Poetry today

Before starting Beautiful & Pointless: A Guide to Modern poetry, in order to get an idea of David Orr's work, without much difficulty, I landed on his article regarding poetry in O's magazine and his `The Politics of poetry' article on poetry foundation. The beginning of the latter article had me trifle amazed that he linked poetry and politics. It augurs well.

Jump into the book. The `personal' chapter is a sunny day for the general reader. At the end of it, the reader can tell how a poet can keep his/her person out of the poem and still make the reader think that he/she has been a confidante. Sharon Olds tell all poetry is a good example of how she distances herself from the whole scene, while still escaping its influence.

The `politics' chapter is certain to lose audience with its difficulty. A common affliction of prose and not just poetry. Poetry don't worry, you are fine, nothings wrong with your form.

That brings us to the form chapter. A turning point in the life of poetry which takes it back to its definition. This is a good place of discussion for all readers to find themselves in - questioning an art form, its purpose.

The rest of the chapters are like voices from a distant world. Like his articles, the idea and intentions of introducing general readers to poetry are great. But his choice of approach - birds eye view at the world of poetry, moved me a step down from liking the book. The author does say in the introduction that it is not an inclusive approach which does justify the end product's loose stucture but by degrees it moves away a lot. In the last chapter of getting personal with how 'water' poem of Philips Larkin changed his attitude towards poetry, he does get his bearings back as the messenger of poetry.

Using the author's metaphor of poetry as Belgium, once there you would like to see how it is different from your native country in detail and it suffices to know of any similarities just in name.


With regards to modernity of poems,
American life in poetry

Last of the 100 day poets

TV Antennas on the terrace. Wind or rain affects the transmission quality.


Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Kathrine Varnes

Cin Salach

Sean Thomas Dougherty

John Gallaher

Susan Briante

Josh Corey

Laynie Browne

Pimone Triplett

Brenda Hillman

Jenny Browne

From a poem to many

Elizabeth Hughey Sunday houses the sunday house. More poems of her. who is Veronica who reappears in her poems?


Aporia. Monica de la Torre.

On Van Jordan. His poem MacNolia are from different characters POV.

Michele Batiste's poem and chapbook

Jean Marie Beaumont

Box of metaphors

Laura Mullen's Banyan poem makes the reader allocate a place for everything that thrives in its own way.

Hop scotch of prose and poetry

Maxine Hong Kingston, an accomplished author has recently published I love a broad margin to my Life, a free-verse memoir.

If you are wondering what is free verse…

Meghan O’ Rourke, a poet, wrote of a grief experience in ‘The Long Goodbye’ prose and then in ‘Once’ poetry form. Rourke was scared of poetry’s openness.

Why an artist wedded to a form loses grip on her medium during a turning point in life?

Growing up I was interested in essay form where Robert’s Frost ‘miles to go before I sleep’ stanza still crept in. After a poetry class, it seemed like I had said goodbyes to the only form of staking words that I knew.

Poetry undulates between the high of giving wings to your experience but of removing your stable ground too at the same time.

myth

Caisson

Lachesis and Clotho in Patricia Spear Jones poem

Different styles

Allison Joseph

In her poems, Joseph doesnt call us into them, to look at the end result. We are invited right from the beginning of the journey.

Ann Fisher Wirth with ecocritical thought.

Anne Waldman's essay on her journey of poetry.

Rough waters

When I saw the book Venice: Pure City, I picked to read it but had to forgo with the plate being full. I make do with this video

What rhymes with cottage?

Elizabeth Bishop's poemLarge Bad picture was inspired by this
painting
Another poem of hers. The Monument with accompanying Frottage.
A word that I have been running into lately galley.

Averroes
Caravel

Erika Meitner
Donna Masini

Are there

10000 ways to say I love you?

Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style

Word Applique

David Roderick
Joshua Marie Wilkinson
Hughsons tavern
Nicole Cooley

second generation experiences

Yesterday while reading Talk Thai: the Adventures of a Buddhist Boy, I came across Gish Jen mentioned along with Amy Tan.

Animals and Orchards

This collection is a menagerie.

Strange wood poems by Kevin Prufer are evocative.
Tektite

Eric Pankey
Coracle

Memoir

so that one of them could climb up her backbone and escape the poverty... Rick Bragg, All over but the shoutin'

With raw sentences like this, I dont think I know what I signed up for by picking to read this book.

Bluetick hound

Southern link

In Hoi Polloi, Nin Andrews wotks in the myth of Goldilocks very well.

Her poems are puzzles, each peeling revealing her roots.