Peter Seaton

Peter Seaton (December 16, 1942 – May 18, 2010) was an American poet associated with the first wave of Language poetry in the 1970s. During the opening and middle years of Language poetry many of his long prose poems were published, widely read and influential.Fait Accompli: Wednesday June 23, 2010
/ref> Seaton was also a frequent contributor to L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, one of the influential magazines and theoretical venues for Language poetry, co-edited by Charles Bernstein. In 1978, Bernstein published Seaton's first book of poetry, ''Agreement'', the same year that L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E magazine made its first appearance. Some of Seaton's work from this time has been reprinted in ''The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Book'' (1984).

Seaton became an active participant in the thriving poetry scene in New York City during the 1960s. He shared this keen interest with Nick Piombino while both were attending City College of New York in the early-1960s, and they were to form a close friendship in the 1960s and 1970s. After graduation in 1964 both he and Piombino, who would himself become an important member of the Language poets, often attended "readings together at St. Mark's Poetry Project, reading ''The World'' magazine and other poetry magazines and discussing them avidly". They also did some writing collaborations and film experiments together in the late-1960s and early-1970s, heavily influenced by Stan Brakhage who would deeply influence the work of many of the poets involved in the ''Language'' movement. Piombino and Seaton's friendship continued up through to the establishment of This magazine in the early-1970s, and ''L=A-N=G=U=A=G=E'' magazine up to the early 80's.

Peter Seaton died in New York City on May 18, 2010 of an apparent heart attack.

Selected bibliography

*The following three books of poetry are available complete and online:
**''Agreement'' (New York: Asylum's Press, 1978)
**''The Son Master'' (New York: Roof Books, The Segue Foundation, 1982)
**''Crisis Intervention'' (Berkeley, CA: Tuumba Press, 1983)
*Appearances in L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E magazine:
**"Signification", Volume 1, Number 3 une 1978 (prose poetry)
**"Whole Halves", Volume 1, Number 6 ecember 1978 (prose poem/poetics essay: Seaton's contribution to a feature on Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons)
**"An American Primer", Volume 2, Numbers 9-10 ctober 1979 (prose poem/poetics essay)
**"Texte", Volume 3, Number 11 anuary 1980 (prose poetry)
**"How To Read IV", "Special L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E issue of ''Open Letter''" 981*Appearances in "This" magazine:
**"Men on the Roof", ''"This": no. 8'', San Francisco, CA pring 1977 edited by Barrett Watten
**"Side Tone", ''"This": no. 9'', San Francisco, CA inter 1978 ed. Barrett Watten
**"Apprehension", ''"This": no. 10'', San Francisco, CA inter 1979ed. Barrett Watten

;Other publications:
*"The Correspondence Principle" (Brooklyn, NY: A Hundred Posters, Other Publications, 1978)
*''Piranesi Pointed Up'' in "Roof VIII"; Roof: Volume 2, Number 4: Winter 1978. James Sherry, editor. (New York: Roof Books, 1978)
*"How To Read II", (''Canyon Cinemanews'': 79.5/6, 1980)
*"Need from a Wound Would Do It", Paris Review No. 86 (New York: Winter, 1982)
*"Frey's Landing", in "Charles Bernstein Issue", ''The Difficulties'', Vol. 2, No. 1. Tom Beckett, ed., (Kent, Ohio: Viscerally Press; Skelly's Press, 1982)
*"The Pyramids of Elysium", in ''Temblor: Contemporary Poets'', Issue Number 3; edited by Leland Hickman. North Hollywood, CA, 1986
*"Antonville", in ''"Language" Poetries''. Edited by Douglas Messerli. (New York: New Directions, 1987)
**"Two Words" (Ibid.)
*"Who Writes?", in ''Aerial 9: Bruce Andrews, Contemporary Poetics as Critical Theory'', Volume 2. Edited by Rod Smith. (Washington, DC: Edge Books, 1999).

;Further reading
*Bernstein, Charles and Bruce Andrews, ed. ''The L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E Book.'' Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1984.
*"Peter Seaton Feature", L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, Volume 3, Number 11 anuary 1980*Price, Larry. "Aggressively Private: Contingency as Explanation", Poetics Journal 6 (1986), edited by Barrett Watten and Lyn Hejinian
* Silliman, Ron (editor). ''In the American Tree.'' Orono, Maine: National Poetry Foundation, 1986; reprint ed. with a new afterword, 2002. This groundbreaking anthology of language poetry serves as a very useful primer, and includes an extract from Seaton's ''The Son Master'' and a "Contributor's Note" penned by Seaton himself.
*"Ward on Seaton", L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E, Volume 3, Number 13 ecember 1980This is a review by Diane Ward of Seaton's "Piranesi Pointed Up". The review can be accessed onlin
here

References

External links

Peter Seaton homepage at PennSound
American poet Nick Piombino on his early friendship and collaborations with Seaton
Remembering Peter Seaton
by Michael Gottlieb. This essay was posted to the Poetics Listserve at SUNY Buffalo on Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Peter Seaton 1942 — 2010
This "cyber-tombeau" at ''Silliman's Blog'' by poet Ron Silliman includes comments, tributes, and links. note: comment's are now disabled. Use search engine cache for comments and tributes from others
Register of Peter Seaton Papers, 1977 - 2000

{{DEFAULTSORT:Seaton, Peter
American male poets
Language poets
Writers from New York City
1942 births
2010 deaths
20th-century American poets
20th-century American male writers