The New Post-literate: A Gallery Of Asemic Writing: July 2022

Possible Gardens by Jaap Blonk is available now from Post-Asemic Press at Amazon!

Jaap Blonk (born 1953 in the Netherlands) first became known worldwide for his performances of sound poetry. He has performed and taught on all continents. From his sound poetry scores he gradually developed an independent body of visual work. This new product of his abundant fantasy is a book of colourful and playful drawings, adding new dimensions to
writing. Myriads of little beings populate each page. As in the artist's 2019 book "111 Recipes" they are distant descendants of Blonk's earlier phonetic signs. From the introduction by Canadian writer, artist and scholar Derek Beaulieu: "Each possible garden is a harvest of sound and image, of script and performance, which asks the reader to be open to a new menu." One element here is the depiction of a struggle between restriction and freedom as a reminder of the recent lockdown periods: in each drawing some of the tiny beings are boxed, while many others roam freely. Sometimes the images look like scientific illustrations from an unknown world, depicting mysterious interactions and behaviors. But always there is poetry in these protozoa as they squirm and swim though a microscopic linguistic field, ebbing and flowing, gathering and fracturing – a constant dance of interplay and restriction. This edition fits the history of Post-Asemic Press beautifully, as a publisher of novel ways of writing. Asemic: no semantic meaning in the word sense, abstract, but with a lively and abundant musical expression. Small wonder with Jaap Blonk's background as a world-renowned sound artist.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Post-Asemic Press (July 1, 2022)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 90 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1734866284
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1734866285
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.7 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.22 x 9 inches
Price : $20.00

"These asemic poems move fluently between language, design and illustration, creating informational graphics where the information remains unknown, inviting diverse interpretations. The suggestion that these are scientific illustrations from an unknown world depicting mysterious interactions and behaviors—animal, vegetable, chemical—does little to make their uncomfortable strangeness more familiar. If anything, the sense these are poetic explanations of processes and activities brings their alienation more fully into consciousness."

—Michael Betancourt, author of Typo Poem

"Stare gently at each possible garden Jaap Blonk has sown here until it begins to vibrate, layer by layer, lifting off the page, two dimensions shifting into three then four. Keep staring and the gardens and landscapes and maps will move and grow and glow into and through and with your eyes. Continue to stare and they will become your eyes and then your ears. To reap the tactile possibilities Blonk has generously cultivated, stare longer, and listen closely (listen as if you are the soil), page after page. When and if you are ready to eat, gently shake the pages onto the tip of your tongue (no seasoning or dressing needed). Enjoy the harvest!"

—Crag Hill, editor The Last Vispo Anthology

Links to purchase Possible Gardens:

Sample Pages:

Jaap Blonk (born 1953 in Woerden, Netherlands) is a self-taught composer, performer, poet and visual artist. His unfinished studies in mathematics and musicology mainly created a penchant for activities in a Dada vein, as did several unsuccessful jobs in offices and other well-organized systems. In the late 1970s he discovered his potential as a vocal performer, at first in reciting historical sound poetry and later on in improvisations and his own compositions. As a vocalist, Jaap Blonk is unique for his powerful stage presence and extended vocal abilities. He has performed and taught around the world, on all continents.

Blonk’s recorded / published output comprises some 60 titles: CDs, vinyl, books and cassettes.

From his sound poetry scores he developed an independent body of visual work, which has been exhibited in various countries. Selections have been collected in books by publishers in Germany, Ireland, Canada and the United States.