Straight Up | Jan Herman

New from MolokoA. Robert Lee’s Omnibus Edition Is Here to Go

Jan Herman — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 18:17:53 +0000

New from Moloko
A. Robert Lee’s Omnibus Edition Is Here to Go" rel="nofollow">The author won't need a headstone . . . This monumental omnibus will do . . . Five hundred and eight-six gorgeous pages of verbal pleasure . . . Intimate collaborations with esteemed artists . . . Landscapes of descriptive simplicity . . . Pure thought objectified . . .

David Hockney Liked to Draw by Other Means

Jan Herman — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 17:21:13 +0000

David Hockney’s departure has drawn obituaries from across the art world and the popular press, which is testimony to his eminence whether his paintings and drawings are considered a simple pleasure to look at or regressive to contemplate. Whatever it comes down to, he loved to experiment.

When Gates Testifies About Epstein, Will the Mask Drop?

Jan Herman — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 17:14:47 +0000

UPDATED At Microsoft, Bill Gates was by many accounts a nightmare boss, 'prone to expletive-laden fits of rage," Anupta Das is quoted as reporting in her new book 'Billionaire, Nerd, Savior, King.'

Petit Cabinet #7: ‘Just Two More Times to Sleep’

Jan Herman — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:25:33 +0000

A simple poem becomes an otherworldly love song with the collaboration of a singer and composer.

Stadtlichter Presse Makes My Heart Beat Stronger

Jan Herman — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 17:28:29 +0000

It's a wonder that the most intriguing publisher of American poets of the Beat Generation happens to be a German publisher, Stadtlichter Presse. Its "Heartbeat" series features not only the most notable — Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Corso, and Ferlinghetti — in bilingual editions, but also dozens of less famous Beats and Beat-era or Beat-related poets.

Statement of Fact

Jan Herman — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 16:43:25 +0000

In my generation's war, our peaceful protests kept the peace the best we could — yet could not.

Can We Beat the Lies? All the Lies?

Jan Herman — Sat, 16 May 2026 13:17:13 +0000

" data-large-file="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/devolution-of-the-american-presidency-enh-2-750.jpg" />Our eyes tell us what is obvious, but what about our minds . . .

without my interference

Jan Herman — Wed, 13 May 2026 17:30:58 +0000

the world slips gently by even when it's shouting Mayday

The Brainiest Dumbest Combo on the Planet

Jan Herman — Mon, 11 May 2026 15:46:20 +0000

It's the so-called 'Arsenal of Freedom' ... no need to give their names …you know them by their faces.

New From Moloko Taking a Trip with A. Robert Lee’s Travel Painting

Jan Herman — Sun, 10 May 2026 19:00:30 +0000

New From Moloko
Taking a Trip with A. Robert Lee’s Travel Painting" rel="nofollow">UPDATED Verse and vignette. New and selected writings. The title phrase belongs to the great haiku master Matsuo Bashō

Musée d’Art Moderne de ParisRetrospective Maps Brion Gysin’s Avant-Garde Canon

Jan Herman — Fri, 08 May 2026 14:56:03 +0000

Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris
Retrospective Maps Brion Gysin’s Avant-Garde Canon" rel="nofollow">When Brion Gysin "let the mice in" — the title he gave his book about cutups — I don’t think he meant the many artists he influenced, among them William S. Burroughs, his most important associate, who once said Gysin “is the only man I have ever respected." I believe Gysin meant that "any number can play." His was a democratizing influence.

Awaiting an Uncrackable Code

Jan Herman — Sat, 25 Apr 2026 18:44:12 +0000

Screenshot

" data-large-file="https://www.artsjournal.com/herman/wp/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Collage-©-by-Norman-O.-Mustill-420.jpg" />If poetry make nothing happen, as W.H. Auden once wrote, it sometimes uncannily anticipates what will.

The Bard Died 410 Years Ago Today. His Poems Live On

Jan Herman — Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:09:00 +0000

Sometimes he rewrote them. See an example and decide which you prefer: the early or the later version.

THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is coming soon . . . It Probes the Secret Prison History of American Music

Jan Herman — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 18:38:29 +0000

THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL is coming soon . . .
It Probes the Secret Prison History of American Music" rel="nofollow">Colin Asher, author of the critically acclaimed biography of Nelson Algren "Never a Lovely So Real," now focuses on five emblematic figures — Huddle Ledbetter, Elmo Hope, Johnny Cash, Ike White, and Tupac Shakur — as he explores the influence of incarceration on blues artists, jazz musicians, country singers, rock'n'rollers, and hip-hop creators.

Opposing Forces

Jan Herman — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 14:30:20 +0000

Their faces are so familiar there is no need to name them.

We Bloviate Therefore We Are

Jan Herman — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:22:51 +0000

You have to go behind the billboards to understand what's happening in America. So said the novelist Nelson Algren, who was as sharp a social critic as H.L. Mencken ever was. Seems to me that the British author A. Robert Lee would agree with Algren. But Lee has taken it upon himself to cite the billboards themselves as diagnostic proof.

Our Biggest Problem

Jan Herman — Sat, 11 Apr 2026 18:01:04 +0000

His mouth is too big, and his conscience . . . well . . . he doesn't have one.

How to Make Resistance a Daily Part of Our Lives

Jan Herman — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:52:45 +0000

'Don't let anybody convince you this is the way the world is and therefore must be. It must be the way it ought to be.' — Toni Morrison 'Waiting until everything looks feasible is too long to wait.' — Rebecca Solnit

Mad Dog at the FBI

Jan Herman — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 20:34:49 +0000

Fired FBI agents are suing the bureau and Kash Patel for dismissing them because they took part in an investigation of el presidente Trumpscheisse’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election.

The People Marched ‘No Kings’ Signs and Costumes Spoke for Them

Jan Herman — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:39:05 +0000

The People Marched
‘No Kings’ Signs and Costumes Spoke for Them" rel="nofollow">'No Kings' marchers in Manhattan, March 28, 2026