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| Maxine Kumin |
Lots of poetry events are happening locally this fall. Eight poet laureates are reading at the Library of Congress this Wednesday, October 6th. What an abundance of riches that will be!
The Library is also offering a Fall 2010 Poetry at Noon Series starting October 19th.
The Folger Shakespeare Library has scheduled "The Hardison Poetry Series" for 2010/11. It began September 28th with Edward Hirsch making the case for poetry and continues once a month into May 2011.
Georgetown University has a 2010/11 Reading Series at the Lannan Center, featuring a plethora of poets.
Who said D.C. was just a government town?
Speaking of Poet laureates, former poet laureate, Charles Simic posted (LC site) a list of things to keep in mind when writing a poem. I thought I'd share a few of them with you.
"Don't tell the readers what they already know about life and don't assume you're the only one in the world who suffers."
"Don't overwrite, but do consider what you are writing down a draft that will need additional tinkering, perhaps many months, and even year of tinkering."
I invite you to consider this your mantra for the month of October.
Tinker, tinker, tinker.
Reap, reap, reap.
More riches---W.S Merwin, the current poet laureate, will be reading at The Library of Congress at 7p.m. on October 25th.
ReplyDeleteEvery verse is a child of love,
ReplyDeleteA destitute bastard slip,
A firstling -- the winds above --
Left by the road asleep.
Heart has a gulf, and a bridge,
Heart has a bless, and a grief.
Who is his father? A liege?
Maybe a liege, or a thief.
Marina Tsvetaeva
1918
I like this poem Anna, especially the line ...Every verse is a child of love.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try to find more of Marina's poems.
Thanks for adding it.
Hello from Germany!
ReplyDeleteMaybe you need to do a blog on German poets.
ReplyDeleteHow about it?
I love it. A big fan of Tsvetaeva and student long long ago of Maxine Kumin which led me to your blog.
ReplyDeleteI learned this year, not to be precious and am a terrible speller,
that the plural is "poets laureate" as in "attorneys general." Who knew?
I am happily the poet laureate of Santa Fe, which is how this was pointed out to me. My blog has less about poetry than about life, www.thepoemdiffernt.blogspot.com
Dear Claire,
ReplyDeletefrom my point of view Ilya Shambad's translations are the best I've ever met:
http://lib.ru/POEZIQ/CWETAEWA/sbornik_engl.txt
Joan---now I know---thanks for that. Honored that a poet laureate found her way to my blog and am looking forward to reading your blog.
ReplyDeleteAnna---thanks for the tip---I now have some time to read some poetry and will check out your link.
Also time for some "blogging" for me.