Featured Book Friday: Two Good Poems

I've been a lousy blogger this week. I've been busy with work and home tasks, and I haven't, sadly, read as much of Good Poems as I'd like (though this "Featured Book Friday" post is showing up a few hours early, so that should count for something).

When I have read though, I've been glad I did. Good Poems is, I think, a true literary gem. Sure, there are probably much better collections of poetry in the world, and there are certainly smarter, more complex, more layered poems out there than the ones that appear in this book. In fact, if Good Poems has a flaw, it's that a lot of the poems in it are dangerously simple. Some of the poems are even downright coherent (gasp!).

But there's immense value in this simplicity. Too often, English professors and academics like me tend to value complexity and depth and even difficulty more than we value clarity and beauty. This is one reason, I think, I hear so many people complain about poetry and literature and English classes from their past.

You'd probably be surprised, incidentally, just how comfortable people are, after they find out I'm an English professor, throwing all of their literary angst in my direction -- "I hate poetry!", "You're not one of those professors who makes people agree with your interpretation, are you?", "You're an English professor? I'll be careful what I say around you" (conversation ends) .

Maybe there'd be less angst over literature in the world today if we taught more poems like the ones Garrison Keillor puts in this collection. Take this poem, for example, by Wendy Cope. It's so simple and easy to understand that I wouldn't hesitate teaching it to a class of children. It's got a playful, sing-songy meter and easy-to-listen-to, end-stopped rhymes. And yet, it's not mundane. It's important and captures the beauty that comes from simple pleasures.

Or consider this poem by Sheenagh Pugh. It's just a simple expression of well-wishing for the reader. People get this poetry. And yet, I could read this poem ten times, back-to-back, without getting bored. I could sit down to memorize it without growing tired of it.

These are the poems I most admire -- poems that are simple, but still beautiful; accessible, but still meaningful. Good Poems contains a host of these, and stumbling on one is like finding a twenty-dollar bill you'd forgotten about in your pants pocket.

"Oh," you think when you find it. "There's that wonderful little thing. I knew it had to be somewhere."

Featured Book Friday: Poems Are Short!

This month, as I'm reading Good Poems edited by Garrison Keillor, I'm discovering yet another benefit of reading poetry, an obvious benefit that presumably everyone on earth already knows and I'm only just figuring out. It's this:

Poetry is short, and you can read a good poem in no time at all.

This is fortunate because I've had a remarkably busy week. My wife's birthday is this week. My anniversary is this week. Mothers' Day is this week. I'm in charge of a major community project this week. I've had meeting after meeting. I've been grading papers.

And yet, I've read a lot of poetry this week, but never in long, sustained stretches. Instead, I've read in snippets. I read a few poems in the 10-minute break between my classes. I read a bunch of poems while I was cycling at the gym. I read a poem while walking to class. I read a poem while waiting in line at the bank. I'm even contemplating reading poetry later today while I mow the lawn. I could just prop the book up of the lawnmower's handle and go at it. I'll bet it would work, and my neighbors already know I'm weird, so what would I lose?

In two minutes of down time -- in the time it takes to check your email or drop a bill in the mailbox or make yourself a sandwich -- you can read a good poem.

So, read this. It's one of the poems included in Good Poems. It'll take you about a minute to read, and it'll show you something beautiful.

And to those who say they're too busy to read, go get a copy of Good Poems and try carrying it around with you. If you do, you'll find a few minutes here and there to read -- maybe in the grocery store or at the dentist -- and before you know it, you'll have read dozens, maybe even hundreds, of beautiful poems.

Three Western Poets

There's something wonderful about poets from the American west.

I know this is a gross generalization, but it seems to me that poets from the west aren't trying as hard to impress anybody. They tend to shun obscure, intentionally difficult poetry in favor of clean, simple language.

Poets from the west seem to end up writing poems that are clear and definite and hard and rugged and gritty.

And I like it.

So today I'd like to tell you about three cool western poets and link you to some of their poetry. Here they are:

1. William Kloefkorn

Kloefkorn, who's from Nebraska, has written twelve books of poetry. He's said, "Poems should not be simplistic, nor should they be sermons. Poetry is for those who want to use their own minds to find answers. It can challenge without being elitist or obscure."

Kloefkorn's also a darn nice guy. I once went to a poetry reading he gave and loved his work. I approached him after the reading and asked where I could buy the book he'd been reading from. "You want to buy one of these books?" he said. "Why would you buy one when there's one right here?" Then he signed the book he'd been reading from and gave it to me. He's a class act.

You can read one of his shorter poems about a belated confession here.

2. Lucas Howell

Howell lives in Wyoming and studied creative writing in Idaho. He's a younger writer, and I'd never heard of him until yesterday when I encountered this poem in Slate. It's fantastic, and if this one poem ends up being the only thing Howell ever writes, I think he should count himself a success.

I've never understood men who relive their glory days through adult softball leagues, but Howell's poem brings these men and the conflict between their lives and wishes into clear, easy focus. He shows these men as likable, longing-filled creatures, and I like that.

I'll look for more Lucas Howell in the future.

3. David Lee

Lee was Utah's first poet laureate, and his poetry grows out of his eclectic background. Check out these resume lines:

• He's raised pigs.
• He's been a boxer.
• He's a war veteren.
• He's been a semiprofessional baseball player.
• He's worked in a cotton mill.
• He has a PhD in poetry.

The man's done an awful lot, and you can read one of his poems here.

I hope you enjoyed today's poetry. We start our discussion of Good Poems by Garrison Keillor on Friday, so get your copy soon.

New British Poet Laureate: Carol Ann Duffy

Did you know that the British have been appointing poet laureates for 341 years?

And did you know that poet laureates of Britian have included some top-notch classic poets, like John Dryden, Alfred Tennyson, and William Wordsworth?

And did you know that in 341 years, the poet laureate of Britian has never -- not once -- been a woman?

Until now.

On Friday, for the first time in history, a woman received the appointment to become the British poet laureate.

Her name is Carol Ann Duffy, and The New York Times has a nice write up about her life and poetry here.

If you'd like to learn more about her, you can read two of her poems here.

A "Poem-A-Day" from the Academy of American Poets

April is right around the corner, and that can only mean one thing:

National. Poetry. Month.

Yep, that's right. We actually have a month in this country dedicated entirely to poetry, which is yet another testament to the awesomeness of this great nation. (America! Yesssss!)

National Poetry Month was started back in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, and this year their promotional poster is pretty sweet. The question in it, "Do I dare disturb the universe?" is from "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot, an obscure and challenging poem which I did NOT link to because I do NOT recommend reading it if you're hoping to enjoy poetry anytime soon.

Even so, it's a great quote for a poster, and what the Academy of American Poets is trying to accomplish with National Poetry Month is pretty cool. Here's what their website says about it:

"National Poetry Month is a month-long, national celebration of poetry established by the Academy of American Poets. The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. We hope to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated."

So right about now the questions you're probably asking yourself are these: "How, oh how, can I celebrate National Poetry Month, and what mere human event would be worthy of such a lofty occasion?"

The answer, of course, is that you should celebrate National Poetry Month by signing up for an email newsletter. (Seems kind of obvious now that I've mentioned it, right?)

If you go here and enter your email address, the Academy of American Poets will deliver a poem to your inbox everyday through the month of April. What's even better is that all the poems they send you will be from books coming out this spring.

Finally, to kick off National Poetry Month, here's a short quiz for those who'd like to expand their knowledge of contemporary poets.

• Who's the current Poet Laureate of the United States?
• Which poet most recently won the National Book Award?
• Who were the last two poets to win Pulitzer Prizes?

Poem of the Day: Some Days

The other day I asked the students in one of my classes to name their favorite living poets. Sadly (but expectedly), they met my request with the same kind of terrified, blank stares I get when I announce a pop quiz. Eventually, most of them grudgingly acknowledged that they didn't know the name of a single living poet (and these were English majors). Even those who managed to come up with the name of a poet or two had to strain to pull them from their memories. ("Oh . . . oh . . . that one guy!) All of this reminded me why I started this blog.

I believe writers matter. I believe ideas matter. I believe art matters. And if this blog exposes even a few people to contemporary literature who wouldn't otherwise see it, I'll be perfectly content.

So to all my readers who struggle to name living poets, today I offer you this -- a beautifully read poem titled "Some Days" by Billy Collins.



Incidentally, Billy Collins served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. Collins doesn't try, as I suspect some poets do, to be intentionally abstract and weird. Instead, he's a populist, writing poetry for the common man and woman.

As always, your thoughts on poetry, Billy Collins, or the above poem are welcome in the comments.

Author Appearance: Greg Pape

Since most of my readers are in Eastern Idaho, I'd like to announce that Greg Pape, the Poet Laureate of Montana, will be at BYU-Idaho this week giving a poetry reading and holding a question and answer session. Details follow:

POETRY READING
March 11th, 7:00pm

Smith Building, Room 240

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

March 12th, 2:00pm

Smith Building, Room 240

Greg Pape has published nine books of poetry for which he's received a host of awards, including two National Endowment for the Arts Individual Fellowships, the Richard Hugo Memorial Award from Cutbank, a Pushcart Prize, and a Robert Frost Fellowship in Poetry at Breadloaf. If you'd like to explore his poetry before attending his events, you can check out a sampling here.

You can also see a video of Greg Pape reading one of his poems, "Life Cycle," below:



NOTE: I'll be posting my first impressions of this month's featured book Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri on Friday the 13th. So far my thoughts are these: "Anything Jhumpa Lahiri touches turns to gold." She's that good. If you haven't yet tracked down a copy of the book, it's not too late. You can still get it and read along.

Today's "Writer's Almanac": Ellen Steinbaum

Today's "Writer's Almanac" featured a poem titled "Letter Home" by Ellen Steinbaum. (For those who don't know, "Writer's Almanac" is a radio show hosted by Garrison Keillor in which he reads a daily poem).

Keillor has good taste, and most of the stuff he reads on "Writer's Almanac" is good.

"Letter Home," however, is more than good. It's spledid. It's pleasantly free of the inaccessible language and cryptic allusions that plague so much of today's poetry, and it stil manages to achieve a level of depth, particularly in its final, tone-shifting stanza.

Read the poem here, and if you like "Letter Home," you can see more of Steinbaum's poetry at her website.

In addition to her poetry, Steinbaum writes a column for the Boston Globe. She has said of writing: "I believe in the power of words. When we tell little children, 'use your words,' we are helping them take hold of their most powerful posession. Words can be abused, but they can also be used to make the world better--more coherent, more connected, more beautiful, more true."

Amen.

As always, feel free to share your thoughts on "Letter Home" or Ellen Steinbaum in our comments section below.

The Inaugural Poem

"We encounter each other in words, words spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed; words to consider, reconsider."

-- Elizabeth Alexander, Inaugural Poem, January 20th, 2009

Today, plenty of pundits, analysts, and everyday folks around the watercooler are talking about Obama's inaugural address. Someone, however, ought to talk about the inaugural poem read by Elizabeth Alexander that immediately followed Obama's speech (so at WWADY we'll gladly step up).

If you missed it (or if you want to hear it again), you can listen to the poem below:



This poem seems to be an exploration of words and their power -- how you and I and everyone interact through words, how words shape our relationships and perceptions. (Is it a coincidence that Alexander pointed out the power of words when Obama has been occasionally criticized as "just another good speaker"?)

The poem examines the power of not only the small things we say to each other (i.e., "take out your pencils") and not only of the creeds we live by (i.e., "first do no harm, or take no more than you need") but also, and more optimistically, of the possibilities that emerge when we express love (i.e., "What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national. Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance.")

Because Alexander knows that "anything can be made, any sentence begun," using words to express love might be the noblest, best use for them, and perhaps we should all "[walk] forward in that light."

Now, the idea that expressing love is "mighty" may not be the most original thought, but all in all, the messages about language and its power as well as love and its power seemed particularly fitting given the setting.

If you'd like to see a complete transcript of the inaugural poem, The New York Times published it here.

And incidentally, Elizabeth Alexander has published five books of poetry, and many of her poems can be read at her website. If you visit her site, be sure to read "Ars Poetica #100: I Believe" - a personal favorite.

Now it's your turn. What are your thoughts on Alexander's poem? Do you have a favorite line or idea? A favorite phrase?

Let the dialogue begin.

(NOTE: If you're using Internet Explorer, I'm having a problem with comments. Click the title of this post above or here -- "The Inaugural Poem" -- and you'll be able to see the comments area below the post. Sorry, and I'll figure this out ASAP.)