I mentioned before that my first introduction to Berryman was Dream Song #14. It remains one of my favorite poems ever written, and knocks around in my brain the way “You do not do, you do not do / Anymore black shoe” and I grow old…I grow old…/ I shall wear the bottoms of my […]

Originally posted by Rachel   There’s a real post in progress, really, but first, I promised some more interview excerpts with Berryman. From “An Interview with John Berryman,” John Plotz, originally published in The Harvard Advocate 103,  no. 1, reprinted in Berryman’s Understanding: Reflections of the Poetry of John Berryman, edited by Harry Thomas, Northeastern […]

I haven’t fallen off the planet or anything, but the Knitting Olympics and trading offices with my husband have been monopolizing (biopolizing?) my time.  Done and done. I am normally the Queen of Class Participation.  I’ll try to be a better student from here on out. I finally got comfortable enough with my own version […]

So far, Berryman is all about rhythm for me.  And what’s weird is that the rhythm I find in the poems isn’t matching the rhythm Berryman uses in his readings.  So I’m going to ignore the poet’s literal voice for now, until I get more comfortable.  I’ve run across a number of poets whose readings […]

Originally posted by Rachel And now, as they say, for something completely different. John Berryman. The first time I read one of The Dream Songs, (#14, “Life Friends, is boring”) it was like walking out my front door one morning and discovering I was in Bora Bora. I had never read anything like it before […]

I was originally thinking I should wrap up my self-indulgent Nuala-fest with a translation of my own . . . and then I found a translation that made mine look inelegant and wordy, so I figured I’d leave it to Paul Muldoon, whom I love.  Thankfully, you can get to the original Irish and the […]

I wanted to write at least one more post about Nuala (I feel disrespectful calling her that, but it’s just so much easier to type) before we move on to something completely different. But I feel like we haven’t really given her much of a fair shake yet, though I suspect, this blog is just […]

Originally posted by Rachel   Oprah’s about to pick a new book for her bookclub on 1/16. It’s published by FSG, it retails for $9.00 and it’s said to be 144 pages. Could it be? Could Oprah be bringing poetry to the masses? Edit: Okay, after some time on the FSG website, I think I […]

The holidays and their attendent madness kept us all away from Nuala for a bit, but I meant to talk about Aubade, and now I have to talk about it.  Some jerk ran into my husband’s car last week.  He’ll be ok, and this poem will rattle about in my brain-pan for a while.  I […]

I should respond with my own disclaimer: I should feel bad for wrapping you up in this book, because it is such a giant mememememe my turn ME! treat to trick people into reading it, because I love talking about it so much.  Selfish Lanea.  Poetry Crazy Lanea.  So, sorry in advance, but thank you […]