John Ashbery, Visiting Artist Lecture 1971

John Ashbery gives a lecture at Skowhegan where he does a reading of his poetry from his various poetry collections. Ashbery talks about his collaborations with artist Alex Katz who has provided illustrations for his poetry collections, as well as the influence that the poets Ella Wheeler Wilcox and John Clare have had on his practice. Ashbery also talks about his various shifts in poetry, specifically turning to sestina and prose poetry later on in his career.