These audio recordings have been digitized from a collection of cassette and open reel tapes of readings and lectures at Bard over the last 50 years. The collection was initially established with funds provided by the Carter A Towbin Poetry Fund in 1982 and first located in Albee Hall before moving to the Olin Building. Our hope is to use the recordings to help tell the story of Bard as an exuberant place for poetry for more than half a century.
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Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney
Seamus Heaney reading his poetry at Bard College, April 9, 1974, including selections from his famous ‘Bog Body Poems.’ Recorded in Albee Social, 8:00pm. Heaney recites and discusses poems about Irish landscapes, mythology, and history, including pieces on bogs, ancient sacrifices, and Anglo-Irish relations. He provides context and insights into his writing process and inspirations.
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Anthony Hecht
Anthony Hecht
Anthony Hecht reading his poetry at Bard College in October 1974. Introduced by Irma Brandeis. Hecht was a graduate of Bard College, and later a professor at the school. His work combines an appreciation for traditional forms with an urgent desire to confront human horror and violence, inspired by his own nervous breakdown in the years after his WWII platoon liberated the Flossenburg concentration camp.
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Anthony Hecht
Anthony Hecht
Anthony Hecht reading his own poetry at Bard College, April 1980. Introduced by Andrews Wanning. He shares poems on various themes, including love, war, and mortality, interspersed with personal anecdotes and literary insights. The event includes an introduction and concludes with a brief Q&A session.
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Erich Heller
Erich Heller
Essayist Erich Heller, reading essays on Nietzche and Yeats. Bard Hall, 3/15/1966. Introduced by an unidentified Bard academic. This recording features a lecture on W.B. Yeats and Friedrich Nietzsche, exploring their philosophical connections, Yeats' interpretation of Nietzsche's work, and the impact of aestheticism on early 20th-century thought. Heller analyzes Yeats' poetry and its relation to Nietzsche's ideas.
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Peter V. Hohendal: The Politics of Reading
Peter V. Hohendal
Defending the German Literary Tradition. December 1, 1987 in Olin 102
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Spencer Holst
Spencer Holst
Storyteller Spencer Holst reads his own work, notably from his collection ‘Spencer Holst Stories.’ Side 1 (00:00-1:25:21) is a public reading in Bard Hall, February 17, 1976. Side 2 (1:26:05-end) is a private reading at Hanes Cottage, of his longer story ‘The Institute Of The Foul Ball.’ (Sometimes titled ‘The Institute For The Foul Ball.) February 16, 1976.
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Ken Irby
Ken Irby
Kenneth Irby reading poetry in translation by Oscar Milosz and José Lezama Lima, followed by his own work. March 26, 1981
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Kenneth Irby
Kenneth Irby
May 1975, Towbin Poetry Room, Bard College. Irby shares personal anecdotes, reads various poems, and discusses influences like Jesus, Edward Shafer, and Ghalib. Themes include childhood memories, relationships, and spiritual experiences, with commentary on poetic form and inspiration.
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Lisa Jarnot
Lisa Jarot
March 22nd, 2001 in Olin 101.This recording features Lisa Jarnot discussing her work, particularly her book "Some Other Kind of Mission." She explains her writing process, influences, and reads excerpts. The conversation covers her use of visual elements, narrative structure, and poetic techniques in her compositions.
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Barbara Johnson: The Politics of Poetry
Barbara Johnson
Lecture from the series "Feminism and Deconstruction" intro by prof. Rayna Caller. March 11th, 1987 at Kline Commons. This recording covers a lecture on the politics of poetry, focusing on Adrienne Rich and Gwendolyn Brooks. Johnson analyzes how these poets' work evolved to address political themes, examining their use of pronouns and audience engagement in specific poems.
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Uwe Johnson
Uwe Johnson
Reading by German novelist Uwe Johnson from his novel The Third Book About Achim. Side 2 of this tape is a Q&A with Johnson. April 25, 1967. The reading explores the challenges of a West German writer attempting to write a biography of an East German cyclist. The discussion touches on the complexities of the divided Germany and Johnson’s perspective on the situation.
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Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris reading his own poetry, Bard College, 10/19/1983. This recording features selections from various collections including "Network" and "Turbulence." The poems explore themes of language, perception, and cultural references, often incorporating complex literary and philosophical allusions. The reading includes commentary on the poems' origins and inspirations.
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Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris reading his own work at Bard College. Recorded at Albee Social, 10/6/1970.
This tape cuts off after the reel-to-reel machine was evidently knocked over. The box containing the tape itself also housed a program for a recital by Rabbi Avraham Soltes and J. Clifford Welsh, entitled “Jewish Music from Ancient Palestine to Israel Reborn.” There is no evidence of this recital actually being recorded on this tape.
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Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris reads his own poetry. Recorded in the Carter Towbin Poetry Room, 04/11/1974, 10pm. The poems cover diverse themes including language, mythology, nature, and personal experiences. The speaker reads from various collections, including shorter poems and longer, more complex pieces with multiple sections.
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Pierre Joris Discussing Paul Celan
Pierre Joris
Pierre Joris discussing his translations of the poet Paul Celan. Bard College 10/20/1983. Joris analyzes Celan's poetry, its themes, and linguistic complexity, while also addressing the poet's historical context and influence on modern literature.
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Pierre Joris Reading His Own Poetry
Pierre Joris
April 1987 in the Towbin Poetry Room. This recording discusses contemporary French literature, focusing on writers and trends since World War II. It covers influential authors, the centralized nature of Paris's literary scene, challenges in French poetry and prose, and notable experimental writers pushing linguistic boundaries.
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Claudia Keelan
Claudia Keelan
April 20th, 2001. Claudia Keelan’s poems explore themes of civil rights, freedom, identity, and sacrifice, drawing inspiration from historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi.
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Dedication of the Towbin Poetry Room
Robert Kelly
Dedication of the Carter Towbin Poetry Room on April 6, 1974. Background on the endowment given for the Towbin Room and Prize. Remarks by Robert Bruce, William Wilson, and a reading by Robert Kelly.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly reading his own poetry. Bard College, 10/05/1978. Tape engineered by Michael Heller. It includes several of his poems, including works inspired by the Aeneid, Virgil, and the death of Pope John Paul I. The reading covers a range of themes and poetic styles.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly reading from his recently published work The Loom. Bard Hall, 10/09/1975. Introduction by Clark Rodewald. The poem explores themes of language, encounters with women, and the nature of poetry.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly reading his fiction at Bard College, in the Towbin Poetry Room; 04/05/1983. Kelly reads several short stories and excerpts from a novella about his great-grandfather's experiences during the American Civil War and later in India.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Poet Robert Kelly reading his own poetry. Tewkesbury Hall, Bard College 12/03/1970. Kelly recites and discusses various original poems, touching on themes of love, nature, mythology, and personal experiences. The reading includes explanations of poetic techniques and inspirations behind certain works.
The tape speed is abruptly switched at about 00:03:15. Pitch correction attempted.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly reading his own poetry. Bard College, 02/01/1974. The works explore themes of love, mythology, dreams, and language. The speaker discusses the writing process and reads both published and unpublished pieces, including sonnets and prose poems.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Poet Robert Kelly reading his own work. Proctor Art Center, Bard College, 5/12/1969. The poems cover diverse themes including alchemy, mythology, and personal experiences. The poet discusses his writing process, reads several long-form poems, and provides context for his work.
