Richard Kostelanetz: The ”Earl of Wordship” shares stories of artistic experimentation and discovery

TSTB shares a wide-ranging interview with Richard Kostelanetz, a powerful presence in New York's avant-garde literary and art scenes for several generations. Born in New York City in 1940, Kostelanetz has published more than fifty books of criticism, cultural history, and creative work, in addition to editing over three dozen anthologies. Relentlessly experimental and productive, Kostelanetz is a “force of one” in the New York City avant garde scene – creating “visual poetry,” “audiotapographies,” “foreshortenings,” “kinetic writings,” and works in dozens of other obscure, fascinating, and sometimes self-created genres. His more conventional works include a 700-page “Dictionary of the Avant-Gardes”; an intimate history of the Soho, New York, arts scene; and rich anthologies by or about John Cage, E. E. Cummings, Philip Glass, Virgil Thomson, and other writers and composers. Kostelanetz has received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, The Fund for Investigative Journalism, the Pulitzer Foundation, and others. Dubbed ‘“the Bibliomaniac of Ridgewood” by The New York Times, Kostelanetz lives in a converted factory building in Queens that he calls “Wordship” – surrounded by over 25,000 books, hundreds of videotapes, and his own artwork. He opens a section of his home as a bookshop on the last Sunday of each month. At the beginning of our interview, Kostelanetz continues an earlier train of thought about an artist who interests him. He also speaks to his assistant, Andrew Morinelli, at several points in our conversation. #richardkostelanetz #johncage #virgilthomson #eecummings #avantgarde #avantgardesoho #avantgardeNYC #eastvillageart #greenwichvillage #soholofts #loftliving #sohogalleries #experimentalfiction #experimentalwriting #digitalpublishing #digitalpress