Hedwig Gorski

Hedwig Gorski
Gorski inLouisiana,2009
Born	Hedwig Irene Gorski (1949-07-18)July 18, 1949 Trenton, New Jersey,U.S.
Occupation	Writer, poet
Literary movement	Performance Poetry,Avant-Garde Poets, Media Artists,Postmodernism
Notable awards	Fulbright Fellowship 2003
Spouse	D'Jalma Garnier

Gorski withBabe Stovallon a 1973 trip to ruralMississippito visit blues guitarist Roosevelt Holts

Hedwig Irene Gorski(born July 18, 1949) is anAmericanperformance poetand anavant-gardeartist who labels her aesthetic as "Americanfuturism."The term" performance poetry, "a precursor toslam poetry,is attributed to her. It originated in press releases for experimental spoken word and conceptual theater Gorski created during 1979.She is a first-generationPolish Americanacademic scholar and accomplished creative writer. The innovative poetry, prose, drama, and audio works are published and produced in a variety of media using standard and experimental forms.

Biography

A first-generation American citizen, born inTrenton, New Jersey,Gorski's parents and sister emigrated to the United States fromGalicia, Poland(present-dayUkraine) followingWorld War II,where two aunts and a grandmother were murderedby Ukrainianpartisans.

Her father joined thePolish Undergroundwhen aged fourteen, and later the United States Army, arriving with his family in the U.S. in 1949 on theGeneral Sturgis,which docked inNew Orleans, Louisiana.Her father did electrical work inNapoleonvillebefore moving toNew Jersey.After receiving aBachelor of Fine Artsin painting from theNova Scotia College of Art and Design Universityin Canada, she moved with her first husband toAustin, Texasin 1977.She is married to her second husband, composerD'Jalma Garnier.

Career

Her public career began in New Orleans during 1973, illustrating for the infamousNOLA Expressunderground newspaperand hawking the new issues on the corner.The archives ofNOLA Expressare now housed in theUniversity of Connecticut.Gorski andCharles Bukowskiare two of the most notable contributors to theNOLA Express.There, she befriendedDelta bluesmusicianBabe Stovalland often kept him company while he performed for tourists inJackson Squarereceiving tips into his open guitar case. A video of them atNew Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivalwas made but lost.

Soon after moving to Austin, she divorced and began her poetry and theater careers in earnest by falling into the "[a]tmospheric landscape of the town that summoned and intoxicated so many beloved... artists of the time toward intense self-actualization."She completed, produced, and directed aone-act playscript with the titleBooby, Mama!that is an inventive form she named "neo-verse drama". The artmemoirof the production states that the verse play was based on aconceptual artcut-up form of writing made famous byWilliam Burroughs.The memoir titledIntoxication: Heathcliff on Powell Streetdetails the events in 1978 that are described as the birth of performance poetry as an American regional avant-garde joining the activity of the body to thepsychicpower of utterance and intent.

The conceptual process... seems impossible to pull off. There was no money, and it used 'found' text and 'street' actors... filled with existential angst living on the fringes of society.

She never claimed close ties to thefeminist movement,but feminists reportedly consider her work to contain powerful statements about the disparity caused byraceandgenderin the United States. The images in her poetry are womanly and challenge what ispolitically correctaccording to the feminist dictum of the time, and they reflect a protest against the complacency and inaction of artists and non-conformists.She had close ties withGloria E. Anzaldúa,whose bookBorderlands/La Fronterais considered a major work in Chicana feminist theory,Ricardo Sánchez,andraúlrsalinas,often performing with them at ResistenciaBookstoreand elsewhere.During the Annual Polish American Historical Association (PAHA) conference inWashington, D.C.in 2008, Gorski read from "Mexico Solo", a longprose poemthat she used to introduce howPolish Americansare more closely related to all 'hyphenated'minoritycultures than to the majority AmericanWASPculture.

On the conference panel,Polish Americanpoets Stephen Lewandowski and Joseph Lisowski discussed how blatant discrimination and negativestereotypingcirculated by Polishjokesplagued their childhoods. She calls these persecuted groups "invisible minorities" in the United States because they are often of European heritage.Gorski's writing and career aligns with the struggles of all disadvantaged groups suffering from the hidden class warfare insideAmerican society,and for this she has been called the "AmericanMayakovsky"from whom her motto" poetry is a hammer "is adapted.

Performance poet

WhenBob Holmanfirst heard an audio cassette of Gorski with East of Eden Band, he told New York poet Michael Vecchio that it was the best band he had heard. Vecchio is one of those featured in the Poets Audio Anthology Project, Vol. II, along withIsabella Russell-Idesand many other performing poets Gorski collected and produced.Jazzwriters and radio programmers were intrigued with poetry and musiccollaboration,but few practitioners dedicated their careers to doing onlyoral poetryand music, as did Gorski.Gorski has called herself a "performance poet" inpress releasesandinterviewswhen describing what she did with East of Eden.She first coined the term "performance poetry"to name her style of writing poetry fororalpresentation, instead of for print publication, in a 1981 press release.The term was widely adopted to name the newgenreby later practitioners in the mid-1980s, which is distinct within and parallel to the following practices:spoken word,slam,poetry readings,performed poetry, andperformance art.

Populist writer

Gorski sees poets in American society as a disenfranchised minority group with a history of prosecution by the American government for obscenity when exercising the freedom of speech. "Experimental and avant-garde artists and poets were demonized during the early 1990s by the efforts of a conservative agenda to eliminate funding for theNational Endowment for the Arts(NEA) during the late 1980s and to remove art studies from primary education. "

She produced and funded projects to distribute works of performance-oriented literature outside the "mainstream". She also promoted and nurtured literature opposed to theestablishment.She was a founding writer forThe Austin Chroniclein 1980 initiating and naming theLiteracolumn that discussed readings, books, and other matters of importance related to non-mainstream,alternative,andsmall pressliterature, especially poetry.

Scholar

After her career in performance poetry during the 1980s, Gorski enteredgraduate schoolin theUniversity of Louisiana at Lafayetteand was awarded a doctorate, Ph.D. inCreative Writing,in 2001.In 2003–04, Gorski lectured on minorityAmerican literatureat theUniversity of Wrocławin Poland as aFulbright Fellowand spent five months traveling to various locations, including Ukraine. While backstage atBob Dylan's concert inPrague,she metVáclav Havel.She made an appearance at the Cafe Krzysztofory inKrakówin 2004 for theUnited States Embassyand the French Institute inKrakówbefore returning to the United States.

Gorski withVáclav Havel

Accomplishments

She coined the term "Performance Poetry"in the early 1980s after initiating and writing the" Litera "column for theAustin Chroniclein an effort to distinguish her performed poetry from performance art.She was also one of the founding writers on theAustin Chronicle,which helped to promote the vibrant "music capital of the world" that Austin, the capital of Texas, had become. Along with the growth of the music scene, a multi-ethnic theater, literature, and art community began to coalesce during the 1970s. This is the environment from which Gorski's work grew from its mysterious underground, what she calls a "pedestrianavant-garde".

Gorski's live broadcast performances onKUT-FMwere recorded and distributed to radio stations internationally. They became part of the 1980s Indie audio cassette/radio station network offering alternatives to commercial music. Her literature-based broadcast audio increased the popularity of performance poetry, the genre she named to describe her own work: literature-based poetry written for performance only and not for print publication.

East of Eden, formed of professionaljazzmusicians, was successful because the music and poetry were melded together exclusively for performance. Gorski's spoken vocals have been described as bringing her "eerie"voicing as close to singing as possible without actually singing.The compositions written for each poem byD'Jalma Garnierranged fromjazztocountry and westerntorock and roll

Style

Unlike theBeats,Gorski wrote her stylizednarrativeand moodylyrical poetryonly for performance with the music composed byD'Jalma Garnierspecifically for each poem.The poetry was meant foraudiodistribution only, especially for the radio (as opposed to print). Herradicalart schoolbackground influenced her fondness for performancetextand the concept behind the manner of distribution. Though she received adegreein painting from theNova Scotia College of Art and Design(NSCAD) in Canada, she did not like theelitismof thegallerycircuit. She transferred her love of images into apoeticsthat also incorporated the anti-capitalist, socialist un-doings found in performance art and conceptual art.Gorski, along withVito Acconci,is considered one of the most notable graduates of NSCAD. She was directly influenced byAllen Ginsberg's "Howl".They had a friendly enmity after he jeered one of her early readings atNaropa Universityduring theJack KerouacDisembodied Poetics Conference in the 1980s.

One of her early idols wasBob Dylanbecause she admired the "surrealimages and obscured meanings in a language that rolled off the tongue. "The passion and flow in the vocals matched those she heard on reel-to-reel tapes byDylan Thomas,the Welsh poet who initially inspired her. Bob Dylan came to Gorski's final reading/performance in Austin at the Mexic-Arte Museum's Acoustic Festival in late 1992 after his concert at the Austin Opry House.

Gorski with Swedish actorPeter Stormarein Prague, Czech Republic, backstage atBob Dylan's concert in October 2003

Publications and recordings

The first publication of her performance poems is titledSnatches of the Visible Unrealfrom Backyard Press, which is also the title of her first audio cassette recording. Another chapbook titledPolish Gypsy with Ghostcontains a vinyl recording. The second audio cassette release is titledEast of Eden Band,for which Gorski used the name Hedwig G-G. Her poems received music lyric awards, rather than literature awards, though she never sang. In a career that eschewed elitism, she used her own success to help produce and promote the recording of other non-academic vocal poets includingraúlrsalinas,Roxy Gordon,and Joy Cole. Several other print collections of poetry were produced in limited additions, includingEarly breakfast with Hedwig GorskiandThe East of Eden Band Songbook.A remastered CD, containing a selection of radio recordings by Gorski and East of Eden from live broadcasts was released in 2009, calledSend in the Clown.

The archival and remastered recordings by Hedwig Gorski®and East of Eden Band along with a radio drama,Thirteen Donuts,which she wrote and directed forKRVS-FMand simulcast on the web, are available for download oniTunes.A more extensive listing of creative and scholarly publications and productions by the artist-poet is available online (seeHedwig Gorski's online CVwith permission request from official website).

Awards

• 2011 Finalist in 2011National Poetry Series
• 2004 Southern Artistry Award
• 2003Fulbright ScholaratUniversity of Wroclaw,Poland
• 2002 Artist Fellowship in Audio Media,LouisianaDivision of the Arts
• 2001 Robert and Bernice Webb Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching – Advanced Level. Department of English,University of Louisiana
• 2001 National Audio Theatre Festivals Script Writing Competition, forThirteen Donuts
• 1994 Producer Fellowship from Corporation for Public Broadcasting at WWOZ, New Orleans
• 1990 Commemoration ofInternational Women's DayCertificate on the occasion of a University Co-Op Book Signing Honoring Women Authors
• 1987 Best Use of Language Judges Award for performance poem "Mexico Solo" in Austin Music Umbrella Annual Songwriters Competition
• 1986 Honorable Mention for performance poem "Glitter Streets" in Austin Music Umbrella Annual Songwriters Competition

Works

Audio recordings

• Hedwig Gorski Performance Poetry.CD. Original Broadcast on LivesetKUT-FM.Performed with East of Eden Band and D'Jalma Garnier. Austin, TX.
• 13 Donuts.CD. Original Broadcast Oct. 13, 2000 onKRVS-FM.Performed by Honors Players, U of Louisiana. Oct. 13, 2010.
• "Slow Paradise". Podcast by Mongo. Show Number 962. Wed., September 29, 2010."
• "To My Last IdolBob Dylan".Podcast by Mongo. Show Number 714. Wed., June 9, 2010.
• "Mexico Solo". Podcast by Mongo. Show Number 623. Mon., November 9, 2009.
• Send in the Clown.SelectedPerformance Poetryfrom Live Radio Broadcasts. CD 2009
• East of Eden Band. KUT-FM Live Set. Recording and broadcast,University of Texas at Austin1985
• "Intellectual Love", "Slow Paradise", "There's Always Something That Can Make You Happy", all from East of Eden's albumIntimacies.KUT-FMLive Set. Recording and broadcast. University of Texas at Austin 1986
• Snatches of the Visible Unreal.Duets by Hedwig Gorski andD'Jalma Garnier.Directed by Morgan Guidry, 1984

Video recordings

• "Teenager in Nova Scotia." Video Illustrated Poetry. Producer PerfectoMedia 2010
• "Rising Melodic Chords." Poem by Hedwig Gorski Deconstructed by ComposerD'Jalma Garnier2008
• "Teenager in Nova Scotia." Dial-A-Poet Series. Dir. Karen Minzer.Fort Worth1990

Theater

• Thirteen Donuts.By Hedwig Gorski. Dir. William Davies. Perf. Honors Players. KRVS-FM Radio, Lafayette. LouisianaRadio.com. Oct. 13, 2000.
• Booby, Mama!.By Hedwig Gorski. Dir. Hedwig Gorski. Perf. Ex Troupe. InterArt Works, Austin. March–April 1977.

Publications

Poetry

• Hi to Heaven: Best-Loved Performance Poems in English & Polish.Trans. by Janusz Zalewski. 2015. Second Edition 2022.
• Poetique: Speak-Songbook.College Station: Slough P, Feb. 2010.ISBN978-0-9827342-0-9.Semi-finalist for Balcones Prize (with CD).
• Deconstruction of Rising Melodic Chords, Hedwig Gorski Poem.Composer, D'Jalma Garnier.Toxic Poetry.Second Issue. Exhibition No. 2. Jan. 2010.
• "Drunken Savior," "Mood Indigo."Toxic Poetry.Premier Issue. Exhibition No. 1. Aug. 2009.
• Karawane.No.10. Excerpts from neo-verse drama poem for voices Booby, Mama! 2009. (PDF)
• "Mexico Solo." Polish American Historical Association Conference. Commemorative Broadside. Ed. Janusz Zalewski. 2008.
• "White Colonnade Façade." Art Mag 29.Las Vegas:Limited Editions P, 2006.
• "Zawsze jest coś, co może uczynić cię szczęśliwym." Trans. Janusz Zalewski.Novo Okolica Poetów,18–19.Rzeszow,Poland:2005, 58–60.
• Polish Gypsy with Ghost.Austin: Shinebone P, 1993.
• "Slow Paradise." Poem Broadside. Photo by Mark Christal. Austin: Shinebone P, 1992.
• Early Breakfast with Hedwig Gorski.Austin: Perfection Productions, 1992.
• Snatches of the Visible Unreal.Austin: Backyard P, 1991.

Drama

• The Waste Land Scripted for 44 Voices.Jadzia Books. 2018.
• Beasts and Saints: One-Act Play.Jadzia Books. 2015.
• 13 Donuts: An Original Radio Drama with a Multi-Cultural Twist.Jadzia Books. 2015.
• Booby, Mama!: Surreal Cut-Up Spoken Word, 1977.Jadzia Books. 2015.
• Thirteen Donuts.National Audio Theatre Festivals Annual Scriptbook 2001. Ed. Brian Price. Hempstead: NATF, 2001. 87–105.

Memoir

• Intoxication: Heathcliff on Powell Street.College Station, TX: Slough P, 2007, 2009.

External links

• An Interview with artist-poet Hedwig Gorski, a multifaceted avant-garde artist of "American futurism"Interview 2013 by Greece Blues site Michalis Limnios BLUES @ GREECE.
• Google Sites1978 Women's Dada Theater Verse Drama
• Video "Teenager in Nova Scotia" by Hedwig Gorski, performance poetry on the Vermilion River, LouisianaonYouTube
• [1]Poem audio "From Box to Living Room to Box"
• Currently.com - AT&T Yahoo Email, News, Sports & MoreIntoxication: Heathcliff on Powell Street
• Hedwig GorskiVideo excerpt from East of Eden available online
• HedwigAtBricolodge1Mark Christal's Photos of Poets and Jack Kerouac Conference
• Hedwig GorskiIMDb movie/media data
• IndieFeed: Performance Poetry: Hedwig Gorski - Mexico SoloPodcast from Wess Mongo Jolley, The IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel.