Leslie Scalapino (1944-2010)
"The camera lens of writing is the split between oneself and reality. Which one sees first -- view of dying and life- is inside, looking out into untroubled 'experience.'" -Leslie Scalapino(1)
Born in Santa Barbara, California July 25, 1944, Leslie Scalapino, one of 3 daughters of Robert and Dee Scalapino, traveled in Asia, Africa, and Europe growing up. Her father founded UC Berkeley's Institute for Asian Studies. In 1969 She earned her M.A. From the University of California at Berkeley.
She studied Buddhist philosophy throughout her life, and the ideas of Buddhism influenced her work. On Poets.org, Lyn Hejinian writes that two observations of Buddhist philosophy stand out in Scalapino's work: that "pain and suffering are ubiquitous," and that "empirical reality is solely phenomenal- a matter of appearances...." The selections I read are good examples of this insight.
Though sometimes related with the West Coast Language poets, Scalapino had close ties to Beat poets. She was a friend of Philip Whalen, and edited the Collected Poems of Philip Whalen (2007.) She also collaborated with visual artists, musicians, dancers and other writers like Hejinian. But Lyn Hejinian writes that Scalapino's voice was unique saying, "She belonged to no school."
Leslie Scalapino founded O Books in 1986, a publisher of young and emerging poets as well as established and experimental writers. During her life she published thirty titles and has three titles that will be released in 2010. She received the Poetry Center Award, The Lawrence Lipton Prize, and the American Book Award. She taught for 16 years at Bard College, and also taught at Mills College, San Francisco Art Institute, and the Naropa Institute.
Leslie Scalapino lived in Oakland, California with her husband of 35 years, Tom White. She died of cancer May 28, 2010.
Texts of poems read can be found in:
"It's go in horizontal, Selected Poems 1974-2006," Leslie Scalapino, University of California Press, 2008
Webliography:
Poets.org Leslie Scalapino remembered by Lyn Hejinian
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Buffalo News: Leslie Scalapino obituary
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Electronic Poetry Center (University of Buffalo) Leslie Scalapino
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Electronic Poetry Center (University of Buffalo) Leslie Scalapino Family's death notice
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Poetry Foundation: Leslie Scalapino
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Scalapino family death notice
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Notes:
1. How Phenomena Appear to Unfold: Notes on My Writing, 1985
Sites of interest:
Penn Sound: Leslie Scalapino
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How2 Critical feature on Leslie Scalapino
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O Books
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