<\/p>\n
When I am not writing I am not writing a novel called 1994<\/em> \u00a0about a young<\/p>\n woman \u00a0in \u00a0an \u00a0office park \u00a0in a \u00a0provincial town who has a job \u00a0cutting \u00a0and<\/p>\n pasting time. I am not writing a novel called Nero<\/em> about the world’s richest<\/p>\n art star in space. \u00a0I am not writing \u00a0a book \u00a0called Kansas City Spleen<\/em>. \u00a0I am<\/p>\n not writing a sequel to Kansas City Spleen<\/em> called Bitch’s Maldoror<\/em>. I am not<\/p>\n writing \u00a0a \u00a0book of \u00a0political \u00a0philosophy called Questions for Poets<\/em>. I am not<\/p>\n writing a scandalous memoir. \u00a0I am not writing a pathetic memoir. I am not<\/p>\n writing \u00a0a \u00a0memoir \u00a0about \u00a0poetry \u00a0or \u00a0love. \u00a0I am not writing a memoir about<\/p>\n poverty, \u00a0debt \u00a0collection, \u00a0or \u00a0bankruptcy. \u00a0I \u00a0 am \u00a0not \u00a0writing \u00a0 about family<\/p>\n court. \u00a0I am not writing a memoir because memoirs are for property owners<\/p>\n and not \u00a0writing a memoir about \u00a0prohibitions of memoirs.<\/p>\n When \u00a0I am not writing a memoir \u00a0I am also not writing any kind of \u00a0poetry,<\/p>\n not \u00a0prose \u00a0poems \u00a0contemporary \u00a0 or \u00a0otherwise, \u00a0not \u00a0poems made \u00a0of frag-<\/p>\n ments, \u00a0not tightened and \u00a0compressed poems, not loosened and \u00a0conversa-<\/p>\n tional poems, not conceptual \u00a0poems, not virtuosic poems employing many<\/p>\n different \u00a0types of \u00a0euphonious devices, not poems with epiphanies and not<\/p>\n poems \u00a0without, \u00a0not \u00a0documentary \u00a0poems about recent political moments,<\/p>\n not \u00a0poems \u00a0heavy with allusions to critical theory and popular song.<\/p>\n I am not writing “Leaving the Atocha Station” by Anne Boyer and certain-<\/p>\n ly \u00a0not \u00a0writing \u00a0“Nadja” \u00a0by \u00a0Anne Boyer though would like to write “Debt”<\/p>\n by \u00a0Anne Boyer \u00a0though \u00a0am \u00a0not \u00a0writing \u00a0also \u00a0“The \u00a0German Ideology” by<\/p>\n Anne \u00a0Boyer \u00a0and not writing a screenplay called “Sparticists.”<\/p>\n I am not writing an account of myself more miserable than Rousseau.<\/p>\n I am not writing an account of myself more innocent than Blake.<\/p>\n I am not writing epic poetry although I like what Milton said about lyric<\/p>\n poets drinking wine while epic poets should drink water from a \u00a0wooden<\/p>\n bowl. I would like to drink wine from a wooden \u00a0bowl \u00a0or to drink \u00a0water<\/p>\n from an emptied bottle of wine.<\/p>\n I am not writing a book about shopping, which is a woman shopping.<\/p>\n I am not \u00a0writing \u00a0accounts \u00a0of \u00a0dreams, \u00a0not \u00a0my own or anyone else’s.<\/p>\n I am not writing historical re-enactments of any durational literature.<\/p>\n I am not writing anything that anyone \u00a0has requested of me or is \u00a0waiting<\/p>\n on, \u00a0not \u00a0a \u00a0poetics \u00a0essay \u00a0or any other sort of essay, not a \u00a0roundtable re-<\/p>\n sponse, not interview responses, not writing prompts for younger writers,<\/p>\n not my thoughts about critical theory or popular songs.<\/p>\n I am not writing a new constitution for the republic of no history.<\/p>\n I am not writing a will or a medical report.<\/p>\n I am \u00a0not \u00a0writing \u00a0Facebook status updates. I am not writing thank-you<\/p>\n notes or apologies. I am not writing conference papers. I am not writing<\/p>\n book reviews. I am not writing blurbs.<\/p>\n I \u00a0am not writing \u00a0about contemporary \u00a0art. I am \u00a0not writing \u00a0accounts of<\/p>\n my travels. \u00a0I am \u00a0not writing \u00a0reviews for \u00a0The New Inquiry<\/em> and not writ-<\/p>\n ing pieces for Triple Canopy<\/em> and not writing anything for Fence<\/em>. I am not<\/p>\n writing a \u00a0daily \u00a0accounting \u00a0of my reading, activities, and ideas. \u00a0 I am not<\/p>\n writing \u00a0science \u00a0fiction \u00a0novels \u00a0about \u00a0the \u00a0problem \u00a0of \u00a0the idea of the au-<\/p>\n tonomy \u00a0of \u00a0art \u00a0and \u00a0science \u00a0fiction \u00a0novels about the problem of a society<\/p>\n with \u00a0only \u00a0one \u00a0law \u00a0which \u00a0is \u00a0consent. \u00a0I am \u00a0not \u00a0writing stories based on<\/p>\n Nathaniel Hawthorne’s unwritten story ideas. I am not writing online dat-<\/p>\n ing profiles. \u00a0I am not writing anonymous communiqu\u00e9s. \u00a0I am not writing<\/p>\n textbooks.<\/p>\n I am not writing a history of these times or of past times or of any future<\/p>\n times and not even the history of these visions which are with me all day<\/p>\n and all of the night.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Anne Boyer (USA, 1973)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Not Writing” is a teaser from Garments Against Women<\/em>. Copyright \u00a9 2015 by Anne Boyer, Ahsahta Press.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To learn more about the author:<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.anneboyer.com<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n To buy the book:<\/p>\n