In business it is a common practice to read biographies to learn how other successful people approached their challenges and “rose to the top.” Is it possible to do the same with literature? Can you read all the great books of the past and learn how to write one yourself? If you read every Puschart [...]
Well, I’ve always wondered what Jim Murdoch really thought about me. Now I know. Thanks Jim.
I had prepared myself to write one of my philosophical posts on a topic related to writing today, but as I sat down to write, I’d forgotten the topic I was to write on. It was important earlier in the [...]
A philosopher on writing workshops.
How the Pulitzers are selected.
A new addition at The New York Quarterly.
Hating poetry is a virtue.
Why some poetry matters (and some doesn’t).
Quote of the Day:
If both chairs are dirty, to sit between them is the best place for a poet.
Thanks Yevtushenko
Reginald Shepherd talks about how he started his accidental blog. He says some interesting things in the piece, but one thing I’d like to quote is this:
Google’s Blogger software requires one to set up an account [...]
The Kenyon Review is extolling the new forms of literature. The interesting thing about these YouTube videos is that many of them are done by high school students while reading through literature in their classes. I remember reading Great Expectations for the first time. I don’t remember having exactly this reaction to it, but it [...]
I’m a little late in blogging about this, but poet Anne Stevenson wrote poetry for 40 years before getting swamped with recognition. After 18, count ‘em, 18 books of poetry, this marathon runner has won three very important American poetry prizes totaling $260,000 in payout. It just goes to show that patience is still a [...]
The Missouri Review selected the winners of its Jeffrey E. Smith Editors’ Prize Contest:
Jude Nutter of Edina, MN
Other finalists included:
Christina Hutchins of Albany, CA
Paisley Rekdal of Salt Lake City, UT
Scott Coffel of Iowa City, IA
Edward Byrne of Valparaiso Poetry Review named John Ashbery “Poet of the Year.”
Robert Lee Brewer laments the lack of poetry [...]
I couldn’t wait until this evening to make a post. The following items appeared in my inbox this morning along with my Google Alerts for the key terms I track:
Robert Peake laments the late arriving issue of North American Review. What on earth could it mean?
Nicholas Manning wonders if visual poetics and poetry videos should [...]
While reading my favorite blogs and news stories the last couple of days, I’ve noticed there are quite a few noticeable notables. I’d just like to mention a few:
First, the names of the Best New Poets of 2007 have finally been published. Publishers are beginning to take nominations for 2008.
The Virginia Quarterly Review clues us [...]
Here’s a great post on movies that are based on poems. The interesting thing about this list is that there are many movies based on the poems of Robert Service. I had no idea.
In 1982, there was a movie in the U.S. based on the Cremation of Sam McGee, one of my favorites. I was [...]