John M. Bennett

John M. Bennett (b. 1942, Chicago) is an American experimental text, sound, and visual poet.

Writing and publishing

As well as steadily producing and distributing his own work, Bennett, through "Luna Bisonte Prods", a small press founded in 1974, has published thousands of limited edition items by writers who compose visual poetry, word art, and other experimental fiction/art/poetry. Bennett's papers, and published works, as well as the results of his own publishing activities (including 30 years of "Lost & Found Times" magazine), are collected in several major institutions, including Washington University (St. Louis), SUNY Buffalo, The Ohio State University and The Museum of Modern Art.

Bennett has won the attention of critic Richard Kostelanetz and other commentators on the avant-garde.

Bennett himself is the curator of the "Avant Writing Collection", "The William Burroughs Collection", and "The Cervantes Collection" at the Ohio State University Libraries. More information about Bennett's career, publishing activities and artistic endeavors can be found at his website.

Performances and sound works

Bennett's collaborations with sound poet/performance artist Rod Summers began in the late 1970s.

Bennett has performed solo and with numerous musicians and other poets, often with the collaborative sound poetry group "THE BE BLANK CONSORT", which has released a recording titled "SOUND MESS". This group was founded as a result of a symposium organized by Richard Kostelanetz at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in 1999. The members of "THE BE BLANK CONSORT" include Scott Helms, Carlos Luis, and Kathy Ernst, among others.

Writing sample

An example of John M. Bennett's text-based experimentation is the poem Lung face:

::lung rumble ,rains ladder the ash fork::dribble shame fleas an ,anchor plug melts::strained boom cluster gap faucet ,ants::bundled in the tooth reach hooks watch::catch book leech root the ,bin tumbled::glance deposit flap ,luster ,room drained::felt bug's langour gland ,peas name crippled::pork rash the matter chains stumbled rung::plate edge sharpened ,urge chirped ,rice::snag hash seemed water hunched and eating::stub flag ,wishfinger ,mate complaint peel::real faint ,eager fish bagged ,a club::meating hand lunched falter )steamed ,lash drag::,ice lurks( surged darkened ledge )face

Recent publications

*"THE PEEL" (Anabasis,2004)
*"rOlling COMBers" (Potes & Poets Press)
*"CHAC PROSTIBULARIO" (with Ivan Arguelles) (Pavement Saw Press, 2001)
*"MAILER LEAVES HAM (Pantograph Press, 1999)
*"LOOSE WATCH" (Invisible Books, 1998)
*"GLUE" (xPress(ed), 2005)
*"INSTRUCTION BOOK" (Luna Bisonte Prods, 2006)
*"CANTAR DEL HUFF" (Luna Bisonte Prods, 2006)
*"LA M AL" (Blue Lion Books, 2006)
*"SOUND DIRT" (with Jim Leftwich) (Luna Bisonte Prods, 2006)

External links

* [http://www.johnmbennett.net/ John M. Bennett Website]