July 15th, 2010 / 1:13 pm
Snippets

Amelia Gray threatened an audience at a reading. The New Republic wrote about it.

34 Comments

  1. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      I love Amelia’s threats, one of my all-time favorite reading experiences.

  2. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      I love Amelia’s threats, one of my all-time favorite reading experiences.

  3. d

      The article claims that anger is absent/rare from women writing and reading poetry, but I don’t think that is true.

  4. d

      The article claims that anger is absent/rare from women writing and reading poetry, but I don’t think that is true.

  5. Matthew Simmons

      Yeah, I don’t know that I agree with that, either. I mean, I like that Amelia got some recognition, but I’m not certain I agree with the “opinion hook” of the piece at all.

  6. Matthew Simmons

      Yeah, I don’t know that I agree with that, either. I mean, I like that Amelia got some recognition, but I’m not certain I agree with the “opinion hook” of the piece at all.

  7. Mike Meginnis

      Yeah honestly that article is awful. Glad for her to get some coverage. The threats sound fun.

  8. Mike Meginnis

      Yeah honestly that article is awful. Glad for her to get some coverage. The threats sound fun.

  9. d

      For sure. Her performance sounds awesome, and I’m glad she got her name out there. I just think the article is totally wrong about women and poetry.

      In fact, I think the ‘angry woman performing angry poetry’ thing is a stereotype/expectation/box/whatever-you-want-to-call-it that unfortunately has to be overcome by women performing ‘angry’ work… ie., women are expected to be angry in specific ways.

  10. d

      For sure. Her performance sounds awesome, and I’m glad she got her name out there. I just think the article is totally wrong about women and poetry.

      In fact, I think the ‘angry woman performing angry poetry’ thing is a stereotype/expectation/box/whatever-you-want-to-call-it that unfortunately has to be overcome by women performing ‘angry’ work… ie., women are expected to be angry in specific ways.

  11. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      She’s making a potentially valid argument with respect to women and anger in pop culture and dominant culture, but it is very odd to use a form of culture that has not been a part of pop culture in eons to make that argument, no? And from her examples, one does get the sense she knows what the norms are or are not in various poetry cultures.

  12. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      She’s making a potentially valid argument with respect to women and anger in pop culture and dominant culture, but it is very odd to use a form of culture that has not been a part of pop culture in eons to make that argument, no? And from her examples, one does get the sense she knows what the norms are or are not in various poetry cultures.

  13. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      Don’t you think though that maybe part of how that box has been constructed, probably both by women inside that box as well as folks boxing them, does have something to do w/ what she’s talking abt, re: some of the ways women’s anger has been regarded in our dominant culture?

  14. JimR

      I think the author was just trying to link her thoughts about Amelia’s reading and the Joan Rivers movie, which is oddly inspiring BTW, and overgeneralized a bit.

  15. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      I love Amelia’s threats, one of my all-time favorite reading experiences.

  16. d

      The article claims that anger is absent/rare from women writing and reading poetry, but I don’t think that is true.

  17. Matthew Simmons

      Yeah, I don’t know that I agree with that, either. I mean, I like that Amelia got some recognition, but I’m not certain I agree with the “opinion hook” of the piece at all.

  18. Mike Meginnis

      Yeah honestly that article is awful. Glad for her to get some coverage. The threats sound fun.

  19. Jhon Baker

      I was excited but disappointed. I really thought that A. really threatened someone in the audience. There isn’t enough violence at poetry readings. I once told an audience that I was going to start hitting them all with my guitar if they didn’t just shut the hell up for ten minutes – that wasn’t a poetry reading though and it’s why I typically don’t do them. Good for A. on the write up.

  20. d

      For sure. Her performance sounds awesome, and I’m glad she got her name out there. I just think the article is totally wrong about women and poetry.

      In fact, I think the ‘angry woman performing angry poetry’ thing is a stereotype/expectation/box/whatever-you-want-to-call-it that unfortunately has to be overcome by women performing ‘angry’ work… ie., women are expected to be angry in specific ways.

  21. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      She’s making a potentially valid argument with respect to women and anger in pop culture and dominant culture, but it is very odd to use a form of culture that has not been a part of pop culture in eons to make that argument, no? And from her examples, one does get the sense she knows what the norms are or are not in various poetry cultures.

  22. Tim Jones-Yelvington

      Don’t you think though that maybe part of how that box has been constructed, probably both by women inside that box as well as folks boxing them, does have something to do w/ what she’s talking abt, re: some of the ways women’s anger has been regarded in our dominant culture?

  23. JimR

      I think the author was just trying to link her thoughts about Amelia’s reading and the Joan Rivers movie, which is oddly inspiring BTW, and overgeneralized a bit.

  24. Jhon Baker

      I was excited but disappointed. I really thought that A. really threatened someone in the audience. There isn’t enough violence at poetry readings. I once told an audience that I was going to start hitting them all with my guitar if they didn’t just shut the hell up for ten minutes – that wasn’t a poetry reading though and it’s why I typically don’t do them. Good for A. on the write up.

  25. mimi

      I saw the Joan Rivers movie last night, and am still trying to sort through my reactions. Very complex.

      I didn’t see what I would call _anger_ coming from Joan though. More like self-esteem issues/self-loathing interfacing with an amazing fame/notoriety over decades in a very brutal business. (The self-loathing would be there, but not be the same (imagine her as a housewife-neighbor), were it not for the notoriety and its source – her comedics. They are totally enmeshed, or they leapfrog over each other, rather, over the course of her career and amidst the milestones of her life.)

      Starting as an awfully cute and obviously brilliant bouffantee. Now an aged, constructed, determined-not-to-give-up, willing-to-do-anything, strange granny.

      I did not see what I would call _anger_. More like rage and a fight for survival.
      Or outrage. Rage and outrage. Manic, moneyed, desperate, loving rage. Outrage against herself and against the prevailing paradigms of her world – inseparable.

  26. Richard

      Amelia read these at the Quickies! reading I did with her and Blake and Aaron and others. I thought it was fantastic, so glad to see she is still reading this, perhaps expanding it, and I will buy it in print form wherever it comes out, unless I can publish it myself. Hilarious. This and “Go For It and Raise Hell” are two of my favorites. Nice press, Amelia, congrats!

  27. mimi

      I saw the Joan Rivers movie last night, and am still trying to sort through my reactions. Very complex.

      I didn’t see what I would call _anger_ coming from Joan though. More like self-esteem issues/self-loathing interfacing with an amazing fame/notoriety over decades in a very brutal business. (The self-loathing would be there, but not be the same (imagine her as a housewife-neighbor), were it not for the notoriety and its source – her comedics. They are totally enmeshed, or they leapfrog over each other, rather, over the course of her career and amidst the milestones of her life.)

      Starting as an awfully cute and obviously brilliant bouffantee. Now an aged, constructed, determined-not-to-give-up, willing-to-do-anything, strange granny.

      I did not see what I would call _anger_. More like rage and a fight for survival.
      Or outrage. Rage and outrage. Manic, moneyed, desperate, loving rage. Outrage against herself and against the prevailing paradigms of her world – inseparable.

  28. Richard

      Amelia read these at the Quickies! reading I did with her and Blake and Aaron and others. I thought it was fantastic, so glad to see she is still reading this, perhaps expanding it, and I will buy it in print form wherever it comes out, unless I can publish it myself. Hilarious. This and “Go For It and Raise Hell” are two of my favorites. Nice press, Amelia, congrats!

  29. Ani

      mimi i haven’t seen what you’re talking about but i know from experience, self-loathing/self-esteem issues = anger, it’s just been internalized because it’s not aceepteable for women to express anger outwardly.

  30. stephen

      isn’t rage a synonym for anger? just saying. i think joan rivers expresses anger in the movie, including anger at her husband for committing suicide. i think anger is there, along with self-loathing/self-esteem issues. i enjoyed the joan rivers movie. i think she’s funny and an interesting, determined figure. she is notable specifically for doing things that aren’t or weren’t previously “acceptable” for women to do.

  31. stephen

      quickies yall… went to my first one last week

  32. Ani Smith

      mimi i haven’t seen what you’re talking about but i know from experience, self-loathing/self-esteem issues = anger, it’s just been internalized because it’s not aceepteable for women to express anger outwardly.

  33. stephen

      isn’t rage a synonym for anger? just saying. i think joan rivers expresses anger in the movie, including anger at her husband for committing suicide. i think anger is there, along with self-loathing/self-esteem issues. i enjoyed the joan rivers movie. i think she’s funny and an interesting, determined figure. she is notable specifically for doing things that aren’t or weren’t previously “acceptable” for women to do.

  34. stephen

      quickies yall… went to my first one last week