Robert van Vliet
@letterspace.org
❡ Poet, teacher
❡ St Paul MN
❡ inventions (above/ground 2026)
❡ Vessels (Unsolicited 2024)
❡ This Folded Path (above/ground 2023)
❡ Mostly offline for the ’25–’26 school year
❡ Blog: www.letterspace.org
❡ Homepage: www.robertvanvliet.com
❡ Fuck ICE
❡ St Paul MN
❡ inventions (above/ground 2026)
❡ Vessels (Unsolicited 2024)
❡ This Folded Path (above/ground 2023)
❡ Mostly offline for the ’25–’26 school year
❡ Blog: www.letterspace.org
❡ Homepage: www.robertvanvliet.com
❡ Fuck ICE
Pinned
Oops, it looks like someone forgot the First Rule of Holes.
What staggering incompetence and carelessness (among other things, but I'm trying to keep this clean).
Under no circumstances should you submit your work to this Ogre place. Avoid at all costs. Unfollow, block.
What staggering incompetence and carelessness (among other things, but I'm trying to keep this clean).
Under no circumstances should you submit your work to this Ogre place. Avoid at all costs. Unfollow, block.
apologies for lack of alt text but i am yoo tired to type all this again
@ogre.red thinks terms if service are bullshit and licensing for poetry is unimportant because "who would steal a poem"
my advice would be to avoid doing business with this person
@ogre.red thinks terms if service are bullshit and licensing for poetry is unimportant because "who would steal a poem"
my advice would be to avoid doing business with this person
February 5, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Oops, it looks like someone forgot the First Rule of Holes.
What staggering incompetence and carelessness (among other things, but I'm trying to keep this clean).
Under no circumstances should you submit your work to this Ogre place. Avoid at all costs. Unfollow, block.
What staggering incompetence and carelessness (among other things, but I'm trying to keep this clean).
Under no circumstances should you submit your work to this Ogre place. Avoid at all costs. Unfollow, block.
…swimming, swimming, the eye held by the sun, no sharks in the mind, nothing in the mind.
—Russell Hoban, Turtle Diary (1975)
#SA4QE
—Russell Hoban, Turtle Diary (1975)
#SA4QE
February 5, 2026 at 1:28 AM
Reposted by Robert van Vliet
Excellent letter to editor in Star Trib this morning, from a former ICE employee.
January 31, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Excellent letter to editor in Star Trib this morning, from a former ICE employee.
Reposted by Robert van Vliet
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
January 27, 2026 at 12:22 AM
brass solidarity band performing “stand by me” in the streets of whittier next to alex pretti’s memorial. the crowd started chanting “the people united will never be defeated” so they incorporated it into the song. i love minneapolis
Here are the last two questions from my interview last spring: “What did you edit out of this book?” & “Does writing energize or exhaust you?”
(I was going to post the last one tomorrow, but I will be offline.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/22/i...
(I was going to post the last one tomorrow, but I will be offline.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/22/i...
January 22, 2026 at 1:53 PM
Here are the last two questions from my interview last spring: “What did you edit out of this book?” & “Does writing energize or exhaust you?”
(I was going to post the last one tomorrow, but I will be offline.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/22/i...
(I was going to post the last one tomorrow, but I will be offline.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/22/i...
“Friday, January 23rd will be a statewide day of non-violent moral action, reflection: no work, no school, no shopping—only community, conscience, and collective action.”
More details here on what Minnesotans will be doing tomorrow:
More details here on what Minnesotans will be doing tomorrow:
ICE OUT OF MN
www.iceoutnowmn.com
January 22, 2026 at 11:50 AM
“Friday, January 23rd will be a statewide day of non-violent moral action, reflection: no work, no school, no shopping—only community, conscience, and collective action.”
More details here on what Minnesotans will be doing tomorrow:
More details here on what Minnesotans will be doing tomorrow:
Here’s today’s question: “How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?”
(The number has increased since I answered the question, because I recently found an enormous manuscript of prose poems from 2006-08 that I’d completely forgotten about.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/21/i...
(The number has increased since I answered the question, because I recently found an enormous manuscript of prose poems from 2006-08 that I’d completely forgotten about.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/21/i...
January 22, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Here’s today’s question: “How many unpublished and half-finished books do you have?”
(The number has increased since I answered the question, because I recently found an enormous manuscript of prose poems from 2006-08 that I’d completely forgotten about.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/21/i...
(The number has increased since I answered the question, because I recently found an enormous manuscript of prose poems from 2006-08 that I’d completely forgotten about.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/21/i...
This is Minnesota.
Faith leaders encourage Minnesotans to observe "A Day of Truth and Freedom"
YouTube video by WCCO - CBS Minnesota
www.youtube.com
January 21, 2026 at 2:55 AM
This is Minnesota.
The next question was: “As a writer, what would you choose as your familiar?”
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/20/i...
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/20/i...
January 21, 2026 at 1:29 AM
The next question was: “As a writer, what would you choose as your familiar?”
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/20/i...
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/20/i...
I forgot to point you to the next interview question yesterday: “What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements?”
My answer is about forgetfulness and time.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/19/i...
My answer is about forgetfulness and time.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/19/i...
January 20, 2026 at 12:19 PM
I forgot to point you to the next interview question yesterday: “What inanimate object would you thank in your acknowledgements?”
My answer is about forgetfulness and time.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/19/i...
My answer is about forgetfulness and time.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/19/i...
Reposted by Robert van Vliet
New review up: ellipticalmovements.wordpress.com/2026/01/19/r...
@marymackeyauthor.bsky.social @luaz.bsky.social @jordandavis.bsky.social @thetenderbetween.bsky.social @ornithopterpress.bsky.social #poetry
@marymackeyauthor.bsky.social @luaz.bsky.social @jordandavis.bsky.social @thetenderbetween.bsky.social @ornithopterpress.bsky.social #poetry
Recent Reading January 2026: A Review
In This Burning World: Poems of Love and Apocalypse, Mary Mackey, Marsh Hawk Press, 2025, ISBN 9798987617762, $18.95 Becoming Altar: New and Selected Poems, Kyla Houbolt, Subpress, 2025, ISBN: 9781…
ellipticalmovements.wordpress.com
January 19, 2026 at 11:05 AM
Reposted by Robert van Vliet
Robert Potts, former editor of Poetry Review and a critic who inspired me when I was starting out, has started a Substack about John Berryman’s 77 Dream Songs, after learning them all by heart. I just bought an old copy on eBay to keep to hand as I read along every week substack.com/home/post/p-...
'Dream awhile'
In which the project is introduced, and we consider our resources
substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Robert Potts, former editor of Poetry Review and a critic who inspired me when I was starting out, has started a Substack about John Berryman’s 77 Dream Songs, after learning them all by heart. I just bought an old copy on eBay to keep to hand as I read along every week substack.com/home/post/p-...
Here’s another scrap from my new chapbook, “inventions,” for #smallpoemsunday
January 18, 2026 at 11:48 PM
Here’s another scrap from my new chapbook, “inventions,” for #smallpoemsunday
Here’s the next question from the interview: “Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?”
There was something about this question that, frankly, kinda pissed me off.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/18/i...
There was something about this question that, frankly, kinda pissed me off.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/18/i...
January 18, 2026 at 5:40 PM
Here’s the next question from the interview: “Do you think someone could be a writer if they don’t feel emotions strongly?”
There was something about this question that, frankly, kinda pissed me off.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/18/i...
There was something about this question that, frankly, kinda pissed me off.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/18/i...
Here’s my answer to the next question: “What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?”
(Answer: It’s something by @russellhoban.bsky.social.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/17/i...
(Answer: It’s something by @russellhoban.bsky.social.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/17/i...
January 17, 2026 at 9:23 PM
Here’s my answer to the next question: “What’s your favorite under-appreciated novel?”
(Answer: It’s something by @russellhoban.bsky.social.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/17/i...
(Answer: It’s something by @russellhoban.bsky.social.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/17/i...
Today’s question: “If you could cook dinner for any author, who would it be? What would you make?”
I couldn’t decide.
See what I’d cook for Jim Harrison, Bill Holm, JRR Tolkien, Maxine Hong Kingston, Ursula Le Guin, Robyn Hitchcock, and Thomas Pynchon.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/16/i...
I couldn’t decide.
See what I’d cook for Jim Harrison, Bill Holm, JRR Tolkien, Maxine Hong Kingston, Ursula Le Guin, Robyn Hitchcock, and Thomas Pynchon.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/16/i...
January 16, 2026 at 11:16 PM
Today’s question: “If you could cook dinner for any author, who would it be? What would you make?”
I couldn’t decide.
See what I’d cook for Jim Harrison, Bill Holm, JRR Tolkien, Maxine Hong Kingston, Ursula Le Guin, Robyn Hitchcock, and Thomas Pynchon.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/16/i...
I couldn’t decide.
See what I’d cook for Jim Harrison, Bill Holm, JRR Tolkien, Maxine Hong Kingston, Ursula Le Guin, Robyn Hitchcock, and Thomas Pynchon.
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/16/i...
Current reading. I ordered it thru my local bookstore, and just picked it up this afternoon.
cc/ @markscroggins.bsky.social
cc/ @markscroggins.bsky.social
January 16, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Current reading. I ordered it thru my local bookstore, and just picked it up this afternoon.
cc/ @markscroggins.bsky.social
cc/ @markscroggins.bsky.social
Here’s the next question in the series: it’s about “reader’s block.”
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/15/i...
(Also, I have a new chapbook out!)
(Also also, fuck ICE.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/15/i...
(Also, I have a new chapbook out!)
(Also also, fuck ICE.)
January 15, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Here’s the next question in the series: it’s about “reader’s block.”
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/15/i...
(Also, I have a new chapbook out!)
(Also also, fuck ICE.)
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/15/i...
(Also, I have a new chapbook out!)
(Also also, fuck ICE.)
Oh look, it’s me answering another question.
They basically asked me what would I do if I snuck into your bathroom.
(Not really, but you’re probably going to click on the link just to be sure.)
Check it out:
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/14/i...
They basically asked me what would I do if I snuck into your bathroom.
(Not really, but you’re probably going to click on the link just to be sure.)
Check it out:
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/14/i...
January 15, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Oh look, it’s me answering another question.
They basically asked me what would I do if I snuck into your bathroom.
(Not really, but you’re probably going to click on the link just to be sure.)
Check it out:
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/14/i...
They basically asked me what would I do if I snuck into your bathroom.
(Not really, but you’re probably going to click on the link just to be sure.)
Check it out:
www.letterspace.org/2026/01/14/i...
Hey MSP folks, check this out!
100%!
100%!
MSP! I'm teaching a 4 week, in-person class at @loftliterarycenter.bsky.social, starting 1/29, and 📢 I will be donating 100% of my payment to orgs on the ground who are fighting fascism 📢
Join us--your registration is essentially a donation to the things you already believe in ❤️ Reg info in bio
Join us--your registration is essentially a donation to the things you already believe in ❤️ Reg info in bio
January 14, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Hey MSP folks, check this out!
100%!
100%!
I know it’s a long time ago, so I’ll remind you: my chapbook came out yesterday. Several long times ago (last year), I answered some interesting questions from Unsolicited Press, who published my book, “Vessels.”
For the next ten days, I’ll be posting my answers one at a time. Here’s the first one.
For the next ten days, I’ll be posting my answers one at a time. Here’s the first one.
Interview 1 - (fleeting)
My new chapbook came out yesterday! As a sort of fête, I thought I would repost something from last year. As part of Vessels’ book launch, I
www.letterspace.org
January 14, 2026 at 12:29 AM
I know it’s a long time ago, so I’ll remind you: my chapbook came out yesterday. Several long times ago (last year), I answered some interesting questions from Unsolicited Press, who published my book, “Vessels.”
For the next ten days, I’ll be posting my answers one at a time. Here’s the first one.
For the next ten days, I’ll be posting my answers one at a time. Here’s the first one.
It’s publication day for my chapbook, “inventions.”
Snag a copy from my publisher, the unstoppable above/ground press. @robmclennan.bsky.social
(Signed copies will be available from me directly in the near future.)
Snag a copy from my publisher, the unstoppable above/ground press. @robmclennan.bsky.social
(Signed copies will be available from me directly in the near future.)
January 12, 2026 at 3:45 PM
It’s publication day for my chapbook, “inventions.”
Snag a copy from my publisher, the unstoppable above/ground press. @robmclennan.bsky.social
(Signed copies will be available from me directly in the near future.)
Snag a copy from my publisher, the unstoppable above/ground press. @robmclennan.bsky.social
(Signed copies will be available from me directly in the near future.)
Hey, will ya look at that.
new from above/ground press: Inventions, by Robert van Vliet / @robertvanv.bsky.social ;
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2026/01/new-...
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2026/01/new-...
new from above/ground press: Inventions, by Robert van Vliet
inventions Robert van Vliet $6 Sometimes we expect a window, and find a mirror. Is that supposed to be the pond? And where’s the maple? Equa...
abovegroundpress.blogspot.com
January 12, 2026 at 3:40 PM
Hey, will ya look at that.
My new chapbook comes out next week from above/ground press.
It’s a bunch of prose poems with little poems and fragments dangling off the bottom of each one. (Like haibun? I dunno. Maybe.)
Here’s one such dangler, a hay(na)ku:
It’s a bunch of prose poems with little poems and fragments dangling off the bottom of each one. (Like haibun? I dunno. Maybe.)
Here’s one such dangler, a hay(na)ku:
January 9, 2026 at 12:35 AM
My new chapbook comes out next week from above/ground press.
It’s a bunch of prose poems with little poems and fragments dangling off the bottom of each one. (Like haibun? I dunno. Maybe.)
Here’s one such dangler, a hay(na)ku:
It’s a bunch of prose poems with little poems and fragments dangling off the bottom of each one. (Like haibun? I dunno. Maybe.)
Here’s one such dangler, a hay(na)ku: