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John Giorno, thinking about something else, talking on the telephone, is struck by an electric bulb. “I am having,” he thinks, “an idea.” It is 1968. William Burroughs is in the other room. “William,” says John, “I am going to create Dial-A-Poem. This will be the world’s first dial-a-anything, and will even be funded. By the Architect’s League, then by the Museum of Modern Art...
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Join the Discussion |
Poemfones
We’re trying to gather poemfone numbers for a new directory, and we need your help, folks. Share what you know about dial-a-poem, or better yet, start a poemfone & come tell us about it!
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...There will be twelve poets on every day with a new poem I will have culled from tapes of various live readings. Callers-in (my new Favorite Word) won’t know whom they’re getting, but if they don’t like John Ashbery they can just hang up and call back to get Frank O’Hara. This will last a year or so, will spread around the country and world, will give birth to the Dial-A-Poets Records and generally provide a first pass at getting the poem to the ear. By the way, when will Jordy Trachtenberg be born again?” Burroughs nods...
Jordy and Amy Trachtenberg were indeed born a year or so later and married and gave birth to: Poemfone, the dial-a-poem site in New York City...
Bob Holman
POEM PHONE PHENOMENA
When we published this article in 1997, it was accompanied by this catalog of poemfone manifestations around the US:
- New York City Poemfone: 212.631.4234. Poemfone was on the Web at the time, too -- on Naked Ear you could see Bobby Miller blow the cover, watch all manner of poets attack the buffet table, and still be home watching tv.
- You could stay home & listen to the Poemfone poets on your own stereo on New Word Order (Rhino Audio CD, 1996 -- now out of print).
- In LA, it was The Daily Word: 213.980.3425 hosted by St. Jayleen Sun.
- In Portland, Oregon it was Bob: 503.727.2622 or BOBB. Recording poems &p doubling as the info line for the Portland Slam, this one was run by Jeff Meyers.
- In Boston, it was the Boston Poetry Phone: 617.747.4480. “Hear a poem... leave a poem at the tone... the order in which they are received is the order in which they will be featured... if enough poems are received the poem will change daily... no censorship, no bullshit... I am not going to act as a filter... there are too many voices going unheard... let’s get them out there... leave a poem... tell the world... spread the message...”
- In Nashville, it was the Beatlicks Poetry Hotline: 615.366.9012, the hot scoop of Nashville’s word lords, from the heroic Joe Speer and Pamela Hirsh.
- The Taco Shop Poets had a 24-hour hotline in San Diego: 619.685.5554.
- Then-San Francisco Slammaster, now Santa Fe poetry entrepreneur & Southwest Museletter correspondent, Gary Glazner wrote to tell us about Milwaukee’s Dial-A-Poem: 414.372.POEM [7636], run by the nice folks at Woodland Pattern, which is a great independent bookstore with lots & lots of small-press poetry -- don’t miss it if you get to Milwaukee.
- When we featured the poemfone phenomenon in a 2001 article, we heard tell of an active poemfone in Albuquerque: 505.342.5797 -- but we don’t know if it’s still going.
- We also heard of a poem phone in Chicago, but didn’t know the number, & we asked our readers to send us the numbers of their local poem phone lines.
NOW, six years later, most of these lines are dead. But we still believe the phone is a perfect medium for transmitting daily poems & we’d like to gather a directory of local poemfones with your help, Dear Readers. Everybody from everywhere, visit the poemfone exchange in our Poetry Forum & let’s trade numbers, so no matter where you are, you can always dial a poem!
Support your ears!
Dial a poem!
Margy Snyder & Bob Holman
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