Postcard Project

Introduction to the Postcard Project

Note / July 2008: The heavy documentary demands of the original conception of this project make it unlikely that I will make individual pages for each card beyond the first series listed below & even that will take some time. In fact, during my residency at the Blue Mountain Center this month, I have begun giving away undocumented collage postcards for others to use. I know that some have been mailed by my fellow-residents.

Background: In April 2008, I began making small (postcard sized) collages & sending them to friends — mostly poets & artists — around the country. I began by sending cards to people I know (or knew at one time), though I may decide at some point to begin sending cards more widely. The initial postcards to each recipient are introductory & I expect that, unless someone tells me they don’t want more, at least some people will receive multiple collage cards. I will put a brief statement regarding poetics on each card: Despite a strong desire to do so, I’ve never been able to write a coherent statement of what I think about poetry. I tend to think in fragments & short bursts — postcard sized bits, perhaps. I’ve also mentioned previously that I’m beginning to sense a connection to the collages I have been making & the sort of poetry I want to write. In making the collages, I am trying not to be too neat. Allowing chance effects to emerge. Most of the cards — at least the first forty or so — are abstractions, though they often allude to landscape.

My immediate goal is to make & send 100 postcards. The list below names each person to whom I have sent a card (in the order sent) & is linked to a page where both sides of the card are displayed. Reciprocal gestures are welcome, but if you are the recipient of one of my cards, you should feel no obligation to respond, though if you do, I will devise a way to include your response in the project. Contact: duemer at gmail dot com / Joseph Duemer, PO Box 362 South Colton NY 13687.

Addressees

1. Edward Mycue
2. H.L. Hix
3. Michael Waters
4. Laura Jensen
5. Edward Mycue
6. Reginald Shepard
7. David Graham
8. Amy Hauber
9. Robert Dana
10. Jonathan Mayhew
11. Peter Money
12. Paul Zimmer
13. Ron Silliman
14. Peter Rennick
15. John Estes
16. Christopher Robinson
17. Peter Money
18. Ly Lan
19. Carl Bescoby
20. Amy Hauber
21. Jim Finnegan
22. Amy Hauber
23. Cathy Tedford