Bernadette Mayer

Bernadette Mayer (May 12, 1945 – November 22, 2022) was an American poet, writer, and visual artist. She was connected to both the Language poets and the New York School.[1][2]

Bernadette Mayer
Mayer in 2018
Mayer in 2018
Born(1945-05-12)May 12, 1945
New York City, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 22, 2022(2022-11-22) (aged 77)
New York, U.S.
OccupationPoet, writer, visual artist, editor
GenrePoetry
Literary movementNew York School, language poets
Website
bernadettemayer.com

Mayer wrote more than 30 books of poetry. She won a Guggenheim fellowship in 2015. She taught poetry at New England College in New Hampshire, Naropa University in Colorado, the New School and other colleges.[3]

She said about poetry, "“The idea of perfection in a poem is pretty stupid. Because if nothing else is perfect, why should a poem be perfect?”[3]

Writing

  • Story, New York: 0 to 9 Press, 1968.
  • Moving, New York: Angel Hair, 1971.
  • Memory, Plainfield, VT: North Atlantic Books, 1976.
  • Ceremony Latin (1964), New York: Angel Hair, 1975.
  • Studying Hunger, New York: Adventures in Poetry/ Bolinas, CA: Big Sky, 1976.
  • Poetry, New York: Kulchur Foundation, 1976.
  • Eruditio Ex Memoria, Lenox, MA: Angel Hair, 1977.
  • The Golden Book of Words, Lenox, MA: Angel Hair, 1978.
  • Midwinter Day, Berkeley, California, Turtle Island Foundation, 1982.
  • Utopia, New York: United Artists Books, 1984.
  • Mutual Aid (Mademoiselle de la Mole Press, 1985)
  • Sonnets, New York: Tender Buttons, 1989.
  • The Formal Field of Kissing, New York: Catchword Papers, 1990.
  • A Bernadette Mayer Reader, New York: New Directions, 1992.
  • The Desires of Mothers to Please Others in Letters, West Stockbridge, MA: Hard Press, 1994.
  • Another Smashed Pinecone, New York: United Artists Books, 1998.
  • Proper Name & other stories, New York: New Directions, 1996.
  • Two Haloed Mourners: Poems, New York: Granary Books, 1998.
  • Midwinter Day, New York: New Directions, 1999 (reprint of 1982 edition).
  • Scarlet Tanager, New York: New Directions, 2005.[4]
  • What's Your Idea of a Good Time?: Letters and Interviews 1977–1985 with Bill Berkson, Berkeley: Tuumba Press, 2006.
  • Poetry State Forest, New York: New Directions, 2008.
  • Ethics of Sleep, New Orleans: Trembling Pillow Press, 2011.
  • Studying Hunger Journals, Barrytown, NY: Station Hill Press, 2011.
  • The Helens of Troy, NY, New York: New Directions, 2013.
  • At Maureen's (with Greg Masters), New York: Crony Books, 2013.
  • Eating the Colors of a Lineup of Words: The Early Books of Bernadette Mayer (Station Hill Press, 2015, ed. Michael Ruby and Sam Truitt)
  • Works and Days (New Directions, 2017)
  • Memory (Siglio Press, 2020)
  • The Basketball Article Comic Book, with Anne Waldman, illustrated by Jason Novak (Franchise, 2021)
  • Milkweed Smithereens (New Directions, 2022)

References

  1. "Language poetry". Poetry Foundation. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  2. "New York School". Poetry Foundation. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Williams, Alex (2022-12-04). "Bernadette Mayer, Poet Who Celebrated the Ordinary, Dies at 77" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 . https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/books/bernadette-mayer-dead.html. Retrieved 2023-02-27. 
  4. *Mayer, Bernadette (2005). Scarlet tanager. New Directions Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8112-1582-4.

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