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in media res
Member
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Posted: Sun Aug 5th, 2007 03:38 pm |
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Did not know where to put this and since this was an old thread I'll post it here!
For those who are interested in these things:
Saw a book advertised in the NY Times Book Review today.
"SONGS OF OURSELVES: The Uses of Poetry in America"
by
Joan Shelley Rubin
"Ms. Rubin has done innovative research into the wide arry of social functions that poetry served from 1880-1950." - Brad Leithuaser -Wall Street Journal
You can look for full reviews online.
Best,
in media res
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katoagogo
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Posted: Wed Aug 15th, 2007 09:22 pm |
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Speaking of poetry books -- this summer I picked up Legitimate Dangers: American Poets of the New Century -- and I gotta say -- it rocks as a collection. If you're into new poets -- this is a stellar collection of up-and-comers.
In his book ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING, Ray Bradbury recommends reading a poem each morning before sitting down to write. It's advice that I follow, and I find that it increases my capacity for organizing language.
--Kato
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in media res
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 22nd, 2007 11:56 am |
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katoagogo,
ZEN AND THE ART OF WRITING is a great book.
timmy from this forum should be in that new poetry book, "LEGITIMATE DANGERS!"
Kato, do you get The Writers Almanac from NPR every day?
in media resLast edited on Wed Aug 22nd, 2007 11:56 am by in media res
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MaryS
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Posted: Thu Aug 23rd, 2007 02:49 am |
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Hi In Media --
I LOVE the Writer's Almanac.
Here is the link:
http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/
Happy Brithday to Ray Bradbury!
Mary
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timmy
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| Joined: | Fri Jun 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Oz, Minnesota USA |
| Posts: | 309 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 23rd, 2007 03:34 am |
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IMR: your capacity to know a little bit of everything is amazing. You are my hero and I want to be like you when I grow up.
ps: Ray Bradbury is my other hero.
timmy
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in media res
Member
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Posted: Fri Aug 24th, 2007 07:54 pm |
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Methinks timmy's been drinking!
I must relate this to you: Ten years ago I was in LA and a friend of mine invited me to a Poetry Reading at a well-heeled fundraiser for some now forgotten, but as I remember some very decent non-political cause. It was going to be a Round Robin reading. Each poet would read a poem of their own in sequence until intermission. There would be an intermission, then they would return and they would read several poems of their own in sequence. Sounded like a nice concept and it was actually a nice evening.
Every poet but my friend had a name and some renown (meaning they had had several volumes published, they taught poetry at colleges/Universities. They actually "lectured" and some had sponsored chairs at colleges/universities. Their bios read BIG. It seemed as if they mentioned every term paper they had written from undergrad to the present!)
My friend was an actor who wrote poetry. Her bio was short, simple and tasteful. It was actually a big deal that she would be included among them, and was invited because the co-ordinator had stumbled upon her reading poetry in some other small venue.
Anyway, the "real" Poets, male and female, all were perfectly poet-like in dress, attitude, speech, demeanor. They came straight out of Central Casting. Their poetry was uninspired and pseudeo-intellectual, at best self-indulgent, lacking in imagery of note and just continue to freely check off down the line...it also read as cumbersomely as their self-promoting bios and they read it with all the verve of roadkill.
My friend's poetry had heart, cadence of language, varying structures, lyricism, spoke of deep inner life, beauty, pain... It read like her bio. And her variety of delivery was tailored to the tone of each piece. She also dressed appropriately and tastefully for the event.
At intermission, to a person, every one of the hundred or so audience members, were hanging around my friend, inquiring of her, complimenting her, fawning over her. They had most noticeably been moved by her.
You could actually feel the envy...nay, I dare say, venom...from the "poets" who cowered alone while they sipped their white wine, casting glances toward my friend. For me, it was great theatre. Interestingly, most of the audience were well-heeled friends of the "poets."
My friend is still acting and writing.
I assume those forgotten-to-me poets are still doing their thing.
So, yes, I would include you in any modern book of poetry.
best,
in media resLast edited on Fri Aug 24th, 2007 08:33 pm by in media res
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J Brian Long
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 30th, 2007 |
| Location: | USA |
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Posted: Thu Sep 6th, 2007 11:02 am |
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In Media Res,
Wow! It seems like your friend was thrown into a real twit-cluster that
evening! Fortunately for her it appears that the audience responded well
to her reading. You're right, it does read like theater.
Thank goodness not every poet with a big bio is like the ones you described.
Almost everyone with whom I have been involved has been accessible, humble,
and willing to help in any number of ways. I have heard very little in the way of
jealousy from them in regard to other poets' work, also. I suppose, though,
there is some of that in every group (and in everyone, as well). It is a shame
she (and you and the audience) had to be subjected to so much at one time.
In my own experience, I have encountered the most arrogance and venom from
those poetasters who seem to exist almost solely on-line (at the so-called
and often self-named "expert boards" ) and have had just enough arguable
(but sometimes not "real") "success" to prop up their sorely needful egos.
Throw in an "education" and ...whew! Ick.
Anyway, thanks for the book recommendation!
--J Brian Long
Last edited on Thu Sep 6th, 2007 11:04 am by J Brian Long
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