Hejinian’s Verses

Lyn Hejinian, a fellow of the Academy of American Poets, pioneered “language poetry,” which began in the early 1970s as a fusion of literary techniques. The movement emphasizes the elemental structure of language itself. Joseph Harrington, an associate professor of English at the University of Kansas, notes that even if language poetry has a clear subject, it’s still obviously a piece of writing. This is made clear, Harrington explains, by the use of line breaks, rhythm, repeated sounds and tropes. Hejinian begins a reading today at 4 p.m. at the Spencer Museum of Art (1301 Mississippi in Lawrence, 785-864-4710); a lecture follows at 7:30 p.m. at the Kansas Union’s Alderson Auditorium (1301 Jayhawk Boulevard, 785-864-7469). “She will advocate for poetry as a genre of heterogeneity,” Harrington says, “a place in which differences remain different.”

Thu., March 6, 2008