Dana Gioia on Being a Catholic Poet

America magazine asks former poet laureate of California, former head of the National Endowment for the Arts Dana Gioia, "Is poetry still a spiritual vocation?" Sean Salai, S.J. speaks with Gioia on the occasion of his new collection The Catholic Writer Today and Other Essays. "How does Catholicism inform your poetry?" Salai asks. Gioia responds: 

I was born and raised a Catholic. That shaped my poetry because it’s my worldview. Even when I write about a subject with no overt connection to religion, it’s colored by a Catholic sense of the world and existence. When I became Poet Laureate of California, I decided to take a very communitarian stance. I visited every county in California—all 58—most of which are rural and have little or no public literary life. Bringing poetry into neglected communities reflects a Christian notion of serving others.

Learn more at America.