What is there not to get? I often hear the expressions I don’t like poetry/I’m not a fan of poems /I don’t care much for poetry from English majors, and people who consider themselves fans of literature (blasphemy to my ears). It is seldom, or actually never the case where…
Category: Blog
Whose Poem Is It Anyway?
As part of my internship with the Creative Writing Program, I generated numerous PR materials for the 50th Annual Wallace Stevens Poetry Program. This year’s guest poet was Susan Howe, a writer who combines history and lyricism in unique and unconventional patterns. History haunts Howe’s verses, and the writer often…
Soundtracks to Literature
Movies and books have a lot in common: they bring stories to large audiences, they are meant to transport us somewhere new or highlight something old, they entertain us, and they can have profound effects on all manner of people. What’s one thing that movies always have that we almost…
Like Reading? Then Put a Ring on It!
Blog posts are stressful, man. So are taxes, emails, and Facebook. That’s why, for the past few weeks, these other stressful tasks have taken precedence over the #1 task of any English major—reading. Reading has not been a priority of mine for about a month now. Too many deadlines, too…
Hearing Poetry
Although I’ll be the first person to admit that I love nothing more than curling up with a book of poetry, there is something very special about hearing the words on a page come alive through a writer’s voice. The way in which poets play with language becomes evident upon…
Suggested reading: picture books for adults! (I mean, graphic novels)
So, it’s spring break and you’re haunted by the pile of required reading that is waiting for you next week. You spend hours watching bad television just to relax your poor, tired brain. But then you start to feel a little guilty—you love reading, after all. It’s just that reading…
Building (and Cleaning Out) Your Book Collection
The end of the spring semester is fast approaching and for me that means moving home, a place I have not lived consistently for about three years. Because of this, I recently decided to redo my room, putting away the pictures and collection of knick-knacks that remind me of my…
The Devaluation of Creativity
In my long experience on the receiving end of the education system, I have found that there is a significant part of our culture that devalues creativity, especially the fields of Liberal Arts and Fine Arts. In my four years of college as an English and Psychology major, I have…
A Literary Meal
I’ve been noticing a trend in many of the readings for my children’s lit class… there’s A LOT of food. And some of the descriptions are so vivid and detailed that you can almost picture yourself enjoying the cuisine. Ranging from the delightfully decadent (like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s…
Lines From the Works of William Shakespeare, or Jay-Z Lyrics?
Answers at the bottom. Good luck. We swaggering here For now I get around Life is but a dream to me I hit it right She’s too low for a high I flow too many ways These clothes are good enough to drink in I’ll teach you how to flow…