Comments on: curt johnson | gott ist gross und gott ist gut.

By: Pete Lund

Pete Lund — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 22:11:08 +0000

I’m trying to reach Lindi Gligorijevic. Harlan was my first cousin. If someone has her email I’d like to make contact. She can contact me by searching the U of Minnesota directory even though I’ve retired. Thanks.

Pete Lund

By: Lindy Gligorijevic

Lindy Gligorijevic — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:58:11 +0000

Hi, maybe someone can help me, my parents were friends of Curt’s and I have been tasked to find out what happened to him. My father was a fellow writer, Harlan Olafson (he died as well). My mother sent Curt a Christmas card, didn’t hear from him, etc. So, this is what my web search has revealed, your mention of his passing.

By: Robert M. Zoschke

Robert M. Zoschke — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:44:53 +0000

It was more than exemplary to see the Chicago Tribune get off their morbid duffs and publish a fine Obit on Curt, including meaningful hammer-on-the-nail comments from Norbert Blei. For my money, time, and study…Curt’s essay on Raymond Carver, featured in SALUD from Cross Roads Press, ranks right up there with Kerouac’s Windblown World journals and the finest Paris Review Writer Interviews, in terms of delving into Writers on Writing. A postcard or package in the mail from Curt always lifted my spirits, with Curt’s delivery seemingly coming at a particularly low point when I needed something so meaningful so damn much. Blei most assuredly deserves to be proud of his SALUD Curt Johnson anthology…it is an incredibly produced, insightful sampler on the life-work of a very talented writer who reigned on the typer in iconic iconoclast style.

By: Paul Fericano

Paul Fericano — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:27:47 +0000

Thanks for this posting, Norb. I was saddened to hear about Curt’s passing. I heard through John Bennett who directed me here. My condolences to you and to his family. Curt and I corresponded during the seventies and I’ll always be grateful for his involvement in one of my literary ventures at that time.

Curt was one of the first editors to regularly contribute copies of December and his other publications to the Small Press Racks in Libraries Project that I helped establish in California public libraries in 1976. And Curt continued to support the project long after the libraries ran out of funds and could no longer subscribe to small press magazines. He just kept sendng material whenever he could: his own publications and mags and books from other presses that he received. They were all distributed to participating libraries.

A good man.

By: Michael Hathaway

Michael Hathaway — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 18:06:06 +0000

I’m sorry to hear of Curt Johnson’s passing, and sorry to hear of Chicago’s indifference to his life, work and death. Unfortunately, that seems to be the way it goes for literary heroes/prophets.

I’m not in Chicago, but if you could send a review copy of Salud to Chiron Review, 522 E. South Ave., St. John, KS 67576, I would do my best to have someone review it for Chiron Review.

By: Jason Mashak

Jason Mashak — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:31:36 +0000

Hi Norb, I posted a link to this on the “Poetry Chicago” group site on Facebook. Maybe someone will respond to your “Chicago, where the hell are you?” question, get some coverage rolling. This reminds me of Bob Kaufman and Jack Micheline being mostly ignored by SF. Or D.A. Levy by Cleveland. Or Jesus by Nazareth (the town, not the band – although the band ignored him, too, I think).

By: Ralph Murre

Ralph Murre — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 03:43:15 +0000

Sorry, Norb, for the loss of your friend and our Cross + Roads colleague, Curt Johnson. You served him well, for without your efforts on his behalf, I, along with many others, would not have become aware of the man — of his writing.

You’re a good man to have in one’s corner.

Salud,

- R.