December 10, 2018
Poetry for People Who Hate Poetry – December
What makes poetry poetry? Ask that question of a dozen poets, scholars, or readers and you’ll get as many different answers, maybe more. Some won’t be much help: “Poetry is […]
November 7, 2018
Poetry for People Who Hate Poetry – November
“I never got poetry,” someone says to me again. And I sigh. Because I never got it either—at least, not until I learned to stop worrying about “getting it.” In […]
September 25, 2018
Poetry for People Who Hate Poetry – September
“I, too, dislike it.” Marianne Moore, “Poetry” But you don’t hate it. At least that’s what I hope you’ll discover as you read this column. I don’t want to convince […]
May 29, 2016
Know your state poet laureate: Michael Earl Craig, Montana
I was alerted to the fact that Michael Earl Craig was the current Montana Poet Laureate via a Facebook post by the (great) poet Christopher DeWeese (check out his illuminating […]
May 8, 2016
Three New Poems by Tod Marshall, Washington State Poet Laureate
Wandering, No Clouds My boyfriend says that he likes the work of Jim Dine, but I once saw Pinocchio drinking from a paper cup, and knew that he and I […]
May 4, 2016
Know Your State Poet Laureate: Tod Marshall, Washington
Have you ever seen the Seinfeld episode involving Elaine’s encounter with The Sidler? If not, do. In brief, one of Elaine’s new co-workers reveals himself to have a habit of […]
June 8, 2012
Short Takes: Cutting It Out, Keeping It In
Gangs of robots, social expectations, and charting syllogisms: if George Saunders, Lewis Carroll, and many others had written the much-maligned Twilight series. C. S. Lewis on “the thing” writers write […]
June 7, 2012
Mix Tape: Live Forever
Remembering Ray Bradbury, who died this week at age 91: “I went back and saw [Mr. Electrico] that night. He sat in the chair with his sword, they pulled the […]