostering artistic extravagances like the one being honored on this occasion—
*
It seems obvious that the NBA poetry judges opted to pick a book published by a university press
(any UnivPress book, it didn't matter which)
as a show of support for the efforts of such presses,
some of whose poetry series are in danger of being curtailed or cut altogether in the current financial crisis,
and of course as a protest against the defunding of those presses and those poetry series.
(One guesses the next National Robogenetics Awards will be decided along similar lines.)
***
Saturday, November 21, 2009
support ERGO or die
*
From Derek Humphry
To: All ERGO supporters
November 2009
Oh dear! This is another begging letter! - But a nonprofit organization such as ERGO has to live.
In the past you have contributed generously, or purchased our literature, and we thank you sincerely.
Sales of our books and DVD pay for themselves, with a modest profit margin, but our overheads are still there -- technical support, equipment upgrades, internet and telephone fees, utilities, data processing, printing, postage and so on.
Starting in l993, ERGO is the premier distributor of news about right to die: 2 web sites, a blog, and a popular News List which you probably get. Also on Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Scribd and DocStoc. Without a news stream our cause will not flourish.
ERGO has no staff, no office, but of course it must outsource some of the work that cannot be handled from home. And every day people with problems and queries approach ERGO for help - and usually get it.
We live in difficult economic times, but if you feel able to make a tax-deductible contribution to ERGO it would be a vital addition to the progress of the right-to-die movement. (Tax ID # 93-1118314)
Thank you.
Derek Humphry, President, ERGO
(Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization)
ergo@finalexit.org www.finalexit.org
Make checks out to:
ERGO, 24829 Norris Lane, Junction City, Oregon 97448
To give via the internet, use ERGO's Bookstore
http://www.finalexit.org/ergo-store
and click on the very last box which says 'Contribute to ERGO'
Quick Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.finalexit.org/ergo-store
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ERGO
24829 Norris Lane
Junction City, OR 97448
////
From Derek Humphry
To: All ERGO supporters
November 2009
Oh dear! This is another begging letter! - But a nonprofit organization such as ERGO has to live.
In the past you have contributed generously, or purchased our literature, and we thank you sincerely.
Sales of our books and DVD pay for themselves, with a modest profit margin, but our overheads are still there -- technical support, equipment upgrades, internet and telephone fees, utilities, data processing, printing, postage and so on.
Starting in l993, ERGO is the premier distributor of news about right to die: 2 web sites, a blog, and a popular News List which you probably get. Also on Wikipedia, Twitter, Facebook, Scribd and DocStoc. Without a news stream our cause will not flourish.
ERGO has no staff, no office, but of course it must outsource some of the work that cannot be handled from home. And every day people with problems and queries approach ERGO for help - and usually get it.
We live in difficult economic times, but if you feel able to make a tax-deductible contribution to ERGO it would be a vital addition to the progress of the right-to-die movement. (Tax ID # 93-1118314)
Thank you.
Derek Humphry, President, ERGO
(Euthanasia Research & Guidance Organization)
ergo@finalexit.org www.finalexit.org
Make checks out to:
ERGO, 24829 Norris Lane, Junction City, Oregon 97448
To give via the internet, use ERGO's Bookstore
http://www.finalexit.org/ergo-store
and click on the very last box which says 'Contribute to ERGO'
Quick Link
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.finalexit.org/ergo-store
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ERGO
24829 Norris Lane
Junction City, OR 97448
////
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