Thursday, February 5, 2009

Robert Spiess interview

Mark Alan Osterhaus has a web page of an interview he recorded of English language haiku pioneer, Robert Spiess, some years ago. Mark writes:

"I wanted to let you know that I have posted the only recording of Bob Spiess that I know of, from an interview I conducted with Bob back in 1988. I had the recording cleaned up and converted to a digital format before posting it on my website. If you feel that this interview and haiku reading by Bob has merit, you are welcome to share this with your email list. . ."

It is extremely important that such recordings be made. In these days of inexpensive audio and video devices, it is very easy to preserve a little haiku history.

Thank you for sharing this Mark!

2 comments:

  1. The day before Bob passed on, I called him at the Hospice to wish him a good journey. He laughed when I said "Raymond Roseliep and Nick Virgilio will be waiting for you." He told me he death would be welcome. Even though he was in excruciating pain, I asked if he wanted me to call him the next day. "Oh, yes," he said, but the next day he was making his way across the River Styx.



    Alexis Rotella

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  2. a couple of months before he died

    my phone rang a raspy voice
    asked:

    "hello, is this Ed Baker?"

    "you got 'im", says I.

    "I'm clearing up my desk and want to use a poem of yours, but I've got two versions... which one is correct?" (I paraphrase)

    I said something like "you decide, you're the editor."


    so, the poem did get into
    MH I think the last one he had a hand in.. I think Lee Gurga took over next issue which had "silk" in it

    which is here:

    http://dbqp.blogspot.com/2007/10/two-versions-of-perfection.html

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