Threads Talk Series

Threads, a series of talks curated by Steve Clay and Kyle Schlesinger, is devoted to the art of the book featuring poets, scholars, artists, and publishers. The objective for the series is to build on the discourse within book arts to explore and enrich relationships between various strands of book culture that are often approached in isolation, for example poetry and writing, visual and performing arts, collaboration, design, printing, independent publishing, literary history, critical theory, and material culture to name a few. The talks were recorded before a small studio audience and are available for public consumption here on PennSound. Eventually the series will be collected and published in book form.

Threads began in the spring of 2009 in New York City with talks by Alan Loney, Charles Alexander and Simon Cutts. Additional recordings will be added periodically.

The Book Undone: Thirty Years of Granary Books, New York City, Opening Event, September 16, 2015

Columbia University • Rare Book & Manuscript Library

Featuring Granary Press founder Steve Clay; Presentations by Charles Bernstein, Johanna Drucker, Vincent Katz, Daniel Kelm, Emily McVarish, Jerome Rothenberg, and Buzz Spector; Curated by Sarah Arkebauer and Karla Nielsen

1. Introduction by Sean Quimby (1:15): MP3
2. Remarks by Karla Nielsen (6:32): MP3
3. Remarks by Sarah Arkebauer (1:35): MP3
4. Steve Clay (12:12): MP3
5. Charles Bernstein (7:39): MP3
6. Vincent Katz (9:03): MP3
7. Emily McVarish (7:44): MP3
8. Johanna Drucker (6:58): MP3
9. Daniel Kelm (9:45): MP3
10. Buzz Spector (8:12): MP3
11. Jerome Rothenberg (10:48): MP3

Full Recording (1:23:05): MP3

The Book Undone: Thirty Years of Granary Books, New York City, Closing Event, January 26, 2016

"The Plan Without a Plan" a conversation with Steve Clay and Karla Nielson

Introduction by Sean Quimby

Conversation with Steve Clay and Karla Nielson

Questions from the audience:

• 44:39 Phil Aarons
• 47.51 Duncan Hannah
• 49:18 Tom Damrauer
• 51.45 unknown
• 52:27 Karla Nielson
• 53:42 Jan Herman
• 54:10 Robert C. Morgan
• 57.19 unknown
• 58.47 Karla Nielson

Full Recording (1:01:31): MP3

Alan Loney, March 11, 2009

"What Book Does My Library Make?"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (3:01): MP3
2. Talk (37:35): MP3
3. Conversation (29:49): MP3

Complete Recording (1:10:24): MP3

Charles Alexander, April 16, 2009

"Between Poetics"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (2:31): MP3
2. Talk (42:40): MP3
3. Conversation (29:39): MP3

Complete Recording (1:15:12): MP3

Simon Cutts, July 21, 2009

"The Metaphor Books 1967-2009"

1. Introduction by Kyle Schlesinger (2:49): MP3
2. Talk (34:48): MP3
3. Conversation (31:38): MP3

Complete Recording (1:09:17): MP3

Buzz Spector, October 2, 2009

"On the Fetishism of the Book Object"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (3:45): MP3
2. Talk (34:17): MP3
3. Conversation (33:51): MP3

Complete Recording (1:11:56): MP3

Jerome Rothenberg, May 7, 2010

"From the Voice to the Book, from the Book to the Voice: a Dialectic"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (1:55): MP3
2. Talk (29:55): MP3
3. Discussion (38:11): MP3

• Complete Recording (1:10:55): MP3

Cecilia Vicuña, November 3, 2010

"Knotations on a Quipu"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (3:07): MP3
2. Talk (40:25): MP3
3. Discussion (15:39): MP3

• Complete Recording (1:00:32): MP3

Jen Bervin, November 17, 2010

"Text from Textile: Stem & Root"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (1:51): MP3
2. Talk (41:01): MP3

Kathleen Walkup, January 27, 2011

"The Book is a Public Place"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (2:19): MP3
2. Talk (31:06): MP3
3. Discussion (47:23): MP3

• Complete Recording (1:20:48): MP3

Johanna Drucker, March 16, 2011

"How Some Poems Are Made"

1. Introduction (2:37): MP3
2. Talk (1:01:11): MP3
3. Discussion (24:49): MP3

• Complete Recording (1:26:00): MP3

Keith Smith, November 20, 2011

"Struggling to See"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (2:27): MP3
2. Talk (37:07): MP3
3. Discussion (15:35): MP3

• Complete Recording (55:09): MP3

Richard Minsky, December 3, 2011

"Material Meets Metaphor"

1. Introduction by Kyle Schlesinger (1:19): MP3
2. Talk (45:40): MP3
3. Discussion (43:31): MP3

• Complete Recording (1:30:30): MP3

Emily McVarish, October 10, 2012

"Page Space"

1. Introduction by Steve Clay (2:24): MP3
2. Talk (52:17): MP3
3. Discussion (23:48): MP3

• Complete Recording (1:18:30): MP3

Of related interest: Steve Clay talks with Charles Bernstein on Close Listening, May 17, 2021 (60 min.): MP3

These sound recordings are being made available for noncommercial and educational use only. All rights to this recorded material belong to the speakers. © 2011 Threads Talk Series. Used with permission of Steve Clay and Kyle Schlesinger. Distributed by PennSound.