Joseph Campana
Dance the Poem: or, Discoveries from AWP
What does a poem have to say to a dance? What does dance, which most often says nothing, have to do with poetry? Please tell me it’s not just that both can be called lyrical or rhythmic. I’ve thought about…
Cry Havoc
That special kind of attention the mind pays when it’s half-distracted: what is it called? I can’t say I know what it’s called when the poet stares at a sculpture an enters another world. Ekphrasis is an obvious choice, but…
Someone Wrote You a Letter
You know you should write but you don’t. I don’t. Let’s be clear: I’ve neglected my blog for weeks now, though I love it. And it took three weeks to send email notes to some people I met at a…
Someone Gives You a Poem
It’s not like getting a painting. To be fair, only once has anyone ever given me a painting. Imagine such a gift, especially if the work moves you. I’m imagining something else. I marvel at the ability to send images…
Mind of Winter
If anyone has one, a mind of winter, it’s Tomas Tranströmer. I’ve been thinking about his poems lately, how each seems to place the reader in a crystalline picture frame full of snow. His ardent admirers now have even more…
