Oulipo Winners!

T. Smith and Grace are our Oulipo contest winners. I have posted their entries below for all to enjoy. So, T. Smith and Grace, come by the French and Italian Department, tell the secretary who you are and there will be a prize for you! Thanks to everyone who participated and we hope it was fun.

Grace's Haï-kaïsation of Mallarmé's poem "Soupir":

ô calme soeur
taches de rousseur
oeil angélique
mélancolique
vers l'Azur!
pâle et pur
langueur infinie
fauve agonie
froid sillon
d'un long rayon

Abécédaire by T. Smith

Alan brings canned donuts everyday. Families grow happy if Jessica keeps learning more needlework. Only people quantify reasons Sicily tangled under Venice's wicked, xenophobic, yearlong zeitgeist.

Contrainte Contest: Win A Bookstore Gift Card

"The more constraints one imposes, the more one frees oneself of the chains that shackle the spirit... the arbitrariness of the constraint only serves to obtain precision of execution." -Igor Stravinsky

In anticipation of Paul Fournel this week, we've decided we'd play a little game. The following clip shows Phil of the popular show "Modern Family" utilizing one of the Oulipo's little contraintes: the abécédaire. We want you, our loyal followers, to participate and create something of your own! Of course you don't have to do the abécédaire, there are plenty of contraintes that may match your taste for punishment. So, check out the links and leave us your very own work. We'll award the best ones some nice prizes!

Oulipo!

Click the image to enlarge!