Both your piece and the comments are a treasure trove! I very much look forward to your planned future offerings! I am finishing up a MA in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership, but when I’m done, I plan to focus more on literary pursuits.
I find spiritual formation and literary (or any artistic) pursuits flourish in the same ecosystem. Reminds me of Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture and Mako Fujimura’s writing. Congratulations on your MA!
My favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Longfellow, and Tolkien, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. I just recently picked up Gerard Manley Hopkins’ complete poems and I am reading a poem or two a day for that.
I would say that you are the most influential living poet in my life. You have been so encouraging to me as I dip my toes into sharing my writing on Substack.
If you had limited time I would say that the Stallings lectures are all excellent, but for the beginning poet the one entitled “Upping the Ante” is a good one to start with. I loved the Ithaka one though. All of them are good. I would say Gioia’s “What is Poetry?” Is an excellent primer and very similar to what I was told over and over in the first class of our MFA at the University of St. Thomas. That Master Writer video with Perell is *chef’s kiss* wonderful. And of course you have already met Rhina is person at Frost so you know she is lovely. Such a wealth of information.
Thank you so much, Diane! There are many other poets I would like to highlight soon. I have a review of Katie Hartsock’s work coming out soon (hopefully), and I am going to fangirl the heck out of Alfred Nichol’s After the Carnival at some point.
Zina, I was blown away by this article. So much good information. I am not a poetry expert but I am trying to learn. The introduction to some living poets was wonderful. The first video with Dana was amazing. Such a good explanation. Thanks for all the work that went into this and your passion for educating others about poetry.
Thank you! I think over the next 6 weeks or so I will dedicate my posts to more of this type of introduction to my life in poetry. I’ve had a mess of a time trying to understand it myself, but I am seeing the fruits of my reading and writing now. I would love for people who had hated poetry or felt like they were stupid for not getting it (me in both cases) to walk a path to understanding the beauty of poems. So much of what ancient and modern work speaks to is a salve to the soul. I mean, you are doing a group reading of The Iliad, and it is absolutely incredible that a poem thousands of years old would be as captivating and relevant now as it was then. (BTW - excellent summaries you’ve been posting. Incredible work!)
She is so amazing. So many of her poems are favorites. The one I actually have in my memory is Empathy. Sad but masterful. I love Fear of Happiness, Cast Irony, Ajar, and so many others. Do you have a favorite of hers?
Among my very favorites is "Ajar," a very formal poem in hexameter that explodes off the page, going from a scene of domestic irritation into Greek mythology. Here's the poem and her words about it.
A while back Alicia gave me permission to write about Ajar on my Substack, but I didn't complete the essay. I plan on reviving it and posting it within the next month. It is such a great poem!
To your three favorite contemporary poets I'd add Ted Kooser, Malcolm Guite, Sally Thomas, Doireann Ní Ghríoffa, Jane Hirshfield, and Ada Limón.
My all time favorites include T.S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Eavan Boland, Emily Dickinson, and Christina Rossetti. But there are so many more poets who I count among my dear friends.
Dana Gioia is, I reckon, is the best and most accomplished living poet. He's my favorite living poet. I have his 99 Poems book and it's just banger after banger. Poems at begin with delight and end in wisdom, as Frost once said.
I've recorded a number of his poems, but this is a fun one, "Cruising with the Beach Boys":
He’s amazing. Truly. 99 Poems is an achievement. And he’s still so productive into his 70s. I don’t know how he does it. I’m writing a longer Dana Gioia post later to explain how I got into poetry.
Thanks for the kind words, Zina, and for helping to spread the word about Poems On, which is right up your readers' alley.
Both your piece and the comments are a treasure trove! I very much look forward to your planned future offerings! I am finishing up a MA in Christian Spiritual Formation and Leadership, but when I’m done, I plan to focus more on literary pursuits.
I find spiritual formation and literary (or any artistic) pursuits flourish in the same ecosystem. Reminds me of Pieper’s Leisure: The Basis of Culture and Mako Fujimura’s writing. Congratulations on your MA!
Yes! That is what I am coming away with. Thank you for the affirmation!
My favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, Longfellow, and Tolkien, and Paul Laurence Dunbar. I just recently picked up Gerard Manley Hopkins’ complete poems and I am reading a poem or two a day for that.
I would say that you are the most influential living poet in my life. You have been so encouraging to me as I dip my toes into sharing my writing on Substack.
Well you have extraordinarily good taste in favorite poets. Hopkins is far at the top of my favorite poets of all time. I also love Richard Wilbur.
You are fully immersed. I am toe-dipping!
If you had limited time I would say that the Stallings lectures are all excellent, but for the beginning poet the one entitled “Upping the Ante” is a good one to start with. I loved the Ithaka one though. All of them are good. I would say Gioia’s “What is Poetry?” Is an excellent primer and very similar to what I was told over and over in the first class of our MFA at the University of St. Thomas. That Master Writer video with Perell is *chef’s kiss* wonderful. And of course you have already met Rhina is person at Frost so you know she is lovely. Such a wealth of information.
Zina you are a wealth of poetic knowledge, enthusiasm, and inspiration!
Thank you so much, Diane! There are many other poets I would like to highlight soon. I have a review of Katie Hartsock’s work coming out soon (hopefully), and I am going to fangirl the heck out of Alfred Nichol’s After the Carnival at some point.
Zina, I was blown away by this article. So much good information. I am not a poetry expert but I am trying to learn. The introduction to some living poets was wonderful. The first video with Dana was amazing. Such a good explanation. Thanks for all the work that went into this and your passion for educating others about poetry.
Thank you! I think over the next 6 weeks or so I will dedicate my posts to more of this type of introduction to my life in poetry. I’ve had a mess of a time trying to understand it myself, but I am seeing the fruits of my reading and writing now. I would love for people who had hated poetry or felt like they were stupid for not getting it (me in both cases) to walk a path to understanding the beauty of poems. So much of what ancient and modern work speaks to is a salve to the soul. I mean, you are doing a group reading of The Iliad, and it is absolutely incredible that a poem thousands of years old would be as captivating and relevant now as it was then. (BTW - excellent summaries you’ve been posting. Incredible work!)
Great post, Zina. Rhina Espaillat is new to me, so I'll check out her work. One of my favourite living poets is Karen Solie.
Oh and thank you for the kind mention!
I’ve never heard of Karen Solie. I will check her out!
A.E. Stallings is one of my very favorites.
She is so amazing. So many of her poems are favorites. The one I actually have in my memory is Empathy. Sad but masterful. I love Fear of Happiness, Cast Irony, Ajar, and so many others. Do you have a favorite of hers?
Among my very favorites is "Ajar," a very formal poem in hexameter that explodes off the page, going from a scene of domestic irritation into Greek mythology. Here's the poem and her words about it.
https://poetrysociety.org/poems-essays/in-their-own-words/a-e-stallings-on-ajar
Looking forward to the essay!
A while back Alicia gave me permission to write about Ajar on my Substack, but I didn't complete the essay. I plan on reviving it and posting it within the next month. It is such a great poem!
Thanks for the mention!!
To your three favorite contemporary poets I'd add Ted Kooser, Malcolm Guite, Sally Thomas, Doireann Ní Ghríoffa, Jane Hirshfield, and Ada Limón.
My all time favorites include T.S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Eavan Boland, Emily Dickinson, and Christina Rossetti. But there are so many more poets who I count among my dear friends.
Dana Gioia is, I reckon, is the best and most accomplished living poet. He's my favorite living poet. I have his 99 Poems book and it's just banger after banger. Poems at begin with delight and end in wisdom, as Frost once said.
I've recorded a number of his poems, but this is a fun one, "Cruising with the Beach Boys":
https://thechainedmuse.substack.com/p/cruising-with-the-beach-boys?utm_source=publication-search
And we made a poetry film for his "Angel with the Broken Wing."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwF4BeIjkN4
A.E. Stallings is great. I hope to interview for our podcast some day.
Seems like we have similar tastes, or we just like the great living poets haha.
He’s amazing. Truly. 99 Poems is an achievement. And he’s still so productive into his 70s. I don’t know how he does it. I’m writing a longer Dana Gioia post later to explain how I got into poetry.