saying goodbye January 13, 2010: I don’t go out with bangs, or whimpers, or wimps (generally). Sometimes I daydream about going out with Tennyson, who wrote some pretty good poetry about endings (graver endings, arguably, than the termination of my Harrieteering). But that seems a little heavy, so I’ll stick with the obvious alternative: the Muppets. (more...) by Abigail Deutsch

what’s cooking at poets house January 7, 2010: I like the name “Poets House” because—while probably intended to read as the possessive Poets’ House—the phrase instead asserts something rather nice about poets. Poets don't just browse and carouse: they house. And maybe, someday, they’ll house me. (more...) by Abigail Deutsch

doing time, and rhyme, with “invictus” December 19, 2009: Clint Eastwood’s rather long film Invictus shares its title with the rather short poem that inspired Nelson Mandela throughout his years in jail. “They’re just words,” explains Morgan Freeman, who plays an endearing Mandela during his first days of South African leadership. “But they helped me to stand when all I wanted to do was lie [...] by Abigail Deutsch

ghosts and anne carson haunt nyu December 15, 2009: “The radio, the salad. Some of which, white—“ “Was it a Thursday? Was it a Friday? White stuff exploding—“ “Some of which, white, looks good in the salad—“ The audience of Ghostparts, an interactive performance staged at NYU’s Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House last week, shuffles up carpeted stairs. [...] by Abigail Deutsch

Marianne Moore in the Village Voice December 2, 2009: During my happy days working in the arts department of the Village Voice, I discovered this previously unknown letter by Marianne Moore in one of the paper’s earliest issues: To the Jasmine's Kitten contest editor: Dear Madam: I think I should have him because I think her [sic] would like to have me. But if I win him, please give him [...] by Abigail Deutsch

lost poets and found poetry in washington, d.c. November 24, 2009: [caption id="attachment_6519" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="                                         "][/caption] (Photo Credit: Thomas Sayers Ellis) I’m good at getting lost. A few years ago, living in a French town so small even its residents had barely heard of it, I lost my way at least once a week. I was [...] by Abigail Deutsch

dubious poetry: the palin comparison November 17, 2009: Many have noted the poetry latent in Sarah Palin’s speech. Now that she's published a memoir, Going Rogue, many are noting the non-poetry of her non-prose. But who would have imagined that Palin had a poetic forerunner, a partner in rhyme, a fellow Bard of Bad? Julia A. Moore (1847-1920), popularly called the “Sweet Singer of [...] by Abigail Deutsch

second sex takes second place? November 12, 2009: I own a pink skirt, a pink dress, a pink scarf, a pink coat, three pink sweaters, and six pink shirts. Each time I shop for clothes, my eyes wander toward another rose tee, and my fingers fondle another salmon sarong, and I ask myself, Why? But I know why. I love pink because I am Woman. Obviously. The more serious implications of [...] by Abigail Deutsch

Writing on the wall November 9, 2009: White space criss-crossed yesterday’s New York Times opinion page like mortar. Uneven in length and width, stanzas gave the impression of crumbling brick. Poem titles appeared painted on, recalling graffiti. In light of the endless debate over Whether Good Political Poetry Exists, the commemoration of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a [...] by Abigail Deutsch

literary gatherings: a schmoozer’s guide November 3, 2009: The literati are like aliens. Some are cute. Some are hostile. All talk funny, and all require diplomatic outreach. (Daniel Nester recently described this phenomenon in his riotous, depressing takedown of the New York poetry scene, "Goodbye to All Them.") I here present the strategies I have observed and developed at literary gatherings, [...] by Abigail Deutsch