Talk:Todd Bash
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I am a writer who has studied Surrealism for more than twenty-five years now, and who contributed to and explored a number of underground/experimental periodicals through the 1990s. A couple of years ago I submitted an article to Wikipedia on the author Todd Bash. Bash is certainly not a well-known writer in the mainstream media, but as someone who was involved in the experimental periodical scene of the past, I was certainly exposed to his work. I read plays, poems, stories, articles and automatic writings by Bash, as well as saw numerous of his collages. His work appeared in the pages of John M. Bennett's Lost and Found Times, Paul Silvia's Gestalten and Neotrope published by Broken Boulder Press, as well as in chapbooks, such as Final Thoughts published by small, underground presses. I remember seeing a production of his play The Final Thoughts of Stanislaw Bashkiewicz at a small theater in New York, and reading reviews in Philadelphia's City Paper of productions he contributed to with a group called Hunger Theater. Moreover, I obtained a score for Seehunde,an experimental opera by composer Shigeru Kan-no, which featured a libretto by Bash. Over the years, I've also seen Bash's work on Avant-garde Internet sites like Haggard & Hallo and August Highland's muse-apprentice-guild.
I decided to add an entry on Bash because, as a student of Surrealism and experimental writing, I admired his work. I obtained information from Thomas Bazar, artistic director of Hunger Theater, Adam Powell of Broken Boulder Press, composer Shigeru Kan-no, and from Bash himself,who I communicated with by email, as well as info I had picked up from Theater programs, periodicals, chap books and Internet Theater Sites.
I understood Wikipedia to be a site where EVERYONE had an opportunity to contribute, and thought it would be appropriate for an underground writer of experimental literature, to be represented.
A couple of weeks ago, I received word that a new collection of Bash's plays was being published. (Many of the plays I recall reading in experimental periodicals years ago.) When I checked out his new website, I discovered it featured a wealth of information on Surrealism, Surrealist writers and books. For that reason, I thought the site would be appropriate to add on Wikipedia as an external link relating to the subject of Surrealism. The following day, I saw it was removed by REPUBLICAN JACOBITE. I then was told by a colleague that the article I had written on Todd Bash two years earlier had been marked by this same REPUBLICAN JACOBITE as a low quality article that may possibly be deleted.
I don't understand why REPUBLICAN JACOBITE is so eager to diminish a small article about an avant-garde writer.
Upon further reflection, I now realize that on Bash's site devoted to Surrealism, there is an ad for his book, and perhaps REPUBLICAN JACOBITE found this fact inappropriate for Wikipedia. If that is the reason for removing the link, I understand and am sorry for causing any added work to those who maintain the Surrealism page. But I don't understand the aggressive stance REPUBLICAN JACOBITE is taking over a small article on Bash. I'm just trying to include some information on a writer and artist who inspired a number of people over the years in the small world of experimental presses.
Any explanation and discussion is welcome and appreciated. Thanks.
Stanislaw Brecht —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stanislaw brecht (talk • contribs) 05:30, 15 December 2007 (UTC)
