As the music played through the loudspeaker I let it guide my body as I moved to the familiar rhythm. Counting the melody in my mind, I begin to dance the instinctual movements, the result of hours of practice. All other thoughts pushed aside, the world melts away; it is just me practicing my art,…
American Culture and Poetry in the Internet Age
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“Black and Brown People on Shark Tank”: Eight Questions for Angbeen Saleem
As one of the few Pakistani Muslims in my community, I often find myself looking for connections to my culture in the world around me. Whether it’s new places I see passing by during a long drive, a television show I happened to stumble upon, or just in casual conversation, I search for small reflections…
Completely Subjective: Jeffrey Harrison’s “Amnesia”
Jeffrey Harrison’s poem “Amnesia,” describes a scene that most people reading the poem can easily immerse themselves in. A moment of remembering something, but it being on the tip of your tongue— a memory you can almost reach, yet one that becomes murky once specific details are required. Harrison was born in Cincinnati in 1957…
Completely Subjective: Anne Carson’s “A Fragment of Ibykos Translated Six Ways”
“[T]his is the magic of fragments—the way that poem breaks off leads into a thought that can’t ever be apprehended. There is the space where a thought would be, but which you can’t get hold of. I love that space. It’s the reason I like to deal with fragments. Because no matter what the thought…
“Overnight”: Six Questions for John Yau
Born in 1950 in Lynn, Massachusetts, John Yau is not only a celebrated poet, but he is also a curator and art critic. Traces of his art background can be seen in his unique use of language in such collections as Borrowed Love Poems, Radiant Silhouette, and Further Adventures in Monochrome. His poem “Overnight” appeared…
Completely Subjective: Lee Upton’s “The Apology”
I keep seeing these reels on Instagram known as “kindness content,” and if you’ve been on any social media in the past few years, I’m sure you’ve seen it too. In case you don’t know, they are produced by people filming themselves helping out random strangers by giving them wads of cash or surprising them…
Editors Unbound: Elaine Equi’s “Avoidance”
Natalie: Hi Izzy, let’s talk about Elaine Equi’s “Avoidance.” Izzy: I’m so excited. [The editors giggle. Giggle giggle giggle.] Natalie: So, what did you initially think of the poem? Izzy: I was really confused. I understood where the poem was coming from with the idea of avoidance and procrastination, but I feel like I got…
“A Message From Tony Hoagland”: Eight Questions for Jeffrey Harrison
Jeffrey Harrison was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1957. After graduating from Columbia University- during which he worked with various poets including Kenneth Koch and David Shapiro, Harrison went on to teach at many educational institutions like George Washington University and Phillips Academy where he was a Writer-in-Residence. Currently, he resides in Massachusetts with his…
“Interstate Highway System” : Eight Questions for Adam O. Davis
“How will you live with and within yourself under the umbrella of America?” – Adam O. Davis, The Best American Poetry 2021 This question was the spark for the award winning poem, the “Interstate Highway System,” a poem that inspires a deep wanderlust in the reader as well as reflection. The author of this poem,…
“women’s rights at one hundred (but who’s counting?)”: Eight Questions for Evie Shockley
As a modern day female, I don’t have to ask permission to learn, speak, or play sports. To live in a world where education, independence and self expression as assumed rights are in actuality a privilege that is taken for granted. Yet, the history of women’s rights reminds us that such freedoms were not freely…