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Poets I loved in 2011
Jan. 9th, 2012 09:28 pmMy participation on Dreamwidth thus far has mostly had to do with poetry, so I might as well post about poetry if I'm going to bother posting anything at all, right? Right. 2011 was a heavy year of poetry-reading for me. The heaviest, in fact. Because I made the resolution to write a lot of fan poetry. I have of course read some "How To" books in the past, but really, as is so often the case, the best way to learn and improve is actually writing and actually reading actual poems. A lot.
Anyway, I've been reading, so here is a glimpse into:
Poets I fell in love with in 2011.
Brenda Shaughnessy's Human Dark with Sugar
I went through my teens fascinated with Sylvia Plath (and still am) and I feel like Brenda Shaughnessy is in a similar vein. In form and in the verse, tight and packed with meaning. Deep, dark feelings revealed in such interesting ways and so often addressed to ("you") the person in her thoughts... Perhaps I shouldn't try to get analytical, I'm not very good at it, but Shaughnessy is currently my favorite poet after years of loyalty to Plath. Some of my favorite poems were "Drift" and "Old Bed".
Molly Peacock's Cornucopia: New and Selected Poems (I think this was the particular volume I checked out, but I'm not 100%)
By opening so many different poetry books this year, I've learned that I prefer to read poems in the context they were originally published, whenever possible. Like with an album of an artist's Best Hits--sure, that's nice, but it doesn't have the rich context the original volume has. I first read Molly Peacock by checking her selected poems out from the library, but I would like to buy some of her original publications when I can. She has a lyrical language that makes the bulk of her poems approachable and enjoyable. Some of my favorite poems were "How I Had to Act", "Upbringing", and "The Surge".
Those two were by far my favorites poets. But I did come across a lot of interesting poets worth reading, but I haven't been keeping great track of which was which. I would hesitate to recommend many more without revisiting them. Right now I have New American Poets of the 90's checked out from the library (already a day overdue!) and I just keep finding more great poems. I look forward to exploring many of these poets further.
( I'd like to give an honorable mention to )
Anyway, I've been reading, so here is a glimpse into:
Poets I fell in love with in 2011.
Brenda Shaughnessy's Human Dark with Sugar
I went through my teens fascinated with Sylvia Plath (and still am) and I feel like Brenda Shaughnessy is in a similar vein. In form and in the verse, tight and packed with meaning. Deep, dark feelings revealed in such interesting ways and so often addressed to ("you") the person in her thoughts... Perhaps I shouldn't try to get analytical, I'm not very good at it, but Shaughnessy is currently my favorite poet after years of loyalty to Plath. Some of my favorite poems were "Drift" and "Old Bed".
Molly Peacock's Cornucopia: New and Selected Poems (I think this was the particular volume I checked out, but I'm not 100%)
By opening so many different poetry books this year, I've learned that I prefer to read poems in the context they were originally published, whenever possible. Like with an album of an artist's Best Hits--sure, that's nice, but it doesn't have the rich context the original volume has. I first read Molly Peacock by checking her selected poems out from the library, but I would like to buy some of her original publications when I can. She has a lyrical language that makes the bulk of her poems approachable and enjoyable. Some of my favorite poems were "How I Had to Act", "Upbringing", and "The Surge".
Those two were by far my favorites poets. But I did come across a lot of interesting poets worth reading, but I haven't been keeping great track of which was which. I would hesitate to recommend many more without revisiting them. Right now I have New American Poets of the 90's checked out from the library (already a day overdue!) and I just keep finding more great poems. I look forward to exploring many of these poets further.
( I'd like to give an honorable mention to )
