There's no reason whatsoever to break our recent string of birthday greetings here on PennSound Daily, especially when December 14th is the birthday of poet Rachel Blau DuPlessis and we've got a recent addition to the site to announce as we celebrate her today.
Recorded in October, as part of a Zoom reading series curated by Don Yorty, this video showcases poetry from two of DuPlessis' recent books, starting with selections from Late Work (Black Square Editions, 2020) and Around the Day in 80 Worlds (BlazeVOX [books], 2018). The first two titles read here — "Late Work" and "Mackle, Shard, and Trace" — come from the former, followed by section 69 of the latter.
Of course, this is just one of many, many wonderful recordings you'll find on PennSound's Rachel Blau DuPlessis author page, which hosts nearly forty years' worth of readings, lectures, interviews, panels, class discussions, and much more, including the vast majority of her magnum opus, Drafts, written between 1986 and 2012, and the projects that came before and after it. Indeed, there's something about being able to take in the complex grandeur of the Drafts project in this manner that gives you a different sense of its architecture — especially when a number of the longer poems in the series have been segmented into their individual sections — and while Rachel's verbal playfulness and charm is well evident on the page, they truly shine in performance. Beyond a greater appreciation of her own poetry, one really gets a sense of what a marvelous commentator and teacher DuPlessis is, and not just through formal talks on her own diverse scholarly interests, but also via more spontaneous recordings like her countless appearances on PoemTalk and special events at our Kelly Writers House. Taken as a whole, these recordings show just how vital a force DuPlessis has been over the past four decades, and what a valuable member of Philadelphia's poetry scene she's been as well. Therefore we send her birthday greetings today with great admiration and hopes for many happy returns.
