The John Cage Experiences

This pseudo-biography of John Cage begins with a simple concept: What would happen if everything about a text, from the number of sentences to the structure of the passages, were determined by chance? Here, for the first time in English, writer Vincent Tholomé, author of over 20 volumes of experimental verse, presents us with a hybrid work that, above all, seeks to explore the realms of pure invention. Comprised of “8 solos, duos, or trios,” The John Cage Experiences invites readers to enact the comedy and drama of John Cage, including stage directions for acting out each piece as “John Cage or his equivalent,” adding yet another layer of possible invention that will change with every reading or performance of the text.

Alexandra Niemi is a writer, translator, and language instructor. Her poetry and translations from the French, Russian, and Spanish have appeared in The Offing, Action Yes, Prelude, Asymptote and elsewhere. She teaches Russian at the University of Iowa, where she was an Iowa Arts Fellow and received her MFA in 2014. Vincent Tholomé is a Belgian writer and performer living in Belgium, eating Belgian food, drinking Belgian drinks, but writing in French and sometimes in English or in Walloon (a local Begian language). As a writer, he has published almost twenty books mixing fiction and poetry. As a performer, he works with musicians and has given readings in many countries (the USA, Canada, Russia, Germany, France, Hungary, Indonesia, Romania, etc.). His latest works are: Mon voisin Noug [My Neighbor Noug], his first book for young people, La mécanique automobile [The Auto Mechanic] and Rêves et vies d'Alphonse Brown [The Dreams and Lives of Alphonse Brown], books co-written with future mechanics, masons and carpenters. Currently, he is working on Mon épopée [My epic] and on a libretto for an opera that will be performed in 2021.