Garrett Caples and Julian Talamantez Brolaski: February 15, 2018

After Steve Dickison introduces Garrett Caples, Caples reads a series of poems he notes are eulogies, written in honor of poets who have passed away: "A Recent Smoke, for Gerrit Lansing," "John Ashbery and Climate Change," "Henry Sniff," "For David Meltzer and Julie Rogers," "Warm Life," "Tractatus," "The Cantos, then Tacos," and "10 10-line poems for Philip Lamantia," with the last three eulogies as published in his book Power Ballads. Caples reads poems in manuscript: "Emotional Rescue: New Narrative," "Barking at Horses," "Paris with Suzanne," and "1713." He returns to Power Ballads to read "Garrett Caples Rides Again" before reading two more poems in manuscript: "Travels in Russia" and "Lovers of Today."

Julian Talamantez Brolaski opens with a poem beginning "Look gentle people...," then thanks the Ohlone people, "the indigenous people...the caretakers of this place," before reading two poems from Advice for Lovers: "On Not Being Able to Receive Angels" and "On How to Transfigure the Body Utterly." Brolaski reads from a new chapbook titled Come Correct: "Prescience," "Poetry was Bought for Some Cows," "The Writing Feeling," "My voice was too obvious...," "My Feeling's Pyramidal," "The Greatest Bears in the World," "Pyramidal is certain form...," "Too Dusky Now to Write About the Weather." The reading ends with a poem titled "A Mark Appeared" from a new manuscript, This Machine Kills Rapists.

Garrett Caples and Julian Talamantez Brolaski take questions from the audience. Caples is asked about referring to poems within his poems. Brolaski is asked, by Joakim Ingerlund, to elaborate on helping with the work of Brolaski's grandmother, Ines Talamantez, of UC Santa Barbara, regarding Native religion and the Apache coming-of-age-ceremony for girls. In response to a question from Gin Hart, Brolaski discusses their academic background in medieval studies, the use of futuristic technology in studying medieval literatures, and connections between their Native American heritage and Medieval Studies. Caples is asked about Philip Lamantia and American Surrealism, and he discusses Lamantia's and Andre Breton's influences on how he writes. There is an extended conversation, in response to a question from the audience, around song and poetry. Both poets elaborate on their creative processes, saying that they have to get into certain states to write, but emphasizing that they still have to make a conscious effort to produce good work. Caples responds at length, with remarks by Brolaski, to a question on poetry and dream. The poets end by discussing the function of popular music in their poetry: Caples talks about how he "came late to poetry" and songs filled that place; Brolaski humorously remarks on a pop song by Ariana Grande ("a little less conversation / a little more touch my body"), and how what one initially doesn't like affects one's work; Caples ends by talking about the influence, especially, of flow and rhyme from hip hop performance.