Adrian Clarke
	First published by Eric Mottram in the Poetry Review, winter 1972-73 issue, Adrian Clarke resurfaced in the mid 80s with two collections from Paul Brown's Actual Size press. Then began a long association with Bob Cobbing and Writers Forum which included co-editing And magazine from 1994. He also co-edited Floating Capital -- new poets from London with Robert Sheppard in 1991. Fom 1986-91 he performed as StrèsS with poet and musician Virginia Firnberg. Since Cobbing's death in 2002 he has been running Writers Forum jointly with Lawrence Upton. Scattered critical pieces over this period have earmarked items for a loose-leaf manual of literary guerrilla tactics, whilst seeking not to compromise the instinct that led him approvingly to condense some remarks of Clark Coolidge to "About is not to the point".
Recordings This recording was made on 6 March 2006, at a house in Stamford Hill, north London. text 1 text 2 text 3 text 4 Publications Imperfect Copies, Bran's Head Press, 1981. Reading Reverdy, Actual Size, 1985. Ghost Measures, Actual Size, 1987. Shadow Sector, Writers Forum, 1988. Spectral Investments, Writers Forum, 1991. 2 Dark Draughts, Microbrigade, 1992. Obscure Disasters, Writers Forum, 1993. Doing the Thing, Writers Forum, 1997. Automatic, Mainstream, 1998. Millennial Shades & Three Papers, Writers Forum, 1998. Five Doubles & a Chaser, Writers Forum, 1999. ParadiseGardens, Writers Forum, 2000. Phantom Returns, Writers Forum, 2001. Skeleton Sonnets, Writers Forum, 2002. Former Haunts, Veer Books, 2004. Possession at www.greatworks.org.uk Anthology Appearances Floating Capital, Potes & Poets Press, 1991. Foil: defining poetry 1985-2000, Etruscan, 2000. On Word: an anthology of contemporary poetry and method, Writers Forum, 2001. Critical Responses Robert Hampson, "Producing the unknown" in New British Poetries, ed. Hampson and Barry, Manchester U.P., 1993. Robert Sheppard, "Collossal Fragments: the work of Adrian Clarke," Far Language, Stride, 1999. Scott Thurston, "Adrian Clarke: Cutting through Closure + interview with the poet in Salzburg Review No. 5, 2003. Robert Sheppard, The Poetry of Saying, Liverpool U.P., 2005, pp 203-8. SAMPLE TEXTS from GHOST MEASURES one missing stochastic effect dose level decay pathway traffic and pedestrians measurement bivouacked disintegrates luxurious foliage power block concrete slabs unstable in the forests could be the relativity of circular inertia CLOSED in the distance half life treated if necessary particles the new results low energy was rising as the crow flies wisps of smoke observation atmospheric a kilometre away language found myself collapsed from POSSESSION dispersed in the ashes with strategic plans THE BUCK STOPS Your government where targets failed zonal dispersal home to rabbles a gun spins flagging statistics the onus farmed out granted hindsight three bit real estate evidence pending further research this landscape's mustard yellow rendered safe Capital sources mercurial departures under black budded trees oil seed rape stone a mosaic of forest mosses our parish rolled back gunmen chanting from gaps and cracks marine corps security bulldozed at high cost in a healthy mind "what they do" WE TRUST led home silently from the green misty heart a last message collapsed into fact from SKELETON SONNETS                                                             for Arundhati Roy Peter Riley: If poetry were an actual power on the earth wouldn't it be interested in collaborating with global commerce for ethical ends? fluids spill in the eruption called woman Single Authority computer water upholding custom and tradition cost of drainage not included cleavage between use and exchange values pressure on the seminal duct                               back in the mind the on stream concept liquidifies "intellectual substance"                                 our village our Rule the "M" dematerialised Hampstead economically a headache in the cycle Hollywood renders Spread'em   from SUPPLEMENTARY BLUES                               ... je morde en riant ... gorged on satire whose tongue's in your cheek? Which one's the butcher which one the steak? " ... whether flesh be bread, or bread be flesh ... " - Difference in opinions from the corpse's mouth Goya's Saturn? paternal; Oedipus Marxist: two corporate ethics both dead meat In a deregulated market you are what you eat   from MUZZLE   marsh gate platform grass traffic deposits premonitory scent hint lent derelict emerald brilliance meaning as bleached to vibrate speech reed at primrose signpost sniff crystal glimmer rut truck junction sheered brackish mercuric ructive lungs blued enough Reviews "Clarke's poetry is dizzying in its momentum, constantly shifting linguistic focus with a stream of constant attention to contour (line) as outer edge of a probing, probational activity..."--Charles Bernstein "At moments Clarke appears to be replacing the reviewer. This style can't be impersonal, because it's very easy to recognise poetry as Clarke's - athletic, speed-obsessed, agnostic, covered with dark gloss, scornful, low-affect - when set beside that produced by similar generative and exclusive rules..."--Andrew Duncan   By downloading files from this site, you agree to our Terms and Conditions