Now that we have our new calendar in place to help track the year ahead let's have a look back at some of the thousands of calendars available for your perusal at the Digital Public Library of America, DPLA. Derived from the Latin word kalendae, which was the name of the first day of every month, there are as many varieties of calendars as there are days of the month. From a 12th century Book of Hours to a 16th century perpetual calendar to a Native American calendar on buckskin to a handwritten calendar by Lee Harvey Oswald there is no shortage of creative...
Going to any length: The manuscript of Marquis de Sade’s ‘The 120 Days of Sodom’
Part of the festivities celebrating the bicentenary of the death of Marquis de Sade is an exhibit at the L’ Institut des Lettres et Manuscrits in Paris featuring the original manuscript of The 120 Days of Sodom. Regarded by Sade as his magnum opus, The 120 Days of Sodom also known as The School of Libertinism, was written by Sade in the space of thirty-seven days in 1785 while imprisoned. The production, construction and preservation of the manuscript is itself an epic tale. Sade wrote for 3 hours each evening, copying his drafts on strips of paper 11" wide, he then glued them together to...
R.B. Kitaj: First Series – Some Poets
Charles Olson R.B. Kitaj was one of the most significant painters of the post-war period. His collage-like figurative paintings were a major influence on the British Pop Art scene. Lucky for us much of his work also has literary underpinnings. Educated in the U.S. Kitaj spent most of his adult life in London. He returned to the US in 1967 to teach at the University of California Berkeley and then the University of California Los Angeles before returning to London in 1972. It was during his stint on the West Coast that Kitaj undertook, First Series - Some Poets, a series of portraits of mostly West Coast poets completed...
Profile of Phinney Books: An Indie Bookseller in Amazon Territory
When Leigh Burmesch moved to Seattle a few months ago she wanted to know if Seattle’s bookstores really do embrace the gorilla in their backyard, Amazon. What a better place to start then a visit to Phinney Books and chat with Tom Nissley, a former Amazon employee and “Jeopardy!” champ , about his opening and running a new bookstore in the Age of Amazon. [vimeo width="640" height="300"]http://vimeo.com/115480898[/vimeo] More at Flip the Media
And a happy new year…Holiday Cards by Poets
Postcard by Alice Notley. Photograph: Courtesy of Raymond Danowski Poetry Library, MARBL, Emory University As the 2104 holiday season wraps up let's finish the year with a look at how some of our most beloved poets shared the holiday love. Winter Wedding: Holiday Cards by Poets currently on view at Poet's House features over 40 works by poets who included creative correspondence as a component of their offerings. "Holiday cards, valentines, birthday greetings, rare booklets, and more from some of the last century’s most beloved poets, including Langston Hughes, Alice Notley, Ted Berrigan, Seamus Heaney, and Sylvia Plath. Ranging...