David Antin, UCSD Professor Known for ‘Talk Poems,' Dies

Poet and performance artist David Antin taught for decades at University of California, San Diego

David Antin, the poet and performance artist known for his so-called "talk poems" who taught for decades at University of California, San Diego, has died.

Family members tell the Los Angeles Times that Antin, who suffered from Parkinson's disease, died last week after a fall at home. He was 84.

Antin won acclaim in the 1970s for his talk poems -- a hybrid of criticism, poetry and storytelling. His best known works are "Talking at the Boundaries" from 1976 and 1993's "What It Means to Be Avant-Garde."

Michael Govan, director of the LA County Museum of Art, said Antin's arrangement of words was "like a sculpture of language."

Antin joined UC San Diego in 1968.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, a son and two grandchildren.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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