Million Word March

Jordan Davis's Million Poems Show tonight featured Joshua Clover, on tour for his new book of poems, The Totality for Kids.

Sample excellent Clover line: "Can the alphabet be said to have its own weather?" ("Baroque Parable")

(From another Jordan Davis page, we learn: "In 1990 I had a dream in which I was instructed to write a million poems, which I immediately set out to do.")

Earlier today, I read Dizzyhead Christine's piece about the English language's imminent attainment (according to the founder of the Global Language Monitor) of its millionth word.

One of many interesting facts in the article: It's estimated that counting to 1 million will take you 23 days. Earlier this week, I read in William Poundstone's Fortune's Formula about the MIT mathematician Edward O. Thorp. As a baby, Thorp didn't speak until age three. When he did, it was a complete sentence: "Oh, he's gone to buy a shirt." (This was in response to a comment overheard in a department store elevator.)

Six months later, he counted to a million.