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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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly reading his own poetry. Bard College, 3/09/1966. Tape warbles until a brief cutout at 00:01:20. Kelly reads and discusses various poems, including works about Annandale, alchemy, astronomy, and chemical processes. The poems explore themes of love, nature, spirituality, and human experience.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
April 27th, 2001. This recording features poet Robert Kelly reading and discussing his work, including collaborations and recent poems. He explores themes of memory, perception, and language through various poetic forms, interspersing commentary on his writing process and literary influences.
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Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly
Robert Kelly reading his own poems. Bard College, 03/05/1970.
This recording features a lecture on imagination by Robert Kelly. He discusses the failures of human endeavors, critiques education and society, and argues that passive imagination poisons us. Kelly emphasizes the importance of active, creative imagination in transforming inherited knowledge into personal understanding
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Robert Kelly Reading His Own Work
Robert Kelly
Date Unknown. Robert Kelly reads and discusses various poems, touching on themes of memory, perception, and existence. The reading includes both recent and older works, with commentary between poems.
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Robert Kelly and Mark Ford
Robert Kelly and Mark Ford
Date and Place Unknown. This recording features poetry readings and introductions by poets Robert Kelly and Mark Ford. They share and discuss their works, influences, and creative processes, touching on themes of language, identity, and cultural experiences across various locations.
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Readings by Robert Kelly and Ann Lauterbach
Robert Kelly and Ann Lauterbach
This reading was part of the John Ashbery Poetry Series that ran from approximately 1995 to 2007 and brought leading contemporary poets to Bard for readings and discussion. This recording captures a poetry reading featuring Robert Kelly and Anne Lauterbach. They each read selections of their work, including poems about personal experiences, literary figures, and observations on life. The readings showcase diverse styles and themes in contemporary poetry.
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Robert Kelly and Jonathan Williams
Robert Kelly and Jonathan Williams
November 14, 1985. This recording contains poetry readings and discussions by poets Robert Kelly and Jonathan Williams. The poets read their own works and those of others, covering themes of nature, astronomy, personal experiences, and literary reflections.
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William Kerrigan: Whores & Virgins in Shakespeare
William Kerrigan
Lecture from the series "Feminism and Deconstruction" March 3rd, 1987.
This recording covers a lecture by William Kerrigan on the psychological split in male perceptions of women, as explored in Shakespeare's works and psychoanalytic theory. It examines how this duality affects marriage, literature, and gender relations throughout history.
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Galway Kinnell
Galway Kinnell
Galway Kinnell reading his own poetry at Bard College. Albee Social, 05/17/1966. Kinell shares poems by Walt Whitman and his own, including pieces about civil rights, nature, and human experience. Kinnell offers commentary on poetic influences and his creative process.
Kinnell starts his time by reading Whitman’s ‘RESPONDEZ!’ and ‘To The States.’
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Thomas Kinsella
Thomas Kinsella
Irish poet Thomas Kinsella reading his work at Bard College. Bard Hall, 12/07/1975. 1:30pm. This recording features poet Tom Kinsella reading and discussing his work, including poems from "Notes from the Land of the Dead" and other collections. He explores themes of family, history, and Irish mythology, providing context for his poetic inspirations and techniques.
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Students: Stuart Krinko, Ben Danale and Katie W.D.
Stuart Krinko, Ben Danale, and Katie W.D.
February 23rd, 2001. This recording features various speakers reciting original poems, travel journal excerpts, and stream-of-consciousness writings. The content explores themes of identity, memory, and existential musings through abstract and often surreal language.
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Readings by Stuart Krinko and Drew Gardner
Stuart Krinko and Drew Gordner
This reading was part of the John Ashbery Poetry Series that ran from approximately 1995 to 2007 and brought leading contemporary poets to Bard for readings and discussion. This recording features a poetry reading featuring Bard College alumni Stuart Krimko and Drew Gardner. It includes introductions, biographical facts, and readings of original poems and works by other poets, exploring themes of nature, relationships, and self-reflection.
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Maxine Kumin Poetry Reading
Maxine Kumin
November 17th, 1982 at Bard Hall. Maxine Kumin shares poems from various collections, touching on themes of nature, family, feminism, and mortality. Kumin provides context and personal anecdotes for many of the poems.
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Ellen Lambert: Talking About Beauty
Ellen Lambert
"Heroine Portraiture in the Western Literary Tradition". Lecture from series "Feminism and Deconstruction" April 21st, 1987 at Kline Commons.
This recording is a lecture on the portrayal of female beauty in Western literature. It explores the differences between patriarchal and feminine conventions of heroine portraiture, discussing how 19th-century women writers challenged traditional depictions of beauty and linked physical appearance to inner qualities.
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Gerrit Lansing
Gerrit Lansing
Gerrit Lansing reading his own poetry. 12/18/1963. Lansing was the editor of the short-lived literary magazine SET, which published poets ranging from Robert Kelly to Aleister Crowley.
Liner notes identify the poems as follows:
“Festival Song; Judgment Of The City; Onset 1; Onset 2; The Burden of Set 1; The Burden of Set 2; The Green Bottle; The Undertaking; Conventicle; Tabernacle; Planting The Amplitudes.”
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Ann Lauterbach
Ann Lauterbach
March 21st, 2001 in Olin 101. Ann Lauterbach reading and discussing selections from her book "If In Time: Selected Poems." She reflects on her writing process, influences, and reads poems spanning her 25-year career, offering insights into her evolving style and themes.
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Readings by Ann Lauterbach and Michael Palmer
Ann Lauterbach and Michael Palmer
Introduced by Michael Ives. This reading was part of the John Ashbery Poetry Series that ran from approximately 1995 to 2007 and brought leading contemporary poets to Bard for readings and discussion. Lauterbach and Palmer read selections from their works, discussing themes of language, history, and contemporary issues. The poets introduce each other and provide context for their poems.
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Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
A speech delivered outside Albee Hall, March 4, 1968. The bulk of the lecture involves Leary's beliefs about marijuana and LSD use, societal fears about kids "turning on and waking up," and rumors invented by the government about recreational drug use. He tells the audience they're going to have to "drop out or cop out...drop out is an internal personal decision...your posture, your inner-stance...detaching from anything meaningless...or that would lead you to continue as a replaceable part."
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Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell
Robert Lowell reading his own poetry. Bard Hall, 11/29/1973. Lowell shares poems from various collections, explains their contexts, and reflects on his writing process. The session concludes with a Q&A where Lowell addresses audience questions about his poetry.
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Walter Lowenfels
Walter Lowenfels
Walter Lowenfels reading his poetry, found and constructed, on October 21, 1969 held in the Bard College Chapel. This recording features Lowenfels reading and discussing various poems, including found poems, works about love and family, and pieces inspired by science and space. Lowenfels covers themes of social issues, personal relationships, and cosmic perspectives throughout the reading.
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Kimberly Lyons
Kimberly Lyons
April 15th, 1989. Lyons presents a series of poems exploring themes of landscape, consciousness, and language, often using surreal imagery and experimental forms. The reading concludes with audience interaction.
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Bard College Student Readings - March 1957
Nick Lyons, Jack Hirschfeld, Sue Wilkins, and Peter Hammer
Readings given by Bard College students on March 21, 1957. Student readers are: Nick Lyons (0:00-9:52); Jack Hirschfeld (9:56-42:45); Sue Wilkins (42:52-45:28); Peter Hammer (45:28-1:01:34). Recorded in Albee Social. The poems cover various themes including nature, art, and artists like Gauguin and Pissarro. The speakers also share personal reflections and interpretations of the poems they present.
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Tom MacIntyre Reading Fiction and Poetry
Tom MacIntyre
February 23rd, 1983 in the Towbin Poetry Room. This recording captures a literary talk and Q&A session with Tom Macintyre discussing his work, including poetry translations, short stories, and plays. He explores themes of Irish culture, language, and literary traditions, sharing personal anecdotes and insights on his creative process.
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Jackson Mac Low
Jackson Mac Low
Poet and performance artist Jackson Mac Low leading students in sound performance, and reading his own work. Bard College, 03/27/1979. It includes various experimental poems, some derived from other texts, and explores themes of language, sound, and meaning. The speaker also discusses their creative process and inspirations.
Due to machine malfunction, parts of this recording skip and fluctuate. The listener is encouraged to explore both the edited MP3 (for clarity) and the unedited WAV (for strange and protracted silences, as well as oscillations in volume; whose inclusion is perhaps more in the spirit of Mr. Mac Low’s work, and its relationship to chance)
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Jackson Mac Low
Jackson Mac Low
Poet and performance artist Jackson Mac Low conducting a small orchestra for instrument and voice, and reading his own poetry. Performance at the First Towbin Poetry Festival, Bard Hall, 10/25/1975. Introduced by Robert Kelly.