[January 21st, 2010. Andersonville, Chicago.]
Julia Cohen and Mathias Svalina helped out with this episode, as they filmed the following in Denver, Colorado:
Kate Greenstreet, Sara Veglahn, and Broc Rossell. Because I solicited their help, I thought I would open up the journal
a bit this time by asking poets I admired to send something: audio, video, or to create their own film.
Forrest Gander and Fred Moten provided audio tracks for which I scoured Athens, Georgia to find appropriate footage.
Mostly the visuals came from walks with Lily and our dog Bella.
Bhanu Kapil called and left messages on my voicemail; the footage for her film is also from Athens.
Inspired, Bhanu also made this film.
Rachel Zucker, Karla Kelsey, Laura Mullen, Brenda Hillman, Lara Glenum, Jen Hofer (with Rob Ray), and Sueyeun Juliette Lee all--generously--
made their own little movies at home and sent them along.
Rodrigo Toscano's video is from a Fence reading at AWP in Chicago, and he was kind enough to send it along as well. Tim Kahl shot this movie.
Tony Tost's film is of his own creation, collaging youtube footage together over which he is layering all the poems from his new work.
Some of these movies were done the old way, with my new little camera on site:
Julie Doxsee was in Chicago for 36 hours from Turkey (via Ontario, en route to Denver), and I woke up early
to film her in a friend's house in Old Town, on Cleveland Street in Chicago.
Julie was in the first episode, so I wanted her in the tenth one too. This took some convincing.
Travis Nichols was kind enough to let me film him on his back deck, in our neighborhood in Chicago.
I filmed Andrew Zawacki in a vacant lot on Broad Street in Athens, Georgia as well--near the coffeeshop we frequent.
Finally, Sam Amadon's little video was shot by me in Fayetteville, Arkansas at the Frank Stanford Festival in 2008.
I'm pleased to report that the next Rabbit Light Movies episode, coming this summer, will be a single long film:
a road trip odyssey featuring poets from around the country filmed by Zachary Schomburg.
If you have ideas in the meantime, drop me a line.
--jmw