Matthew Gordon Broadside
Matthew Gordon Broadside
Commissioned by Personal Space for the exhibition, Quark, 2023
Risograph printed by Current Editions Press
11 × 17”
Blue ink on gray paper, double sided
Free with any purchase over $15 (let us know you’d like one included in your order)
or $5 plus shipping if purchased on its own
Matthew Gordon is a poet and artist based in the Washington DC area. By day he currently manages the helpdesk at George Washington University. His work has been published in numerous publications including Mirage #4/Period(ical) and the plaid review. He has been exhibited at Southern Exposure, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery and other venues
“I’ve always had difficulty hearing and I did not get my first pair of hearing aids until I was 21. Prior to that, I often had to guess at what was being said in most situations, or try to fill in the gaps by the surrounding context. This unpacking and filling in has become one of my primary strategies as a poet.
The poems in What seek to literalize and pun on ideas put forth by the poet Jack Spicer, who described his poems as being dictated from the Outside. Spicer positioned the poet in the role of scribe, seeking to record these transmissions rather than generate from within themselves.
The What poems, then, are occasioned by going to readings given by fellow poets. When I attend a reading, if I am unsure of what was said, I write down what I think I heard. At the reading’s conclusion I have a list of lines that may or may not be accurate. These lines are then rearranged into new poems. As Spicer once said, “Words are things which just happen to be in your head instead of someone else’s head.”
Matthew Gordon Broadside
Commissioned by Personal Space for the exhibition, Quark, 2023
Risograph printed by Current Editions Press
11 × 17”
Blue ink on gray paper, double sided
Free with any purchase over $15 (let us know you’d like one included in your order)
or $5 plus shipping if purchased on its own
Matthew Gordon is a poet and artist based in the Washington DC area. By day he currently manages the helpdesk at George Washington University. His work has been published in numerous publications including Mirage #4/Period(ical) and the plaid review. He has been exhibited at Southern Exposure, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery and other venues
“I’ve always had difficulty hearing and I did not get my first pair of hearing aids until I was 21. Prior to that, I often had to guess at what was being said in most situations, or try to fill in the gaps by the surrounding context. This unpacking and filling in has become one of my primary strategies as a poet.
The poems in What seek to literalize and pun on ideas put forth by the poet Jack Spicer, who described his poems as being dictated from the Outside. Spicer positioned the poet in the role of scribe, seeking to record these transmissions rather than generate from within themselves.
The What poems, then, are occasioned by going to readings given by fellow poets. When I attend a reading, if I am unsure of what was said, I write down what I think I heard. At the reading’s conclusion I have a list of lines that may or may not be accurate. These lines are then rearranged into new poems. As Spicer once said, “Words are things which just happen to be in your head instead of someone else’s head.”
Matthew Gordon Broadside
Commissioned by Personal Space for the exhibition, Quark, 2023
Risograph printed by Current Editions Press
11 × 17”
Blue ink on gray paper, double sided
Free with any purchase over $15 (let us know you’d like one included in your order)
or $5 plus shipping if purchased on its own
Matthew Gordon is a poet and artist based in the Washington DC area. By day he currently manages the helpdesk at George Washington University. His work has been published in numerous publications including Mirage #4/Period(ical) and the plaid review. He has been exhibited at Southern Exposure, Patricia Sweetow Gallery, Pulliam Deffenbaugh Gallery and other venues
“I’ve always had difficulty hearing and I did not get my first pair of hearing aids until I was 21. Prior to that, I often had to guess at what was being said in most situations, or try to fill in the gaps by the surrounding context. This unpacking and filling in has become one of my primary strategies as a poet.
The poems in What seek to literalize and pun on ideas put forth by the poet Jack Spicer, who described his poems as being dictated from the Outside. Spicer positioned the poet in the role of scribe, seeking to record these transmissions rather than generate from within themselves.
The What poems, then, are occasioned by going to readings given by fellow poets. When I attend a reading, if I am unsure of what was said, I write down what I think I heard. At the reading’s conclusion I have a list of lines that may or may not be accurate. These lines are then rearranged into new poems. As Spicer once said, “Words are things which just happen to be in your head instead of someone else’s head.”