The Alchemist's Mind

The Alchemist’s Mind, subtitled ‘a book of narrative prose by poets’ published by Reality Street was launched last night at The Lamb. It contains an astonishing variety of work by twenty-eight poets, five of whom read in the evening.  These were editor David Miller, Paul Buck, Brian Marley, Stephen Watts and MJ Weller. The other poets featured are Guy Birchard, Vahni Capildeo, Johan de Wit, Lawrence Fixel, Giles Goodland, Barbara Guest, Paul Haines, Lee Harwood, Lyn Hejinian, Fanny Howe, Robert Lax, John Levy, Tom Lowenstein, Daphne Marlatt, Bernadette Mayer, bpNichol, Will Petersen, Kristin Prevallet, David Rattray, Ian Robinson, Robert Sheppard, Keith Waldrop and Rosemarie Waldrop. David Miller’s introduction is a substantial essay on kinds of prose that, unlike standard modern fiction, are informed by classic modernism. It is an exciting and timely volume. Pictured below are Paul Buck, Brian Marley, Stephen Watts and MJ Weller (who would have been, as ever, a hard act to follow).