—from Bernadette Mayer’s Writing Experiments

In this Living Room session, Nadine Maestas would like us to consider the concept of writing poems that are derived from experimental procedures. Examples will include the Oulipo Compendium edited by Harry Mathews & Alistair Brotchie, the American poet Bernadette Mayer’s widely circulated list of Writing Experiments and Journal Ideas, as well as Harryette Mullen’s book Sleeping With the Dictionary.  What are experiments? What are they for? Why do we design them? What do experiments test? What is the role of failure in experiments? Are experiments effective for writing poems? What is the role of the designer of experiments? What are the consequences of experiment? What are the stakes? How might the design of writing experiments affect the practice of writing?

Writers of all ages and skill levels gather Tuesdays at 7P to read new work, the work of someone else or to just be in the engaging company of other writers. Your donation of $5 helps SPLAB continue our programming. Please bring 8 copies of the work you plan to read. If you do not bring copies, they are available for 10c.

Living Room happens in the new SPLAB in the Cultural Corner of the old Columbia School, between Rainier AV S and 36th AV S, on Edmunds. We’re 2 blocks from the Columbia City Link Light Rail Station. (Parking is available on the school grounds.)

For the 2011-2012 SPLAB Schedule, click here.