Erica Wright

Wednesday's Poem: Go Little Fish, Go

Anna Lowe Weber’s poem “All We Didn’t Know We Didn’t Know” is surprising in its intimacy. Her “we” feels genuine as if, yes indeed, we are “all of us saints of something.” Or, at least, we used to be. This sonnet is imbued with nostalgia; it highlights those magical properties of youth (not looks but imaginations) that we don’t know to value at the time. The religious undercurrent feels right, too, especially the way in which we sometimes can’t control thoughts or prayers. I won’t spoil the ending by quoting it, but I’ve never seen such a little fish go so far. You’ll root for him, too.

“All We Didn’t Know We Didn't Know” was published in the latest issue of Boxcar Poetry Review. 

 
 

Wednesday's Poem: Kids Again? Yes!

Most of the time, I enjoy living alone. I can eat artichoke pasta three nights in a row, make up songs for Lola the Cat, and dance to Lily Allen whenever I want. Of course, there are also times when I’m on a ladder in the middle of the night, praying that I don’t die in my “Barack the Vote” t-shirt and polka-dot panties. Less dangerous but equally annoying is reading something so good that I want to share it with someone right now. Lately, this has made me avoid reading a few particular poets before going to bed. No one I know enjoys being woken up to hear me squeal, “You have got to hear this.” 

One such poet is Ada Limón. I am teaching her marvelous Sharks in the Rivers this semester. The title poem of this collection is published at the Academy of American Poets’ website, HERE. Over on her blog, Limón shared a poem she wrote for 3^rd graders, and I guess I’m on a teaching-poem kick because I wanted to share it, it being “The Invitation.”

Is there much poetry for children these days? I must admit that I really don’t know. I am glad that Matthea Harvey’s Of Lamb is receiving some well-deserved attention. And really, who better to appreciate a surprising rhyme than an eight-year-old? Or however old I am because when Limón rhymes “unknown” with “poem,” it feels right to me, too.

 

Instructions for Killing the Jackal

I just realized that when you click on "Books," you are taken to a pre-order page. Instructions for Killing the Jackal is not for pre-order, it's for order! You can get your very own copy *right now* at any of these links:

Black Lawrence Press

Powell's Books

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

 

 

Wednesday's Poem: Back to School

What a stroke of luck that I began (and gleefully finished) reading “The Teachers Are Loose” by Erik Bloch even though it is double-spaced with short lines, a choice that often equals melodrama. In Bloch’s usage, the form is playful and complements the equally playful subject matter. I found this poem a week or so after my teaching semester ended, and while I didn’t “hot-wire // the best cars // in the student lot,” I may have if my students drove cars. Who knows what can happen during those blissful first moments of a break? In Bloch’s imagination, the high school teachers have declared their own break, chaining up the doors after second period. They frolic in teenage-style, making this poem the perfect escapist fantasy for any beleaguered Spanish or math teacher who’s ever had a carefully rendered explanation greeted with “That’s whack.”

 “The Teachers Are Loose” was originally published at anderbo.com.

Wednesday's Poem: Bring on the Livestock

The story I remember about Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” is that it took her a decade to write. She lost a friend, and in her notebook, she wrote about the accident with “villanelle?” in the margin. Whether or not my memory is accurate, the villanelle as a vehicle for grief makes sense. There’s something about the repetition that mimics the way we mourn, taking a step forward only to retreat three. 

Heather Foster’s poem “Donkeys” is not a strict villanelle, but it perfectly captures the grief of two sisters burying their animals. Even as the girls admit that they loved the “milk-eyed monstrosities,” they do what needs to be done. They are steady in their work. It’s hard not to admire their intensity just as it's hard not to admire the poet’s control: “The nothing we’ve said all day comes to this— // It takes an hour and dirt’s the only sound.”  

“Donkeys” by Heather Foster was originally published in The Country Dog Review in the Fall/Winter 2011-2012 issue.

Wednesday’s Poem: The Inauguration

In 2005, I took a class with Liam Rector called “Poets in Their Youth,” which focused on those tragic titans Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Robert Lowell, Delmore Schwartz, and John Berryman. Liam’s favorite assignments took the form of lists, for example The 10 Best Poetry Books of the 20^th Century or The 10 Best Poems of the 20^th Century. I’m also a sucker for lists, so I jumped into these rankings with enthusiasm. After all, competitive poetry is like competitive yoga, i.e. awesome. 

It’s the beginning of 2012, so there are plenty of Best Of lists to satisfy my appetite. Coldfront’s Top 30 Poetry Books of 2011 is terrific because it includes micro reviews for each choice. Even better, though, is David Lehman’s “Poetic Perfection: Three Favorite Poems of 2011,” which appeared on NPR’s website. You heard me right: 3! It’s the Olympics of Verse! Lehman also included thoughtful write-ups for each choice. I enjoyed these so much that I had an idea for a series of my own.

There are a lot of terrific places where you can find poem recommendations, but I love the idea of poem recommendations with brief introductions. Also, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to read more literary journals, so this project is self-serving, too. I am going to choose one poem to highlight every week of 2012, and this poem shall be dubbed Wednesday’s Poem.

Although, as stated above, I do enjoy a good death match, these will just be poems that I think are great.* Here is my very first Wednesday’s Poem:

The structure should probably be mentioned last when discussing Weston Cutter’s “Rural Causality,” and yet, it’s what I noticed first, thinking, how did he move from potheads to God in six sentences? Is it the snake that sneaks into the house? Is it the killing of said snake? There’s a sleight-of-hand in Cutter’s opening. While we’re watching a man unpack in the basement, a natural wonder brews up the stairs and out the front door. And it is the storm, not the piles of clothes, that leads us to conclude, “even without light / it’s possible to see what one believes in.”

"Rural Causality" by Weston Cutter was published on December 1, 2011 in The Nashville Review.

 

*Rules: 1) One poem will be chosen each week. 2) The poem will be from an online source, so that I can provide a link. 3) The poem must have been published recently, whatever that means. 4) No Guernica poems allowed, although I love every single line we publish. 5) If I choose a poem by someone I know, I will indicate so and try to choose a second poem by a stranger.

Four Irish Poets: More Than a Bit of Craic

On October 31st, I attended a stellar reading featuring Eiléan Ní Chuilleanáin, Leontia Flynn, Caitriona O’Reilly and Rita Ann Higgins. I wrote about this 92nd Street Y event for the organization's blog. You can reach my essay and a recording of Chuilleanáin(!!!) HERE.

Sometimes I kill time on public transportation by making lists; I see how many diseases, Olympic sports, or bands beginning with “The” that I can name (silently) by the time I arrive at my destination. On my way to 92Y on October 31st, I tried Irish poets in honor of the event I was going to see. The game didn’t last very long, especially if I eliminated the dead ones. CONTINUE.

 

The Webb School Chapel Talk

I'm on YouTube! Earlier this year, I gave a talk/reading at my high school. It was an amazing experience to be back in Bell Buckle for a couple of days. Here's proof that I didn't pass out like that one time in biology class dissecting frogs:

 

 

Emily Fragos: An Eternal Poet

Emily Fragos discusses why Dickinson is “an eternal poet,” a horse named Centares, and the sound a finished poem makes. You can read my Q & A with her HERE.

 

The Dzanc Sessions

I will be teaching a ten-week online poetry workshop starting in January! Check out the link and description:

Writing Poetry: An Introductory Workshop

In this ten-week course, we will discuss and practice craft elements such as imagery, line breaks, and form. You can expect to draft at least two poems, which will be mulled over by your classmates and me. If you have never taken a workshop before, don’t worry; you’ll get plenty of guidance on how to give and receive helpful feedback. Our learning will be supplemented by reading some of the best poets writing today such as Carolyn Forché, Jack Gilbert, and Joanie Mackowski as well as late-greats such as Julio Cortázar, Elizabeth Bishop, and Federico García Lorca. Hopefully you’ll find some new favorites along the way!

(There are a lot of great online courses available through the Dzanc sessions, so if this one doesn't float your boat, you might want to click on the link above anyway.)