fuche_bu's Full Review: Anne Waldman - Fast Speaking Woman: Chants & Essay...
Poetry has become somewhat of a marginalized art form. There are a variety of reasons for this. One is that there are other mediums that seem to fill the need over poetry. There is also the reality that many poets go into music. Some of today's finest poets are musicians and as such people don't think of it as poetry. It is hard for mere words to compete with the technology now employed in music and cinema. Most people have moved on the other things.
Another thing that has hurt poetry is simply that there are more people writing it than there are buying it. That doesn't make for good business. But before I go off on a tangent let me get back to the subject. One poet who has managed to carve out a bit of success in the past three decades is Anne Waldman. She has attained her success by being accessible and by relying a lot on the spoken word aspect of poetry. She has served as of the Poetry Project at St Mark’s Church. This is a poetry series that has lasted since the 60s. She was also a co-founder of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO.
The first publication of Fast Speaking Woman was back in 1975. It was part of City Lights BooksPocket Poet Series. This series was originally designed to offer poetry in small and affordable volumes. The series includes many of the more noted poets of the second half of the 20th Century such as Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Yevgeny Yevtushenko and many others. This volume continued in their practice of releasing poetry that was on the cutting edge. The version I have is a 20th anniversary edition which includes about 20 additional poems.
In many respects the long poem Fast Speaking Woman could be regarded as Anne Waldman’s signature piece. The title poem of this volume is a lengthy mantra that extends over 30 pages. It is written with oral performance in mind. Fast Speaking Woman is largely a sort of list-chant. Most of the poem is an invocation on different kinds of women. Waldman intersperses some personal detail and nuance into the mix. The result on the written page can be either stimulating or tedious. Since it is largely a long list, it may not hold the reader’s attention for 30 pages. As a spoken word piece with proper inflection and tone, it can become a more engaging piece.
This element of chant listing is inspired much by Tibetan Buddhism and Native American ceremonies. The repetitive nature should nudge the listener (or reader) along for a mystical ride. There should be elevation of spirit involved. Waldman studied both Buddhism and Shamanism and would later teach classes on these subjects. That helps explain the why of the long list. But it is not nearly the best poem that Waldman has written. Of course, one must be receptive to shamanic ideas or the idea of transcendence to go along with these ideals. I think a lot of readers would get bored with:
I’m a shouting woman
I’m a speech woman
I’m an atmosphere woman
I’m a know it all woman
I’m the woman with the keys
I’m the Southern Cross Woman
I’m the reflective woman
I’m the impoverished woman
That is just a few of the scattered lines throughout the poem. While it can be good in the spoken word context, it will leave something to be desired on the page. It’s something that finally is more valuable in the concept than in the finished product. Of course, I am a fan of Duchamp so that’s not entirely a bad thing. Many of the other poems in the book are much more intellectually challenging. Lines to a Celebrated Friend is a tribute to Allen Ginsberg. A poem like Talking Mushrooms deals with her experiences taking psychedelic drugs with Indians in South America.
Billy Work Peyote is a poem that deals with the tragic death of William Burroughs Jr, son of the legendary writer. cards on the table Billy/ high drama & we’re missing you Billy/ where ya been Billy. That is one of the newly added poems to the volume. Musical Garden and Light & Shadow are two other poems that I really like from this collection. They are written in a more rant oriented style. Light & Shadows concludes:
the shadows huts make, the light absorbed
into clothes, the women in South America
beating their clothes against the rocks
drying them in sun & sitting down in shadow,
the cool shadows of water, fish illuminated,
their colors brilliant in the glittering light
through the clear sea, darting in & out of
light & shadow, shadow from the tender water plants
swaying in the tender light & shadow.
There are also a couple essays at the end of the book where Waldman discusses the poetic techniques and inspiration behind the poems in the book. Here she also divulges some of her beliefs on poetry in general. This is something that is not likely to appeal to everyone. I find myself admiring her poetic skills and techniques but sometimes when she gets too much into the archaic references and obscure beliefs that I get a little lost. I have an interest in different religions of the world so I put that limitation on myself. I need to do more research and study on these matters. I am not sure how many people will share that attitude.
Fast Speaking Woman is a valuable volume for fans of poetry. Waldman does have a deft touch for cutting lines and putting thoughts into poetic sequence. It’s not for everyone but it has power and wisdom. I don’t know how often Waldman does spoken word events now but it would be worthwhile to hear her read the poems aloud. I am unaware of any recordings of her reading aloud but the book is still a good sampling of poetry conceived for the oral tradition.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.