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The Invention of Hell
Hell was the invention of money-makers; its purpose was to divert the attention of the poor from their present afflictions. Firstly with the repeated threat that they might be very much worse off. And secondly with the promise, for the obedient and loyal that, in another life, in the Kingdom of God, they would all enjoy what wealth can buy in this world and more. Without the evocation of Hell, the Church’s demonstrative wealth and ruthless power would have been far more openly questioned because they were in evident contrast to the teaching of the Gospels.Read More
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Observations…
This piquant observation comes from poet Dick Jones: As the people of the United States of America set about the process of determining who shall preside over its mighty mish-mash of socio/economic inequity, mediaeval religiosity and cultural turmoil, it does to reflect on the nature of power and choice. He goes on to offer several apposite quotes. Among my favorites: The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, but wiser people are so full of doubts.Read More
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Poiesis
James at ursprache has a typically pithy post today on the nature of poetry. He writes, “It is often cited that the root of the word poetry comes from the Greek term poïesis meaning ‘to make.’ But make how? And make what? So much lies undisclosed in the concept of mere ‘making’.” I couldn’t resist commenting, then thought I should share the response here as passable material for rumination: I think the “making” has been defined, in “Symposium,” where Socrates recounts a conversation he had with his tutor, the seer Diotima.Read More
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The Grave of Western Civ
Psych! But honestly—Steve Halle of the Fluid/Exchange blog says this work by Holms Troelstrup is “exciting” (he doesn’t say why). Maybe Halle is simply depressed and is thus excited by whatever takes the art of poetry further into inanity. Halle is also excited (again he doesn’t say why) by this interesting blog entry by Robert Archambeau. Archambeau writes about poetry vs. prose, conflating “not-poetry” with prose as if Aristotle had never addressed the issue.Read More
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Phronetic Possum
A recent post over at Possum Ego seems to address an idea I floated in an earlier post concerning relations as providing a productive focus for talking about poetry. Unfortunately, Dale Smith (Ol’ Possum?) uses some opaque language that annoys the crap out of me, such as: “Phronesis is mutable and undefined because it is dependent upon situations that call its wisdom into being for those moments.” We could slice and dice Aristotle to show why phonesis is not wisdom at all, but let’s not.Read More
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Linda Hogan’s Happy Challenge
Linda Hogan is one of my favorite poets. She’s best known to the wider world as a novelist and essayist, but at heart she’s a poet, and her new poetry collection, Rounding the Human Corners, is a profound gift, especially for someone like me, who considers himself a humanist—although it’s a term that fits less like a glove than a too-small suit. I especially feel the constrictions of my “philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual’s dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason” [Webster’s] when I read a poet like Linda Hogan.Read More
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Against Intellectualoids
We just returned from four days in Taos and a magical* evening at Rane Gallery. (See my earlier post on the event.) Details in a day or so, since I’m digging out from under emails and engaging in some gainful work to help pay for the trip. But first I have to record some genuine wisdom from a book I picked up during a day trip to Santa Fe at the venerable Nicholas Potter Bookseller. The book is Trial by Time, Thomas Hornsby Ferril‘s third collection of poems, published in 1944.Read More
Joseph Hutchison, Colorado Poet Laureate 2014-2019, has published 20 collections of poems and edited or co-edited three poetry anthologies. He currently directs two master’s-level programs for University College at the University of Denver: Professional Creative Writing and Arts & Culture Management. Joe lives with his wife, Melody Madonna, in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado, the city where he was born. 
