Out of Isolation March 23, 2009: “Although the literal act of putting words on the page is a solitary activity, no writer is ever alone. There are always those mentors, those students, who engage in a communal effort of creation.” --Lee Martin (Prageeta Sharma, Patrick Rosal, Myung Mi Kim & Regie Cabico at the Kundiman workshop/retreat) Thursday night I went to a reading [...] by Camille Dungy

What Keeps Me Coming Back March 19, 2009: It’s been a particularly busy and exhausting week. As Thursday approached, I considered what I would write about here on Harriet. I am committed to the idea of discussing, every Thursday, what I am reading that is exciting me, and yet today that didn’t feel quite right. What I want to share, instead, are a few of the poems that keep me [...] by Camille Dungy

Home Town Poets March 16, 2009: I had a conversation yesterday afternoon about how deeply Richmond, VA honors the memory of Larry Levis. The talk of Levis in Richmond got me thinking about the place of poets in various cities’ lore. Amherst, MA has Emily Dickinson, and several cities--including Charlottesville, Richmond, and Baltimore--claim Edgar Allen Poe. Carl Sandburg [...] by Camille Dungy

The Line: Here March 12, 2009: Three of the grand mysteries: What makes a poem? What makes a stanza? What makes a poetic line? James Longenbach opens his most recent book on the craft of writing with this quote from George Oppen: “The meaning of a poem is in the cadences and the shape of the lines and the pulse of the thought which is given by those lines.” For the [...] by Camille Dungy

“am I a falcon, a storm, or a great song?” March 8, 2009: I’ve just returned from a stunning performance of György Ligeti’s 1965 Requiem. Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor of the San Francisco Symphony, introduced the Requiem via a rather thorough and moving exposition of a poem by Ranier Marie Rilke. Experiencing Ligeti’s Requiem is akin to overhearing the harrowing of hell, with a brief and [...] by Camille Dungy

Looking for the Perfect Wedding Poem March 5, 2009: My friends are having a public marriage ceremony soon, and they’ve asked for help choosing a poem for their special day. I’ve put forward several options already, but I’m curious what suggestions the Harriet community might have. The couple married in a small civil ceremony on June 17th, during the short window before the passage of Prop [...] by Camille Dungy

“For oh, I fear” March 1, 2009: I’ve spent at least eight hours of each of the past four days reading other people’s poems. I am attending to word choice, comma placement, the arrangement of lines on the page. I am remembering, in this process, how vulnerable we poets make ourselves each time we take first the risk of writing poems and then the subsequent risk of sending [...] by Camille Dungy

In Praise of the Anthology February 26, 2009: Say what you will about anthologies. For my part, I love these treasure troves. Much of my early exposure to new work or, to put it better, work that is new to me, comes through anthologies. Given the opportunity I, like O’Hara, would certainly “buy/ an ugly NEW WORLD WRITING to see what the poets/in Ghana are doing these days.” I owe many [...] by Camille Dungy

New kid on the block February 19, 2009: I am going to assume, because you are here, reading this site, that you like to read. I am also going to assume, because you are reading this site, that you like to read good writing. My cousin always warned about what might come of you and me should we assume too frequently (if you don’t know the punch line, I’ll just say there’s a draft [...] by Camille Dungy

In conversation February 18, 2009: Friday night, in Chicago, I attended a tribute event for Gwendolyn Brooks. Lucille Clifton read Gwendolyn Brooks’ poem “the mother” followed by her own piece, “the lost baby poem.” A highlight of my time at AWP was hearing Clifton read one and then the next, and hearing her discuss how her poem participates in direct conversation with [...] by Camille Dungy