Sticker Shock #1 (Money)

We've covered a lot of ground in this series, appropriately enough. One form that might seem too constricting, even for poetry, is the bumper sticker. But why should it be? After all, the name itself is a poem. Scans perfectly.

An Alternative Press Bumpersticker by Edward Dorn

One group that didn't miss the poetic potential in the lowly bumper sticker is the Alternative Press of Michigan. TAP was the long-running (1969-99, more or less) project of Ken and Ann Mikolowski to unite poets and printers and artists. Ken and Ann collaborated with Edward Dorn, Allen Ginsberg, Diane Di Prima, Robert Creeley, Ted Berrigan, Ann Waldman, Tom Clark, and many, many others. IThey produced postcards, bookmarks, broadsheets, and bumper stickers. A typical issue of Alternative Press was a manilla envelope filled with such goodies. The subscription rate was $10 (eventually $15) a year. The Poetry Foundation has done a great job of documenting the AP; for a good overview go here.

The sticker poem above is from Edward Dorn's series Abhorrences, a poet's commentary on the Reagan's America. Another TAP sticker by Ed Sanders reads "DEFUND THE RIGHT," surrounded by stars and bars. Still relevant, alas.

Many of these pieces are now in rare book collections, like the Berg Collection of the NYPL (more about that later), or private collections, but Ken assures me many were displayed on the real bumpers that gave the form its name. I'd love to find one on the back of a VW microbus.

In the next few posts, I'll share a few more TAP stickers (and stories about the BTB correspondent who loves them.)