Back in High School I was bowled over by the poetry of e.e. cummings! His typographical representations and sense of humor and playfulness really got my attention! Here was something iconoclastic, a poet snubbing the nose of The Establishment!! My kind of guy exactly! Nothing could lessen my regard for the man and his work. I even bought the recordings of his Six Nonlectures, memorized them, and went around quoting "estlin" to anyone who came near, using The Master's inflections and voice whenever possible. I was insufferable and relentless. I turned a deaf ear to my English teacher (a Carl Sandburg fan) who pointed out that the meanings of Mr. Cummings' poetry, as opposed to the obvious syntax, were generally neither avant-garde nor unsentimental. Later I learned to like many poets, avant-garde as well as traditional... including Carl Sandburg.

In the writing of this piece I've learned that, while everything else e.e. cummings recorded is still available, the nonlectures appear to be out of print (December 2006). Lucky I still have them in my record collection! ( )