Thursday, November 16, 2006

I think we should all go off into the woods and make art here

The Best New Poets came a few days ago and it is truly a beautiful book. I love books that feel good in the hands, where someone actually took time to listen to the flow. Generally I HATE anthologies b/c the sound is off. The poems seem like bad dates that keep bumping into each other. It is almost painful to watch.

At the big conference last week, the speaker said that a good non profit knows what it is good at, doesn’t try to save the world, recognizes its strength, and identifies weakness.

Of course I relate everything to poetry. Last Saturday I went to a reading where the poet wrote BIG poems about bombs, the holocaust. I began to wonder if it is possible to make a big poem successful. Carolyn Forche’s few lines say more about war than this poor man did in two hours and I wonder if it is b/c she never says anything about war.

I began wondering in this reading, if by trying to be too much we loose the beauty of elements, of what is essential. I thought about the poems I love and why I love them. How I will remember Brigit Pegeen Kelly eyes of a peach until the day I die.

3 comments:

tom said...

if i read correctly you are in the cities area? if so, do you ever go down to Mankato for the Good Thunder readings? my daughter is in the MFA program there - her twin sister and husband live in Minnetonka

i had a chance to briefly meet Forche in Duluth in 91 at the Split Rock program - heard her read - i agree about her poetry

Erin Lynn said...

Hi Teresa--

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Did you attend the Charles Simic reading last night? It was wonderful to see over 200 people out in support of poetry!
I have a poem up briefly on my blog - would you take a look and let me know what you think?
-Erin

early hours of sky said...

Tom, yes I live in Minneapolis but I have never been to Mankato. I am a east coast girl at heart but I have heard greats things about the Thunder series.

Erin, I havent had a chance to look at the poem but I will tomorrow. My work has been crazy and I missed Simic which sucks. I walked around all day yesterday muttering to myself, "I missed him, I missed him."

Oh the life of a working girl.