By Salena Godden Adapted from the introduction to her collection of poetry, Fishing in the Aftermath. Early on, I learned that the writing life would not be an easy life. I would have to hustle. Poetry is not for the fame hungry or the lightweight. I believe every book should lead you to another book,…
Category: on poetry
The Power of Poetry
By Mike Stone What is it about some poetry that makes such an impact on us? Of course there are those who see any and all poetry (or art for that matter) as effete snobbery and foppery, princing and prancing around on slippered tiptoes; in other words, less than useless. This is not for them.…
Word Canvases
By Donald Kolberg Sometimes I just need to sit back and reflect. This seems to be when word canvases get created Line Each line a sacrifice to the ambiguous absence that is the surface, Abandoning each mark to the perceptions of doer and viewer. I’m left with the inability to retract any thoughts, Any conscious…
Chin Up, Chapbook!
By Eliot Gilbert Chapbooks seem to be the neglected middle child of the poetry world: younger sibling to the collection, and older sibling to the individual piece. As for fiction, it is obscure to the point of nearly nonexistent. This makes me sad because I view them as a wonderfully untapped medium to sample your work.…
The Contemporary Haiku
By Eliot Gilbert I’ve had a fling with haiku lately. Sometimes I pick out a collection of poems and take it out of the university library to read between the spastic wave crests of work. I like poetry collections and short story anthologies because I can get a small hit of literature to enjoy and…