Reading in Buffalo, October 15, 1975

Complete reading (46:15): MP3

  1. Farm Implements and Rutabagas in a Landscape (2:52): MP3
  2. Summer (1:34): MP3
  3. It Was Raining in the Capitol (2:40): MP3
  4. Variations, Calypso and Fugue on a Theme of Ella Wheeler WIlcox (10:22): MP3
  5. The Chateau Hardware (0:38): MP3
  6. The Task (1:19): MP3
  7. Parergon (2:31): MP3
  8. Soonest Mended (4:47): MP3
  9. The New Spirit (excerpt) (6:45): MP3
  10. Worsening Situation (1:55): MP3
  11. Scheherazade (4:20): MP3
  12. Mixed Feelings (2:41): MP3

Potpourri of Poetry Reading at the Naropa Institute, Summer 1975

John Ashbery's segment (reading "Wet Casements") (3:19): MP3

Reading for WBAI-FM, Produced by Susan Howe, New York, May 14 and June 7, 1975

Complete reading, May 14 (32:41): MP3

  1. Business Personals (5:09): MP3
  2. Syringa (5:28): MP3
  3. Worsening Situation (2:21): MP3
  4. Forties Flick (1:33): MP3
  5. As You Came from the Holy Land (2:05): MP3
  6. Scheherazade (3:57): MP3
  7. The Tomb of Stuart Merrill (2:56): MP3
  8. The One Thing that Can Save America (2:20): MP3
  9. As One Put Drunk into the Packet Boat (2:22): MP3
  10. Oleum Misericordiae (2:19): MP3

Complete reading, June 7 (20:04): MP3

  1. Daffy Duck in Hollywood (7:55): MP3
  2. And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name (1:53): MP3
  3. Unctuous Platitudes (1:11): MP3
  4. Explaination (2:09): MP3
  5. On the Towpath (2:30): MP3
  6. Mixed Feelings (2:05): MP3

Reading at the Cambridge Poetry Festival, Cambridge, April 19, 1975

  1. Introduction (0:45): MP3
  2. Thoughts of a Young Girl (0:45): MP3
  3. A Blessing in Disguise (1:51): MP3
  4. The Task (1:25): MP3
  5. Soonest Mended (4:12): MP3
  6. Summer (1:33): MP3
  7. It Was Raining in the Capital (2:34): MP3
  8. Variations, Calypso and Fugue on a Theme of Ella Wheeler Wilcox (10:06): MP3
  9. For John Clare (3:37): MP3
  10. Farm Implements and Rutabagas in a Landscape (3:51): MP3
  11. The Chateau Hardware (0:49): MP3
  12. Valentine (6:27): MP3
  13. On the Towpath (2:39): MP3
  14. And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name (1:52): MP3
  15. Daffy Duck in Hollywood (3:31): MP3

"Mr. Ashbery reads two poems from his collection entitled Some trees; two from Rivers and mountains; two from The double dream of spring; one from Self-portrait in a convex mirror; and three of his other poems. Stanley Kunitz introduces the poet and moderates the discussion." - Library of Congress Catalog

Complete recording (1:02:21): MP3

  1. Introduction (8:44): MP3
  2. Two Scenes / Popular Songs (3:15): MP3
  3. The Recent Past (1:25): MP3
  4. A Blessing in Disguise (1:34): MP3
  5. Soonest Mended (5:01): MP3
  6. It Was Raining in the Capital (3:29): MP3
  7. Worsening Situation (2:25): MP3
  8. Street Musicians (1:27): MP3
  9. Daffy Duck in Hollywood (8:56): MP3
  10. And Ut Pictura Poesis Is Her Name (2:22): MP3

Recording courtesy of Library of Congress

WBAI Broadcast, 1974

  • Complete recording (5:09): MP3
  • Kush dub complete recording (30:35): MP3

Appearing at Poetry's 19th Annual Poetry Day, WFMT Chicago, November 17, 1973

Note: Ashbery read with John Hollander at this reading, as is alluded to in the introduction

Complete recording (41:25): MP3

From Some Trees (1956)

  1. Introduction (3:03): MP3
  2. Two Scenes (1:30): MP3
  3. Popular Songs (1:40): MP3
  4. The Grapevine (0:35): MP3
  5. Glazunoviana (0:32): MP3
  6. Sonnet ("Each servant stamps the reader with a look.") (0:45): MP3
  7. And You Know (3:52): MP3

    8. from The Tennis Court Oath (1962)

  8. They Dream Only of America (1:25): MP3
  9. Thoughts of a Young Girl (0:39): MP3
  10. Faust (2:28): MP3

    11. From The Double Dream of Spring (1970)

  11. Soonest Mended (5:07): MP3
  12. Variations, Calypso and Fugue on a Theme of Ella Wheeler Wilcox (9:28): MP3

    13. from Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror (1975)

  13. Forties Flick (1:45): MP3
  14. On Autumn Lake (2:04): MP3
  15. Scheherazade (4:31): MP3

Interview with Brett Lauer, May 27, 1973, Published in fall 1974 issue of Confrontation

Side 1 (30:07): MP3

  1. Ashbery's Biography (7:16): MP3
  2. How Does One Read Ashbery's Poetry? (4:23): MP3
  3. An Ideal Reader (3:11): MP3
  4. Opaqueness (2:58): MP3
  5. "Very American" Poetry (3:21): MP3
  6. Translation From French to English (1:41): MP3
  7. Recieving the Guggenheim Fellowship (0:27): MP3
  8. Influences on Ashbery's Poetry (6:08): MP3

Side 2 (30:07): MP3

  1. Themes in Ashbery's Poetry (0:43): MP3
  2. Review of "The Tennis Court Oath" (1:57): MP3
  3. On "Three Prose Poems" (2:19): MP3
  4. Ashbery's Poetics (1:15): MP3
  5. On The New York School (1:42): MP3
  6. Influence of New York Art (2:41): MP3
  7. Art News' Influence on Ashbery (1:13): MP3
  8. On Imitating Léger (1:52): MP3
  9. Ashbery and O'Hara (1:19): MP3
  10. Doctoral Candidate (1:43): MP3
  11. Ashbery's Potential Influence (0:34): MP3
  12. Mannerisms (1:11): MP3
  13. Relationship with W.H. Auden (2:00): MP3
  14. Auden's Influence (1:54): MP3
  15. On Auden's Preface to "Some Trees" (2:46): MP3
  16. On "Europe" (3:43): MP3

Side 3 (11:16): MP3

  1. On "Europe" (Continued) (1:05): MP3
  2. Ashbery's Experimental Nature (2:43): MP3
  3. Action Paintings and "The Tennis Court Oath" (0:20): MP3
  4. The Search for a Poetic Voice (1:51): MP3
  5. Modern Paintings' Influence (1:54): MP3
  6. Music's Influence on Ashbery's Poetry (2:14): MP3

Reading in the American Poetry Archive at San Francisco State, Introduction by Kathleen Fraser, May 16, 1973

"The Writing of John Ashbery" with host A. Poulin Jr., Brockport Writers Forum, November 27, 1972


Media.SAS URL link:

Reading at YM-YWHA, with an introduction by Richard Howard. Episode #23157: "The Poetry of John Ashbery," March 27, 1967

  1. program introduction (0:23): MP3
  2. introduction by Richard Howard (5:35): MP3
  3. The Chateau Hardware (0:40): MP3
  4. Song (0:43): MP3
  5. Of the Patterned Bedspread (1:27): MP3
  6. The Bungalows (4:20): MP3
  7. Black Thorn (1:11): MP3
  8. Decoy (1:52): MP3
  9. Definition of Blue (1:50): MP3
  10. French Poems (1:48): MP3

Complete Reading (20:22): MP3

Reading at the University at Buffalo, New York, November 18, 1966

Readings from The Tennis Court Oath, The Double Dream of Spring, Rivers and Mountains, and Some Trees; introduced by Oscar A. Silverman

Complete reading (32:23): MP3

Interview with Bruce Kawin on WKCR Radio, May 5, 1966

  1. introduction (0:33): MP3
  2. These Lacustrine Cities (2:19): MP3
  3. offering one explanation or reading of the poem (13:00): MP3
  4. These Lacustrine Cities (second reading) (1:29): MP3
  5. Rivers and Mountains (3:55): MP3
  6. Last Month (0:53): MP3
  7. Civilization and its Discontents (2:11): MP3
  8. The Ecclesiast (2:18): MP3
  9. closing remarks (0:31): MP3

Complete Reading (27:38): MP3

Reading at the Washington Square Art Gallery, NYC, August 23, 1964

  1. The Tennis Court Oath (2:08): MP3
  2. They Dream Only of America (0:56): MP3
  3. Thoughts of a Young Girl (0:33): MP3
  4. Rain (3:50): MP3
  5. The Suspended Life (3:16): MP3
  6. The Skaters (47:53): MP3 [5-minute excerpt from part 1]
Complete reading (1:00:14): MP3

Note: Bill Berkson gave the introduction at this event. The gallery reading was organized by Ruth Kligman, and the reading of "The Skaters" was the first ever. It is Berkson's recollection that the standing-room-only audience included Edwin Denby, Frank O'Hara, and "many of the younger New York poets (Padgett, Berrigan, Towle, Shapiro) and also Andy Warhol."

Reading at The Living Theatre, New York City, September 16, 1963

  • Complete reading (52:51): MP3
  1. Introduction by Kenneth Koch (2:35): MP3

    2. From Rivers and Mountains (1966) (except for those marked with *)

  2. Rivers and Mountains (3:57): MP3
  3. The Ecclesiast (2:32): MP3
  4. The Adirondacks* (3:26): MP3
  5. These Lacustrine Cities (1:40): MP3
  6. Balance of Payments (3:02): MP3
  7. To a Waterfowl* (3:07): MP3
  8. Into the Dusk-Charged Air (3:55): MP3

    9. from Some Trees (1956)

  9. Two Scenes (1:07): MP3
  10. Popular Songs (1:39): MP3
  11. The Instruction Manual (5:28): MP3
  12. Sonnet ("Each servant stamps the reader with a look") (0:44): MP3
  13. The Young Son (1:26): MP3
  14. And You Know (3:44): MP3

    15. from The Tennis Court Oath (1962)

  15. "They Dream Only of America" (1:09): MP3
  16. The Suspended Life (4:15): MP3
  17. A Life Drama (3:02): MP3
  18. Our Youth (1:58): MP3
  19. Landscape (1:25): MP3
  20. A Last World (cuts off abruptly) (0:56): MP3

92nd Street Y (New York), reading from Some Trees, April 3, 1952

(30:17):