Years ago, I became intrigued by asemic art/writing/poetry and was lucky to interview two promoters of the form- Tim Gaze and Michael Jacobson, who also accepted my work later into asemic publications and an asemic art show a few years back. (If you would like to see a video of the art show here is a link. (Minnesota Center for Book Arts, 2017) It has grown in popularity and has even been the subject of some debate: Is it poetry? Is it abstract art? Is it valid? Does it say anything? Does it need to, for us to call it “poetry”? Where does it fit?
Those are subjects for another day, as the monthly mini is a thirty minute exercise/prompt. For our purposes this month, we will take a look at what asemic poetry is and try our hand at it. I will add some links, for you to explore a bit more if you have time.
Examples- The New Post Literate (some of my asemic pieces from 2009)
Here is what Tim Gaze had to say about asemic writing:
It looks like writing, but we can’t quite read it.
I call works like this “asemic writing”.
Asemic writing seems to be a gigantic, unexplored territory.
Asemic writing has been made by poets, writers, painters, calligraphers, children, and scribblers, all around the world. Most people make asemic writing at some time, possibly when testing a new pen.
Educators talk about children going through distinct stages of “mock letters”, “pseudowriting” and so on, when they’re learning to write. Many of us made asemic writing before we were able to write words.
Looking at asemic writing does something to us. Some examples have pictograms or ideograms, which suggest a meaning through their shape. Others take us for a ride along their curves. We like some, we dislike others.
They tend to have no fixed meaning. Their meaning is open. Every viewer can arrive at a personal, absolutely correct interpretation.
Asemic writing has been presented by means of books, paintings, scrolls, single pages, mailed envelopes, walls, cinema, television and computers, particularly via the internet.
-E. Lynn Alexander, Facilitator of the Monthly Mini Workshops, contact:
elynnalexander@gmail.com
