<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Dear Friends,</div><div><br></div><div>First a correction. CK WIlliams wil be joining us on 10/25 (not 10/23 as stated in the previous announcement).</div><div><br></div><div>++</div><div><br></div><div>I wanted to send a note offering some context for this semester's first visitor, Geoffrey G. O'Brien, one of the finest poets of his generation, a poet who seamlessly weaves political concern with lyric mastery. O'Brien will be joining us on 9/20 at 3PM-5PM in room 116 of the Whitney Humanities Center. We will focus our discussion on his most recent book of poems, People on Sunday. There are still a few free copies available to anyone who is interested (and will be joining us for the discussion). These can be found on the bookshelves in room 116. Feel free to take one. As I say, there are a few left, but I wouldn't put off getting one too much longer.</div><div><br></div><div>Usually we have a preliminary session prior to a poet's visit, but given the plethora of events, we won't be able to do that. However, I will still take questions from people that I can forward to O'Brien. Do send them to me up until, say. 9/16 or so.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><strong>Geoffrey G. O'Brien</strong> is the author of <em>Metropole</em> (2011),<em> Green and Gray</em> (2007), and <em>The Guns and Flags Project</em> (2002), all from The University of California Press. His next book, <a href="http://www.wavepoetry.com/products/people-on-sunday"><em>People on Sunday</em></a> will be out from Wave Books in Fall 2013; his chapbooks include <em>Hesiod</em> (Song Cave, 2010), and <em>Poem with No Good Lines</em> (Hand Held Editions, 2010). He is the coauthor (with John Ashbery and Timothy Donnelly) of <em>Three Poets: Ashbery, Donnelly, O’Brien</em> (Minus A Press, 2012) and (in collaboration with the poet Jeff Clark) of <em>2A</em>
(Quemadura, 2006). O’Brien is an Associate Professor in the English
Department at UC Berkeley and also teaches for the Prison University
Project at San Quentin State Prison.</div><div><br></div><div>Here is a recent interview with O'Brien that touches on the book's connection to the 1930 German film from which the book draws its title:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://theamericanreader.com/desperate-leisure-ten-questions-with-geoffrey-g-obrien/">http://theamericanreader.com/desperate-leisure-ten-questions-with-geoffrey-g-obrien/</a></div><div><br></div><div>Here is a online conversation between O'Brien and Keston Sutherland.</div><div><a href="http://theclaudiusapp.com/1-obrien-sutherland.html">http://theclaudiusapp.com/1-obrien-sutherland.html</a></div><div><br></div><div>Here is a clip of O'Brien reading:</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvU06XfCTVc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvU06XfCTVc</a></div><div><br></div><div>Here is an interview with O'Brien from a few years ago:</div><div><a href="http://lareviewofbooks.org/interview/both-coasts-an-interview-with-geoffrey-g-obrien">http://lareviewofbooks.org/interview/both-coasts-an-interview-with-geoffrey-g-obrien</a></div><div><br></div><div>Also, I recently sent around the information about O'Brien's reading (along with Keston Sutherland) as part of David Gorin's Wavemachine series and co-prodcued with Graduate Poets Reading Series. The event will begin at 8 PM.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Remember, the WGCP is open to everyone; please feel free to spread word to interested parties.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Ever,</div><div>Richard Deming, Group Coordinator</div><div><br></div><div><br></div></body></html>