Lucille Clifton on Kenneth Goldsmith

written by Diana Arterian March 19, 2015

pity this poor animal
who has never gone beyond
the ape herds gathered around the fires
of europe

— Lucille Clifton, Good Woman
(full poem)

NOTE: Lots of people have been writing about this event. Some links are below. This is not necessarily meant to imply I agree with all they are saying, but in order to allow you to learn about the responses, the issues, etc.

The Mongrel Coalition

“Kenneth Goldsmith Remixes Michael Brown Autopsy Report as Poetry” by Jillian Steinhauer (Hyperallergic)

“Why Are So Many People Invested in Kenneth Goldsmith? Or, Is Colonialist Poetry Easy?” by Amy King (VIDA)

Diana Arterian

Diana Arterian is the author of the chapbook Death Centos (Ugly Duckling Presse), and her poetry has appeared in Black Warrior Review, DIAGRAM, Two Serious Ladies, and The Volta, among others. She is a Poetry Editor at Noemi Press, and a founding member and Managing Editor of Ricochet. She lives in Los Angeles where she's earning her PhD in Literature & Creative Writing at USC.

Lucille Clifton on Kenneth Goldsmith

pity this poor animal who has never gone beyond the ape herds gathered around the fires of europe

— Lucille Clifton, Good Woman (full poem)

Review of “I Wanted to be the Knife” by Sara Ann Sutterlin

Book I Loved & Six Quotes From Book I Loved! Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty.

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pity this poor animal
who has never gone beyond
the ape herds gathered around the fires
of europe

— Lucille Clifton, Good Woman
(full poem)