Mass Transit: D.C. Language Poetry
While the poetic communities in New York City and San Francisco during the 1970s may be better known, Washington D.C. had a thriving scene as well — anchored in the early part of the decade by the Mass Transit reading series and, later, by Doug Lang's series at Folio Books. The so-called "Mass Transit" poets (which included Terence Winch, Tina Darraugh, Tim Dlugos, Michael Lally, Phyllis Rosenzweig, and Diane Ward) were in many ways the third outpost (after NYC and the Bay Area) of the L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E movement, some of whose most prominent practitioners published with the small presses (Some of Us, Jawbone, O) run Winch, Lally, Darragh, Lang, and others. Little magazines proliferated as well: Vort, La Bas, E-Pod, Dog City, Sun & Moon, among others achieved a national reputation while maintaining a distinctive regional flavor. And though by the end of the decade/beginning of the 1980s several of Mass Transit's members had decamped elsewhere (Lally to LA, Charles Bernstein and Tim Dlugos to NYC), D.C. remained (and remains) a vibrant hub of avant-garde poetic traditions. We're pleased to offer a selection of publications from this still under-appreciated movement. As always, click any image for more information. Thanks for looking.
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1. Flyer for a reading at D.C.'s Intuitiveye Gallery by three poets, all of whom were part of the Mass Transit group.
$35.00
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2. Sun & Moon chapbook from the D.C. poet. Title inspired by Miles Davis' album ON THE CORNER.
-SOLD-
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3. Lovely flyer promoting a 1977 reading by Susan Howe and D.C.'s P. Inman at Folio Books.
$35.00
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4. Collection of prose poems by P. Inman, with a cover by Doug Lang. Scarce.
SOLD
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5. Collection by Inman from College Park's Sun & Moon Press.
$75.00
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6. Flyer for a reading by local stalwart Terence Winch and Annabel Levitt, the latter known in part as publisher of Vehicle Editions.
$35.00
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7. Publisher's copy, INSCRIBED in year of publication to close friend Doug Lang. An exceptional association between these two Mass Transit poets.
$200.00
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8. Early collection of verse from this noted DC poet and Irish-American musician. Published by Michael Lally's press.
$35.00
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9. Scarce collection by Winch, with a cover by Edward Gorey.
$200.00
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10. Flyer for a reading by Lang and NYC poet Jamie MacInnis.
$30.00
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11. Scarce issue of the audio cassette magazine XA, with readings by Tina Darragh and Doug Lang.
$75.00
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12. Flyer for a Folio reading by novelist Ann Beattie (a DC native).
$50.00
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13. Flyer for another reading at Pyramid.
$35.00
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14. Full run (2 issues) of this important D.C. poetry magazine edited by Diane Ward and Doug Lang. Contributors include P. Inman, Tina Darragh, Bernard Welt, and Lynne Dreyer.
$150.00
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15. Chapbook from the D.C. poet.
$20.00
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16. Scarce book by the Language poet published by Some of Us Press (SOUP), operated by Terence Winch, Michael Lally, Tina Darragh et al.
$150.00
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17. Andrews' fourth book, published by Michael Lally's O Press.
$40.00
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18. Fourth issue of the little magazine ROOF, which includes special section on the Washington D.C. wing of the language movement, the so-called Mass Transit poets: Lang, Inman, Winch, Malone, etc.
-SOLD-
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19. Poetry magazine published at the Corcoran School of Art, with contributions from Doug Lang, Tisha Bailey, Andrew Hudson, and many others.
$30.00
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20. Another Some of Us Press title, a collective of poets including (at various times) Terence Winch, Michael Lally, Tina Darragh, and Cox himself.
$40.00
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21. Schedule for 1976 readings at Folio Books, including Tim Dlugos, Chasen Gaver, and others.
$50.00
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22. Two books of prose poetry printed tete beech and published as a "special number" by Tim Dlugos' Lucy & Ethel press.
$100.00
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23. Collection of poems by the celebrated poet, who began his career in DC. Dlugos' first book published after his death from AIDS in 1990. Cover art by Duncan Hannah.
$125.00
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24. Edited by David Trinidad, with an introduction by Dennis Cooper. The second of three posthumous books of his poems.
$30.00
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25. From Jawbone, Ward's first book.
$75.00
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26. From Jawbone, a poem discussing Wyatt's favorite films. One of 200 copies.
$50.00
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27. Flyer schedule for seven months of readings in 1977 at Folio Books in Dupont Circle, as part of the legendary reading series organized by Doug Lang.
$45.00
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28. Alternate version of the above flyer printing a schedule of readings at Folio in early 1977.
$45.00
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29. Flyer for a reading by Ashbery at Folio in March 1977.
$75.00
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30. Flyer for an "all-star" reading indeed, as benefit for Michael Lally's press, with many key D.C. poets of the 70s on the bill.
$50.00
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31. Slim chapbook from Rosenzweig, from Lally's O Press in an edition of 200 copies.
$20.00
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32. Flyer for a Dawson reading at Folio in September 1977.
$35.00
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33. Flyer for a Berrigan reading at Folio.
$100.00
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34. For a reading by NYC's Susie Timmons and Baltimore's Kirby Malone.
$35.00
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35. Rare first issue of this Baltimore lit mag, with contributions from Chris Mason, Alec Bernstein, the performance poets CoAccident, and the editors.
$125.00
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36. Nicely designed flyer for a reading by Raworth.
$45.00
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37. Flyer for a reading at Pyramid Gallery, which later became Pyramid Atlantic Arts Center.
$45.00
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38. Schuchat's second book, published just two years after graduating high school by Some of Us Press.
$30.00
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39. Lovely, humorous flyer for a reading by two major D.C. poets at Folio Books.
$35.00
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40. INSCRIBED by contributor P. Inman to Doug Lang, at front flyleaf: "Doug - / Fame works in mysterious / ways, like: 1) have you been / flooded by phone calls yet? / & 2) how come no one fucking / wrote about me. / Your pal, Pete." At title page, Inman crossed out Andrews and Bernstein's names, writing below: "w/ special guest stars: / P. Inman, Tina Darragh, / Doug "May-I-accost-you" / Lang / (Russian-futurist, / etc.)." An important link between the DC wing of the Language poets, and its better known incarnations in NYC and SF.
$175.00
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41. Stark concrete poetry collages made in part from xeroxes of the lit mag E-POD (see issue above). Originally intended to be an issue of E-Pod itself, though technically not.
$100.00
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42. Scarce self-published book containing a single poem about prominent male historical figures.
$75.00
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43. Prose poems by Elmslie, published by the D.C. imprint Titanic Press, operated by Terence Winch, Bernard Welt, Diane Ward, and Doug Lang.
$40.00
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44. Second issue of this DC-based audio-based poetry magazine. Features a "startling collaboration" between Ishmael Reed and Ortiz Walton, a radio play by Robert Creeley, and readings by Lucille Clifton, Erica Jong, Dudley Randall, Michael Lally, Bruce Andrews, ("electronic poetry" by) Jackson Mac Low, and more.
$50.00
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45. One of 200 copies from the second generation NY School poet and Titanic.
$125.00
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46. A poetic text by Frank O'Hara and other subjects. Published by Titanic.
$50.00
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47. Published in an edition of 200 by Doug Lang. Brodey was a student of Frank O'Hara in the mid 1960s, whose influence is reflected in this collection.
$40.00
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48. Early issue of this mimeo edited by Doug Messerli and published from College Park, MD.
$30.00
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49. Third issue of Barry Alpert's little mag, based out of Silver Spring MD. SIGNED by Alpert.
$50.00
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50. Fourth issue of Alpert's little mag. As above, signed.
$50.00
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51. Robert Kelly issue (#5). SIGNED by editor Alpert.
$50.00
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