temperance14: (Default)
temperance14 ([personal profile] temperance14) wrote2010-05-27 12:38 am
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One other note

It's late, but I know I'll not post this.

On Tues night, I went through archives of old shows, to see how he handled amateur poets. I frankly wasn't sure what I was supposed to do. Presumed brief intro, read the poem, done.
When I got there, Prof said there would be my reading, poetry, and 15 minutes of conversation.

Well, actually, it was my reading, some musical interludes, and 15 minutes of conversation. Eep.
Bless the man, as I entered the studio, he was playing Roethke reading his own piece, "I Knew a Woman", a huge favorite of mine. Oddly, I felt Roethke read it too seriously--I read it as a whimsical, humorous, sexy characterization. Boy...that screws up my essay's theory!

But, back to mulling: I now wish I could have read more poetry. I have only one other piece of my own in the backpack...I leave that for another bistro night. But I would have read the poems of others:

Roethke's poem would have been the obvious choice (its first line is the epigraph to my poem);
"Wilfred Owen's Photographs" by Ted Hughes (almost impossible to find on the internet);
"Blue Monday", by Diane Wakowski, which I've linked in a prior LJ post. Beautiful fugue.

Or, choosing from the April issue of Poetry: Adam Kirsch, Emily Warn, or Randall Mann (although I'm sure that last would have sounded odd).

off to bed.

[identity profile] lyahdan.livejournal.com 2010-05-27 02:51 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know, it seems to flow much better read with a lighter heart. But who knows if he generally felt that 'poetry reading is serious biznss' or was nervous or actually felt that it was a ponderous piece. I mean...cheek to cheek just came out strangely when he read it. That is not a serious phrase...he could have had them jowl by jowl for that. :p)

Also, in looking that one up, I rediscovered his The Waking, which I'd loved in college (mostly because of the first line...I am not a perky early bird and parodied this thing endlessly). It has a lot more to it 20 years later.

You have a lovely radio voice, btw.

[identity profile] temperance14.livejournal.com 2010-05-27 03:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Roethke was an amazing "poet of place". Shields has a great selection of books on the man and his work.

Yes, there are poems that 10 to 20 years later make you think, "oooo yeah, now I get it".

And thank you!!

[identity profile] temperance14.livejournal.com 2010-05-27 04:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Forgot to post a link to Poetry Magazine, April issue (http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/toc.html?issue=2329). This month had an interesting format: each poet was intereviewed by the magazine about the pieces submitted. Interesting** read for those who write or "deep read" poems.

**Interesting means suprises, good insight, or absolute frustration with an obtuse explanation.

Seriously, take a review on line. May issue may be gone at the News Beat, likely June is out. And not just the writers recommended above. Those were just the ones I thought would make a good on line read: hit H.L. Hix's prose poem. Randall Mann's modern ballad/stories/rambles. Spencer Reece. And these need "sit down, read and re-read".

And nothing beats a physical read of poetry, without the computer light poking into your eyes and the fan humming in your ear.

And you can't notate a page on your iPod--get your pencils out kids.
Edited 2010-05-27 16:08 (UTC)