Sketch Bibliography of Books by Karl Young


SKETCH BIBLIOGRAPHY OF BOOKS BY KARL YOUNG This is primarily a print bibliography, oriented to books rather than magazines and other publications, and publication of poetry rather than essays and related prose. The books listed are simply those that seem important to me at this time. The list contains links to work which appears on the web, and to autobiographical notes on the books and on concerns and practices of which they form a part. Links are highlighted and indented. Some titles include brief annotations on this page. More extensive links to work published on-line may be found in the other indecies on my home page. Letters, Homebrew, 1968. Membranes, Membrane press, 1970. At the time of publication of this book, my game plan was to rename the press after each new book it published. I wish I'd stuck to that. The poems from these first two entries that seem worth reading found their way into a few short lines or became part of visual poem sequences. I feel some fondness for these books in addition to the poems that seem to work. Examples of mimeo and make-shift letterpress of the times. Prayer Through Saturn's Rings, Monday Morning Press, 1973. Part one of a projected four part work, The Elements. Some of the fourth part found its way into meditations on the Word. One of the things that makes me like it well enough to list is the way it pulls together diversity into a unified book. As part of The Elements, it also foreshadows a long list of unfinished projects. First Book of Omens (from Middle American Dialogues), Membrane Press,1976. A Middle American Water Table Cried and Measured, Tree Books, 1977. On-line excerpts Introduction The Valence of Fragments To Dream Kalapuya, Truck Press, 1977. On-line text Vocabularies, Fractals, and Semiconductors Questions and Goddesses (from Middle American Dialogues), Salthouse, 1978. A Middle American Water Table Should Sun Forever Shine, Underwhich Editions, 1980. The Valence of Fragments A Book of Openings and Closings (from Middle American Dialogues), Membrane Press, 1984. A Middle American Water Table Five Kwaidan in Sleeve Pages, Chax Press, 1986. Ghosts and Sleeve Pages Milestones, Set 1, Landlocked Press, 1987. Beginning Milestones Books Printed by Walter Tisdale Days and Years, Membrane Press, 1987. On-line book Just Plain Poems Seafarer, with carpet pages by Nancy Leavitt, Tatlin Books, 1990. Books Printed by Walter Tisdale Orange Gold, Light and Dust, 1992. Vocabularies, Fractals, and Semiconductors a few short lines with Sherry Reniker, co-published by Word Press, Japan, and Light and Dust, U.S., 1993. Minimalism's Expansions Solar Dreams, Tatlin Books, 1997. Books Printed by Walter Tisdale Hymns to Janus, Arcadian Press, 1999. UNPUBLISHED OR UNFINISHED Clouds Over Fortjade Selections on-line Chinese Couplets and Dialogues Tlalocan (from Middle American Dialogues) A Middle American Water table meditations on the Word Minimalism's Expansions FORTHCOMING: Only As Painted Images In Your Books Have We Come To Be Alive In This Place from Chax Press. This book was originally scheduled for publication in 1992 and has evolved from a relatively simle study of book art to what is now a four volume set of studies of the nature of books and reading as they continue to inter-relate with poetry and other art forms. The title is from the Cantares Mexicanos, Aztec oral poems transcribed in Nahuatal using the Roman alphabet shortly after the conquest of Mexico — to me this body of songs is the water table of American poetry. Renewable ResourcesThis collects several books of poetry, includes reprints of To Dream Kalapuya, Cried and Measured and first complete or extensively revised printings of A Book of Fractals, Echoes from the Wine Dark Sea and The middle Kingdom and A Book of Hymns Plain Poems Essential poems not based in historical sources. Includes Days and Years, What To Whisper Until It Rains, S T A R S A N D, and Milestones ONE OF A KIND BOOK ART WORKS: I began experimenting with bookforms in the early 1970s, and have continued in one way and another since then. Many of these I thought of as "proposals" rather than finished books. The most important that go beyond this have been books made so that they can be used as musical instruments. A photo of a simple book, that produces sounds by clapping pages together, may be seen in "Notation and the Art of Reading." Some include strings, resonating chambers, etc. For many years I made these for use in my own performances or for use by other performance artists. My favorite of these books is Make A Joyful Noise, in the collection of Ruth and Marvin Sackner. Photos of this book with commentator appear on the web at this site. SOME ANTHOLOGY INCLUSIONS: Visual Lit Crit, edited by Richard Kostelanetz, Co-published by Precisely Magazine and West Coast Poetry Review, 1977 A Big Jewish Book, edited by Jerome Rothenberg, Doubleday, 1978 Text Sound Text, edited by Richard Kostelanetz, William Morrow, 1980 An Americas Anthology, edited by D. Clinton, C.W. Truesdale, and Tom Montag, New Rivers, 1983 Death: An Anthology of Ancient Texts, Songs, Prayers, And Stories, edited by David Meltzer, North Point Press, 1984. Technicians of the Sacred, (Second Edition) edited by Jerome Rothenberg, University of California Press, 1985 Poems for the Milenium, Vol 2, edited by Jerome Rothenberg and Pierre Joris, University of California Press, 1998 Poesia Sonora Hoie, edited by Philadelpho Menezes, Sao Paulo, 1999 A Book of the Book, edited by Jerome Rothenberg and Steven Clay, Granary Book, 2000. Contextualized Bibliographies: Books by Other People Published by Karl Young Part 1 of Some Volumes of Poetry: A Retrospective of Publication Work by Karl Young. These deal with books written by other people but published by Karl Young Essays and commentary on alternative publishing and culture of the 1970s; cottage industries, learning to print on the job, poetry readings and how to organize them; books and their authros: comments on Jackson Mac Low, bpNichol, John Taggart, Carol Berge, Nathaniel Tarn, Robert Filliou, Dick Higgins, Dieter Roth, George Brecht, Steve McCaffery, Hilary Ayer, Kathleen Wiegner; Symposiums on Guy Davenport, Michael McClure, Rochelle Owens, Diane Wakoski, Assembling, Clark Coolidge, Theodore Enslin, Tom Phillips, Ian Tyson, and Joe Tilson; Michael Basinski; Michael McClure. Water Street Arts Center: how to start an arts organization without a cent in capitol or a grant or other financial support -- and one that's now lasted 34 years, and developed into one of the most celebrated organizations of its type in the U.S. Mail Art Feature: "Time and the Mail Art Network," extensive and detailed survey of the evolution of mail art; A Printer's Mail Art; Stamp Art by Joel Lipman and Rafael Jesus Martinez; Correspondence Art Solos and Choruses: Mail Art, solo and ensemble, by K.S> Ernst, Marilyn Rosenberg, and David Cole; Retrospective of International Shadows Projects; Survey of 15 Years of Collaborations between Reid Wood and Karl Young; Go To Light and Dust Anthology of Poetry Go To Karl Young Home Page