The Passionate Spectator collects essays, reviews, and art criticism by John Yau, an internationally lauded poet, critic, and curator. In this wide-ranging collection, Yau explores the intersection of art and poetry, dissolving boundaries between the artistic traditions and reimagining what it means to see and to write. Whether he is interpreting the poetic use of titles in Jessica Stockholder’s paintings, reviewing the collaborative book project between American poet Robert Creeley and German artist Georg Baselitz, or considering the significance of Frank O’Hara’s decision to have his portrait drawn wearing nothing but army boots, Yau is consistently daring, original, and contemporary. Yau’s diverse critical sensibilities permeate The Passionate Spectator as he moves seamlessly between the visual and literary arts. Highlights of this collection include an essay on the poet as art critic, a study of the relationship between Kevin Young’s poetry and the paintings of Jean-Michel Basquiat, and an imaginative piece in which Yau speculates about what Jorge Luis Borges would have created had he been a visual artist. In the title essay, Yau lays out the duty of the spectator—a duty shared by viewer, reader, critic, and artist: “it is up to us to experience art, to engage and believe in its power.” .

The acclaimed author of "Inflating a Dog" and "Herb n' Lorna" presents a journey from fiction to truth and back again as he follows the fortunes of a professional memoirist.

Dana Brand traces the origin of the flaneur to seventeenth-century English literature and to nineteenth-century American literature.

Is there anything more entertaining, inspiring and instructive than observing art? Yes, it is watching the people interacting with this art. This book may forever change your approach to art as it urges you to always consider both the work and the response. Because ultimately artists create, but we - the audience - complete the picture. A Spectator is an Artist Too is a visual essay about human behavior around art: what happens when we are confronted with something immensely beautiful, challenging, or puzzling? Art historians only study objects, but how these objects are received is also worthy of our attention. The book also captures how art museums are changing, as they draw increasingly diverse audiences. The way the museum visitors responds to art is becoming more casual and creative - but also more swift or even banal. This shift is increased by a whole new breed of Instagram-friendly "museums" worldwide, attracting experience-hungry visitors with immersive exhibitions defined by their Instagrammability.