In these lectures, Duncan explores the meaning and context of Olson's poetry and dynamic presence as poet and innovator, while also providing a broader representation of poetry and thought, ancient and modern, delivered with wit, intelligence, curiosity, and care. Essential reading for anyone interested in . . . the work of two of the most important poets of the postwar period."" - Peter O'Leary, author of Gnostic Contagion: Robert Duncan and the Poetry of Illness