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Pointing collection

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A series of poems or stanzas unified by deictic or indexical references

Detailed Definition
A pointing collection is an anthology or sequence of poems unified by deictic or indexical strategies—frequent use of “here,” “now,” “this”—that anchor abstract themes in immediate, embodied experience; it emphasizes situatedness and the poet’s engagement with specific time and place.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Susan Howe’s archival poetry, pointing collection gathers historical documents to index silenced voices; In M. NourbeSe Philip’s “Zong!”, pointing collection retrieves legal text to testify to Middle Passage erasure; In Layli Long Soldier’s “Whereas,” pointing collection repurposes U.S. government apology language; In Claudia Rankine’s “Citizen,” pointing collection accumulates real incidents of racial microaggression
Additional Notes
Pointing collection gathers objects, images, or moments that “point” toward a central theme or absence; it’s a curatorial approach that builds meaning through juxtaposition rather than narrative.
Also Known As
Deictic anthology Indexical compendium Referential gathering Demonstrative grouping Indexical collection
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