Bard, Kinetic

“Anne Waldman has tirelessly cleared the path for many of us for decades. She is our epitome of the word onward, which means to move forward in a continuous motion, never stopping because surrender is out of the question! Waldman's extensive study of the global perception of the Sixth Extinction through the lives of poets comes to light in this powerful new book, which is a record of the cycles of cosmic transit! She writes, ‘Feeling everyone’s kinetics in that zone. But also all together swimming in a database. Imagine.’” —CAConrad

“Kinetic, yes. Prophetic also. Boundlessly generous, of course. This is the Anne Waldman I know. What a pleasure it is to find everything here: every ancestral memory, every important question, every exhortation to stay human in an inhumane century. If you are curious about the value of poets and poetry, peer into this magic mirror, drink from this deep and wide and entirely remarkable archive.” —Lisa Jarnot

“I am tempted to describe the genius of the work in these radiant pages with a bounty of adjectives, but that would be a disservice to its restless momentum. Besides, Anne Waldman doesn’t settle for nouns and their obsequious companions. More than dance in the range of numinous texts collected here, her intellect spins ferociously, shaking off the patriarchy’s layers of concealment one after another. For Gertrude Stein, another towering figure in the Outrider lineage, ‘writing should go on.’ For Waldman it must do so as well, but further than the page and into the world. Goading us is just one of her gifts. To read her is to be humbled by the breadth of her vocation, to be jolted into alertness.” —Mónica de la Torre

“Sweeping and intimate, fierce and electric, Anne Waldman is seer, muse, and sage feminist, fast-talking on all frequencies. Bard, Kinetic is a collection of poems; deep, sharp, generous portraits; feminafestos; and ecstatic rants in her many voices. She notices, expounds, narrates, yodels. The book is full of questions. It’s urgent, physical, ancient and utterly contemporary. What to name the child of the crossroad? Poetry! Her words dance and spin through sources (the Tarot, The Tibetan Book of the Dead) and places (New York, Boulder, India). Words that come to mind: Sanctuary. Old growth trees. The mind and heart of poetry. What a colossal life and what a monumental, unforgettable book.” —Laurie Anderson

Praise for Anne Waldman:

Winner of the 2015 American Book Awards Lifetime Achievement Award

“A major poet.” —Allen Ginsberg

“When Allen Ginsberg passed from us it was Anne Waldman who dutifully gathered up his many burdens, continuing his work as poet, activist, and teacher. In following his example she has bloomed as an example herself. How fortunate we are to have her among us and may we all reach out and take a small amount of her burden upon ourselves.” —Patti Smith

“Anne Waldman's voice is epic, mythic and above all, wild. She gives us direct courage from the force of her great heart. Her words: sacred text.” —Terry Tempest Williams

“An essential poet of our time.” —CA Conrad

“Wit, real teaching and speed all meet up here. . . . Anne Waldman’s poetry being nothing but the eye and sound of prophecy itself.” —Eileen Myles

“On the map from east to west and across the scale from treble to bass, Anne Waldman is possessed with a passion to witness, to understand, and to describe. . . . Enlightening, challenging, and crucial to the American tradition.” —Lisa Jarnot

“Reading Waldman is like being in the world today. . . . It’s easy to feel drawn to this poet’s idealism and generosity of spirit.” —Daisy Fried, The New York Times

“The legitimate heir to Allen Ginsberg’s crown as America’s underground ‘poet-ambassador’ laureate.” —Colorado Springs Independent

“Waldman’s epic goes splendidly on and on, mixing the shamanistic with the diaristic, the topical with the prayerful, incorporating almost everything.” —Publishers Weekly