Emmett Williams, new poetry exponent, reads here

April 29, 1971

Emmett Williams, one of the major exponents of new poetry and art in America and the world, will read from his own work at 8:30 p.m., Monday, May 3, in the Art Gallery at the University of California, San Diego.

While best known for his "concrete," visually-oriented poetry and as the editor of the first large-scale anthology of the "concrete poetry" movement, Williams is actually a poet and language experimenter. Much of his work has been in the exploration of new approaches to the performance of poetry. His reading at UCSD will largely consist of the presentation of what he calls "language happenings."

Williams has been an active poet for nearly 25 years. His experiments have included work with computer composition, poetry clocks, phosphorescent fish poems, and "universal poems" made with rubber stamps by members of the audience.

As an editor of he was responsible for "An Anthology of Concrete Poetry" and has edited or translated avant garde books by , , Diter Rot, Claes Oldenburg, and others. Williams' own publications include the book-length concrete poem, "Sweethearts," which consists of a series of erotic permutations of the word "sweethearts" done in the playful manner that characterizes much of his mature work.

Williams was born in Virginia and has lived much of his life in France and Germany. His work has been exhibited and performed in galleries, theaters and museums throughout the world. He is currently on the faculty of the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles.

Williams' appearance at UCSD is part of a seminar in "ethnopoetics" conducted by visiting poet, Jerome Rothenberg. Upcoming performances include an appearance by poet on May 19 and the presentation of Rothenberg's "Poland/1931" on a date to be announced.

(April 29, 1971)