A half-century after its initial publication, poet Jerome Rothenberg’s brilliant anthology, Technicians of the Sacred, has been revised and expanded, and newly issued by the University of California Press.
The UC San Diego Library will host a celebration of Technicians of the Sacred on Thursday, October 19 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. in Geisel’s Seuss Room with a reception to follow. Rothenberg and five other poets—Rae Armantrout, Ben Doller, Sandra Doller, John Bloomberg-Rissman, and Wai-lim Yip—will read from the volume.
Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as one of the hundred most recommended American books of the late 20th century, Technicians of the Sacred has exposed generations of readers to the multiple possibilities of poetry throughout the world. This new edition provides readers with a wealth of newly gathered and translated texts from recently reinvigorated indigenous cultures, bringing the volume into the present and further extending the range and depth of what we recognize and read as poetry.
An emeritus professor of visual arts and literature at UC San Diego, Rothenberg has published more than 80 books, spanning poetry, translation, and assemblage. His extensive personal and professional archive is held in Special Collections & Archives at the UC San Diego Library.