Schemes, Dreams, and Some Thoughts on Poetry
Poetica ex Machina
Toni Morrison scholars have had a glorious feeding frenzy dissecting the relationships and historical contexts of Beloved (1987). Still, there’s one element of this ghost story that deserves more attention: the surging, sluicing, wondrous poetry conveying the thoughts of the dead and the living as the novel moves toward its denouement.
Philip Levine’s “Milkweed”
I first read Philip Levine in a poetry writing class when I was an undergrad at the University of Virginia. Professor Charles Vandersee assigned a bouquet of books by contemporary poets, including Levine’s 7 Years from Somewhere, Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich, The House on Marshland by Louise Glück, and Field Guide by Robert Hass—all marvelous and enduring volumes.
Anne Sexton's "Her Kind"
I have always admired Anne Sexton's "Her Kind." It is as good and purposeful as the nib of a fountain pen sinking into a bloviating patriarch's fleshy old fanny.
What to Do with a Year Like This One
1.
Press its thorny stems between the pages of a book you plan to give away.
Let it simmer on the stove until the smoke is sweet and the pan is gone.
Robert Frost's Drop Shot
I've often wondered about Robert Frost's famous line, "I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down."
Listening to Dietrich Bonhoeffer
When Barack Obama and Donald Trump met at the White House shortly after the election, President Obama was, as always, a statesman and gentleman.
The Difficult Lessons of Richard Wright's Native Son
Lately I've been thinking about Richard Wright's famous protest novel, Native Son (1940). The book is a page-turner like no other, and there is much to learn from it during this long season of exhibitionistic murders.
Beat Poet Harold Norse: An Interview with Todd Swindell
During times of upheaval, art of all kinds can offer solace and refuge. As an antidote to the horrors we are all grappling with these days, I recommend to you the life and writing of Harold Norse (1916-2009), an out gay man who grew up in the 1920s and 1930s.
Daffodils, 1950
On a country road not far from where I live, there's a house I never notice except in the spring.
Poetry Readings: A Love Story
As an audience member, I approach poetry readings with mingled feelings of hope and dread.
The Road to Culpeper
A torn flag hangs From the balcony of a two-story Shack; fields of corn give way
My Strangers in the Night
Earlier this year I interviewed a very talented artist, Jessie Meehan, who told me that she gets much of her inspiration in the moments right before she falls asleep.
Kittens, Moonshine, and Sherwood Anderson: A Love Story
My summer travels brought me to the small town of Marion, tucked in the mountains of southwestern Virginia.
Somewhere in America: Before and After Charleston
Somewhere in America, as I write this, you sit hunched over a laptop in your family’s basement planning a rampage.
The Trouble in Baltimore, the Literature of Ann Petry
If you want to understand the mayhem in Baltimore that occurred after Freddie Gray's entirely preventable death, get a copy of Miss Muriel and Other Stories (1971) by Ann Petry and read "In Darkness and Confusion," a novella based on the Harlem race riot of 1943.