Micah Mattix says he's got the problem with contemporary poetry all figured out--well, he and Tom Bethell of The American Spectator, anyway, and while I can't be certain that TAS's reputation for accuracy in politics extends to poetry, I might make some guesses based on this argument. Are you ready?The problem with contemporary poetry, particularly … Continue reading Do what now?
National Poetry Month
So it's April again, time for a host of news articles which once again reference the opening lines of "The Waste Land." I've been in a dry spell as far as writing goes lately--too many other things crowding out my writing time, though the responsibility is mine. So I'm using this month to generate a … Continue reading National Poetry Month
I’m a Poetry Populist
Before I started doing my weekly column for The Rumpus, my contact with the poetic blogosphere was very limited. I linked to Mark Scroggins's Culture Industry and read his posts more because he's a colleague of mine than anything else. And even though I'm now the Poetry Editor for The Rumpus, I still don't really … Continue reading I’m a Poetry Populist
The Rumpus Interview with Mary Rosenberg
Amy and I have written about the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg prizes here in the past--they're very generous prizes that started up five years ago and are having a tremendous impact on the world of poetry simply because of the amounts of money involved. The Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Memorial Fund has given out upwards of $650K … Continue reading The Rumpus Interview with Mary Rosenberg
since feeling is first
I first came across E. E. Cummings in high school, like many people have, and he had an immediate effect on me. He was so different from the rest of the stuff I'd been reading in my classes that he shook me to the core, and made me want to write poetry just like his. … Continue reading since feeling is first
So, new project
As if I don't already have enough on my plate, I've started this, titled "Helen Webster's Diary." Helen Webster is, I believe, a great grandmother of mine, who was a teenager in the 1890s. Beyond that, I know nothing. My grandmother's sister (great-aunt? I can never keep these things straight) found this diary probably ten … Continue reading So, new project
Review at Rattle
Back in the old times, before I was the poetry editor at The Rumpus (what do you mean it's only been a month?), I wrote a review of Carole Simmons Oles' book Waking Stone for Rattle Magazine. Here's a taste:Waking Stone by Carole Simmons Oles, published by the University of Arkansas Press, doesn’t have any … Continue reading Review at Rattle
Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Stegner
Timothy Egan notes in the NY Times that yesterday was Wallace Stegner's 100th birthday. I must confess that I learned more about Stegner in that column than I did in the two years I held a fellowship he helped found and which carried his name, so let me make up for it by thanking his … Continue reading Happy Belated Birthday, Mr. Stegner
Shameless self promotion
The official awards page is up for the Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg prizes, and I'm on the list. It's a poem that grew out of my visit to see my daughter graduate from high school last year, so that makes it feel a little more special.Congrats to everyone who won, particularly to my personal friends Alison … Continue reading Shameless self promotion
Rumpus Time
My review of Dan Albergotti's The Boatloads just went up at The Rumpus. Here's a taste:I have a special place in my heart for literature that juxtaposes the sacred and profane, that challenges perhaps the most successful meme ever to spring from the human brain: the belief that God is unwaveringly good.That’s the matter at … Continue reading Rumpus Time
Another Poem to Love 