4000 Words 4000 Dead – 2013

4000 Words 4000 Dead & Revolutionary Optimism / An American Elegy: 2006-2012

“In April 2008, I began collecting 4000 words as a memorial to the 4000 dead American soldier who had been killed in Iraq. Submissions came from friends, students, writers, activists, soldiers, and those who read about the project online. I asked each person to send me 1-10 words, gave parts of the poem away to pedestrians during public performances across the country, and painted the words using the American flag as a writing utensil in two installations.” –Jennifer Karmin

4000 Words 4000 Dead is a companion piece to Revolutionary Optimism, a response to Abu Ghraib based on confessions from Iraqi prisoners, sympathy cards, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Both texts were published together as a chapbook by Sona Books for Veterans Day 2012 and released online for Memorial Day 2013. More info here.