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Adios, Richard Wilbur
I’m not sure what kind of knuckle-dragger one would have to be not to enjoy Richard Wilbur’s polished verse, whether or not one thinks its virtues amount to “a little too regular a beauty” [Randall Jarrell, quoted in today’s Guardian obituary]. I too prefer the rough magic of Lowell, Berryman, and Plath—but, as Robert Creeley famously wrote, “Love is dead in us / if we forget / the virtues of an amulet / and quick surprise.” These are the chief virtues of Wilbur’s poetry.Read More
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A Blogger’s Notebook 6
In an earlier post I wondered, “Can poetry address a historical moment in the moment?” Hermagoras, in the comment stream, cited Thomas Kinsella’s “in the moment” poem entitled “Butcher’s Dozen: A Lesson for the Octave of Widgery,” about the Bloody Sunday slaughter perpetrated by British troops in Derry, Ireland. Hermagoras pointed out that the poem was “written, printed, and distributed eight days after the publication of the Widgery Report exonerating the British forces for the … massacre.” Kinsella himself called the poem “doggerel,” but Hermagoras notes that “it holds up … remarkably well.” And I agree.Read More
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The Great Debate
No, not Obama v. McCain, but this (a repost of a November 2007 post by Bill Knott on his blog today [links not in the original]): Randall Jarrell, writing in 1941: ”Realizing that the best poetry of the [1920s] was too inaccessible, we can will our poetry into accessibility—but how much poetry will be left when we finish? Our political or humanitarian interests may make us wish to make our poetry accessible to large groups . . . . “ The debate—whether one should strive to make one’s verse accessible—still rages of course.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. 
