[Newspoetry] The REAL origin of "Newspoetry"

[William Gillespie]

I started using the word "newspoetry" in December 1995 believing I had
coined it. But Dirk recently found a passage in an old notebook where he
invented not only the word, but the idea, and even the logo. Dirk mailed
me a photocopy of that page and I've scanned it and uploaded a JPG to
http://spinelessbooks.com/newspoetry. I've also typed in the text
below.

It's dated 1991. I think I met Dirk in 1997.

What does this mean? Is this a forgery? Is Stratton faking? Or is it
anticpatory plagiarism? Is newspoetry an idea so tangible, so necessary,
that like an aesthetic parasite it moves from host to host, making people
write it? Perhaps there is a need that only newspoetry can satisfy.

EXCERPT FROM DIRK'S DIARY-----------------------------------

Political Poetry weekly:

Newspaper poetry [graffitti script?]

Newspoetry will operate w/out preconceived aesthetic criterea (to best of
my ability) - try to offer forum for political poetry that will be as
concurrent w/ actual events as possible. No 2-3 yr. lag in books etc.
Initially, just poetry: maybe commentary + prose later

Dirk Stratton, anticipating Newspoetry, 4-8-1991