PoemTalk Podcast #34, discussing Olson's Maximus poems, July 26, 2010

Listen to the complete recording and read program notes for the episode at Jacket2.

Studio Recording at Black Mountain College, made by Robert Creeley c. 1954, first issued as a record

The Songs of Maximus (3:15): MP3

Song 1 (0:40): MP3



Song 2 (0:23): MP3



Song 3 (1:16): MP3



Song 4 (0:36): MP3



Song 5 (0:10): MP3



Song 6 (0:06): MP3

The Kingfishers (8:01): MP3

The Kingfishers 1 (1:20): MP3



The Kingfishers 2 (1:24): MP3



The Kingfishers 3 (1:30): MP3



The Kingfishers 4 (1:38): MP3



The Kingfishers II (2:05): MP3



Complete Reading (11:31): MP3

Selected Letters of Robert Creeley 146 (Creeley to Duncan, September 24, 1955):

Dennie [Denise Levertov] had persuaded me to bring out a record Charles and I made here, a year ago, to play for him [Mitch Goodman]; which we did, and clearly he was moved, by it, i.e., he got the poems as obviously the page had never given them to him. And spoke, then, of how it changed everything.

At San Francisco State University, 1957

From Maximus, vol. 1

I, Maximus of Gloucester, to You [I.1] (4:01): MP3 The Songs of Maximus [I.13-16] 3:11): MP3 Maximus, Letter 7 (Marsden Hartley's eyes) [I:30-38] (5:44): MP3 Maximus, Letter 10 [1:45-51] (3:39): MP3

From Maximus, vol. 2

Letter 14 (6:11): MP3 Letter 15 (5:12): MP3 Maximus, The Twist (3:40): MP3 Second Century Song (0:30): MP3 Anecdotes of the Late War (0:43): MP3 The Love of Anat (0:34): MP3 The O'Ryan Poems (3:32): MP3

Christmas Tape Reading, 1957

Track 1 (31:05): MP3

Track 2 (4:42): MP3

Track 3 (14:33): MP3

Track 4 (6:43): MP3

Track 5 (5:08): MP3

Track 6 (54:45): MP3

Complete recording (1:50:12): MP3

Richard Moore USA: Poetry Documentary with Denise Levertov, 1966

Reading in Boston, June 1962

Maximus to Gloucester (3:05): MP3 So Sassafras (3:33): MP3 Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 (withheld) (2:11): MP3 [TEXT] An Ode on Cape Ann (1:01): MP3 from Maximus IV (1:02): MP3 View (1:44): MP3 Chronicles (1:43): MP3 The Gulf of Maine (3:02): MP3 Maximus, from Dogtown I (6:25): MP3 Going Right Out of the Century (0:50): MP3 Maximus, to Gloucester, Letter 15 (4:14): MP3 A Later Note on Letter #15 (1:11): MP3 Letter 41 (1:02): MP3 Maximus, from Dogtown II (3:36): MP3 The Distance (2:03): MP3 The Librarian (2:52): MP3 To Gerhardt, There, Among Europe's Things... (12:52) text: MP3 In Cold Hell, In Thicket (8:12): MP3 ABC (0:53): MP3 Letter, May 2nd 1959 (4:13): MP3

Complete Reading (1:08:51): MP3

"Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 (withheld)" is also featured on PoemTalk Episode 34.

At Goddard College, April 12-14, 1962

At the Vancouver Poetry Festival, August 16, 1963

Maximus, from Dogtown II [II;9-10] (4:18): MP3 Maximus, to himself as of 'Phoenicians' [II:111] (1:14): MP3

Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 [withheld] [II-14-15] [1:5-8] (2:14): MP3, TEXT, youtube

Maximus, further on (December 28th, 1959) [II:13] (1:11): MP3

The Poem (0:28): MP3

River #1 (1:19): MP3

River #2 (0:46): MP3

Okeanos' Dream (1:18): MP3

The South East Wind (1:20): MP3

I Tell You It's Cruel (2:34): MP3

Three Poems (1:45): MP3

Of Old Times (2:12): MP3

They said she went off (0:23): MP3

A Maximus (2:08): MP3

A coast is not the same as land (9:59): MP3

Maximus Letter Whatever (2:19): MP3

First Stevens Song (1:22): MP3

Upward Choking on Dogtown (1:17): MP3

I force the calm grey waters (1:08): MP3

By the way into the woods (0:22): MP3

The rock listens to itself (0:42): MP3

Later Tyrian Business [II:36] (1:26): MP3

For Robert Duncan Who Understands (8:48): MP3

Further Completion of Platt (3:58): MP3

Untitled (1:11): MP3

A Prayer (0:37): MP3

All having breakfast (0:59): MP3

Gee Avenue (0:25): MP3

Where is the B. Elery (0:11): MP3

Maximus Written to be a note to myself (about Stevens) (3:01): MP3

23 School and 16 Columbia (2:12): MP3

I Stand on Main St. (0:33): MP3

Letter 72 (1:46): MP3

Descartes solider in a time of religious wars (0:45): MP3

In the interleaved almanacs of 1646 (1:55): MP3

Of the Parsons (3:33): MP3

The Beginnings (5:38): MP3

Maximus at the Harbour (2:56): MP3

2nd Century Song (7:10): MP3

from "Fort Point section," Maximus II [II:83ff] (7:40): MP3

from Maximus II, final poems [II:199- 202] (5:33): MP3

The Songs of Maximus [I.13-16] (6:22): MP3

Maximus, to Himself ("I have had to learn the simplest things / last ...") [I:52-53] text (2:26): MP3

The Blue Monster (0:57): MP3

The Lordly & Isolate Satyr (8:38): MP3

Le Bonheur (2:22): MP3

The Charge (2:37): MP3

Spring (1:16): MP3

As the Dead Prey Upon Us (10:25): MP3

Kingfishers (6:31): MP3

Letter 3 ("Tansy buttons ...") [I:9-16] (8:00): MP3

Complete reading (2:45:53): MP3

"Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 (withheld)" is also featured on PoemTalk Episode 34.

At Gratwick's Highlands, November 16, 1963

Tape 1 of 2 (1:37:26): MP3 Tape 2 of 2 (1:06:57): MP3 (recording courtesy of Robert Creeley)

USA: Poetry (NET), directed by Richard Moore (excerpts), Gloucester, March 12, 1966





Includes "The Librarian" [Collected Poems 412-14]; video on right just the poem (text)

Audio from these videos:

"Maximus to Gloucester, Letter 27 (withheld)" is also featured on PoemTalk Episode 34.