RUSSELL ATKINS, 1926–2024

We were sad to learn that the inimitable Russell Atkins passed away on August 15th. The CSU Poetry Center was honored to publish a selected volume of Atkins’s work, World’d Too Much, in 2019. We’re sure that his legacy—as a profoundly original poet, editor, composer, dramatist, small press publisher, and avant-garde figure of the 20th century—will only continue to grow. We hope and expect that in the coming months many will celebrate Atkins, and we hope many will encounter, newly or again, the “pharmaceutical-grade delight” of his work (in the words of Joyelle McSweeney). In the meantime we wished to share one of our favorites, his “Manifesto” from 1991. Thank you, Russell Atkins.