—Discover the Osmothèque
Good. Now that we’re into enemas, consider the meaning of perfume, hormones, and degeneration.
—Stacy Doris/Lisa Robertson from The Perfume Recordist
What Stacy Wore:
In the 90's:
Loulou by Cacherel (1987). Floral Aldehyde. A powdery, bold, controversial like it or hate it floral oriental. Tiare flower, tuberose, orris, tonka bean, vanilla, balsam. Leading perfume scholar Luca Turin writes of Loulou: "when I fist encountered it twenty years ago, it made me think of those Christmas tree balls made of purple glass and sprayed with black dust, which look like silk and feel like sandpaper…this is one of the greats.” (Luca Turin2).
Chet’s pet name for Stacy was “Loulou.”
What Stacy Wrote:
Kildare (Roof Books, 1995)
Mop Factory Incident (with Melissa Smedley, Women’s Studio Workshop, 1996)
What Stacy Tried But Gave To Me:
L'Heure Bleu by Guerlain (1912). Amber/Floral/Spice. “The breathtaking beauty of Paris at dusk.” (Guerlain website) A heady, melancholic, intimate, emotional orange flower flanked by cloves, carnations, musk, and woody violets.
This perfume gave Chet a headache.
What Stacy Wrote:
La vie de Chester Steven Weiner ecrit par sa femme (P.O.L.1998)
What Stacy Co-Edited:
Violence of the White Page, Contemporary French Poetry in Translation (with Emmanuel Hocquard (Tyuonyi, 1992)
Twenty-Two New (to North America) French Poets (with Norma Cole, Raddle Moon, 1997)
What Stacy Wore:
Wisteria by Chanticaille (1997). Floral/Green/Earthy. A sheer peony, rose, freesia, tarragon, orange blossom on a bed of white musk and vetiver —reminiscent of spring and new growth. “Suitable for a gentle and tranquil woman.” (www.bellasugar.com)
Chet gave Stacy this perfume on her 30th birthday.
What Stacy Wore:
2000-2013:
Le Premier Figuer by L’Artisan Perfumeur (1994). Fruit/Woods. Fresh fig leaf, tree, and fruit. Galbanum, almond milk, lime, coconut with smoky drydown of soft woods, “naughty and tweedy in equal parts. Did Miss Moneypenny have a daughter?” (Luca Turin)
Stacy and Chet moved to San Francisco and became parents to Rayzl and Laish Gedalya.
What Stacy Wrote:
Paramour (Krupskaya 2000)
Une Annee A New York avec Chester (P.O.L.2000)
Conference (Potes & Poets 2001)
Conference as Parlement (P.O.L., 2005)
Knot (University of Georgia Press, 2006)
The Cheerleader’s Guide to the World: Council Book (Roof Books, 2006)
The Cake Part (2007)
The Perfume Recordist (with Lisa Robertson 2008)
What Stacy Translated from French:
Christopher Tarkos: Ma Langue est Poetique—Selected Work (with Chet Weiner, Roof Books, 2001)
Everything Happens by Dominique Fourcade (Post Apollo, 2001)
Tracing by Ryoko Sekiguchi (Duration, 2003)
What Stacy Last Wore:
Tam Dao by Diptyque (2003). Floral/Woody/Musk. Rose, myrtle, cypress, and meditative musk and smoky sandalwood. Calm, comforting and enveloping. “Not really a perfume, more of a lovely smell.” (Tania Sanchez)
What Stacy Last Wrote:
Fledge: A Phenomenology of Spirit (Nightboat, forthcoming 2012)
How To Preserve Fragile Treasures:
Stacy Doris died on January 31, 2012.
photo: Nada Gordon 2009
1The Osmothèque is a fragrance conservatory in France, located in the basement of Versailles Palace, committed to preserving and archiving the legacy and history of perfume.
2Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez, Perfumes, The Guide, (New York: Penguin Group, 2008).