John Ashbery: May 16, 1973

The Poetry Center presents John Ashbery, reading from his poetry at the San Francisco Museum of Art (pre SFMOMA), at its former Van Ness Avenue location. This is Ashbery’s first ever San Francisco reading, Kathleen Fraser having invited him as part of the celebration of The Poetry Center’s twentieth anniversary. He reads poems that will be included in Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (Viking Press, 1975) — still the only book to receive the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, and National Book Critics Circle Award — and from his earlier collection The Double Dream of Spring (E. P. Dutton, 1970).

"The poet is mustached, black leather-jacketed, in striking profile.... There’s a David Smith-ish metal construction sculpture in the background, directly behind the poet. There’s a mic to be tapped for percussion. There is smoking on the premises, with an uncanny houselights-out legerdemain when the match ignites." (from "For Mnemosyne" at SFMOMA, Open Space)

Note: The recording ends abruptly; near its close, Ashbery says that he'll read the prose poem "The Recital" (Three Poems, Viking Press, 1972). Unfortunately, no recording of this remainder of his reading appears to have been made.