It’s May, which means it’s time to celebrate (among other things) loyalty, Star Wars, nurses, Sally Ride, the end of the Middle Ages, and, of course, Mom. To that latter end, I’ve put myself to the task of reading and commenting on the poems featured in 2014’s A Mother Here Contest. You can read more about the contest via that… Read more »
On October 24, 2011, I posted about Michael R. Collings’ poem “Legacy.” Here’s an excerpt from that post and my reading of the poem:; The excerpt: Michael’s longish poem, “Legacy,” breaches the subject of family in a way that neither sentimentalizes the good nor that glosses over the difficult. This is apparent in the first lines in which the poet… Read more »
I’m revisiting Elizabeth Garcia’s poem “The Semantics of Blessings”. Here’s an excerpt from my 23 October 2011 post on the poem and my recent reading of it. The excerpt: The first four lines are especially striking: “Do not steal my fire and ice, make null / my trial, void it with another name / than pain. The cut of a… Read more »
I’m revisiting my reading of Mark L. Bennion’s poem “Still Life” (scroll down). Here’s an excerpt from my original 11 October 2011 post and my recent reading of Mark’s poem: The excerpt: In “Still Life” the poet captures that childhood longing (though I don’t think kids see it that way) to forge some union with the earth, with the people… Read more »
I’ve started revisiting old posts, adding audio files of me (or someone else) reading the poems I discuss in those posts. Last month, I revisited my commentary on Neil Aitken’s first poetry collection. Today, I’m returning to my thoughts on Marilyn Bushman-Carlton’s poem “Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major. To that end: here’s me performing her poem:
(Well, sort of.) In October 2011, I posted my capsule review of Neil Aitken’s prize-winning first book, Lost Country of Sight. In the time since I first published that review in Mormon Artist then re-posted it here, Neil’s become active on SoundCloud, sharing recordings of poems from projects old and new. In my effort to flesh out the multimedia profile… Read more »
Dayna Patterson’s cross-dressing Jesus has been on my mind lately. (Take that as you will.) One reason for this is because, since I wrote about Dayna’s “Our Lord Jesus in Drag” in July 2012, I’ve wanted to give it voice. And I’ve wanted to give it voice because the first time I read the poem it’s rhythms struck me as… Read more »
Poet Highlight: Eliza R. Snow, “Song for the Camp of Israel— Let Us Go” Eliza R. Snow (1804-1887) was the Latter-day Saints’ first and only official Poet Laureate. Joseph Smith dubbed her “Zion’s poetess,” a title under which she “penned numerous hymns, occasional verses, and theological poems that,” as Edward Whitley observes, “established for her a position of authority that… Read more »
(Cross-posted here.) If you’d like to comment on the post, follow that link. Poet Highlight: James Goldberg, “In the Beginning”* James Goldberg’s poem “In the Beginning” exults in orality. It begins, “When he was young, / they read the books / out loud.” But the poet doesn’t revel simply by stating that his experience with language is grounded in the… Read more »
Anthology Poet Highlight 46/82: S.P. Bailey, “spark” Even though it’s short, S.P. (Shawn) Bailey’s “spark” has potential for diverse readings—even moreso, I think, because it’s not punctuated. This places greater emphasis on the words and the lines themselves and invites readers to contemplate how these words and lines work together as a series of signs and sounds, arranged by the… Read more »