A Writer's Notebook, Day One-Hundred-And-Seventy-Eight
I am not really much for Valentine's day. This is not due to a lack of romantic spirit, or a desire not to express my feelings to those I love, but more a sense of discomfort with the holiday itself. Being Jewish, I find it a bit discomforting to connect my own love, in particular romantic love, within the context of a saints day. I do recognize, of course, that it is largely divorced from that context for most people, even those who might otherwise be religiously invested in the St. Valentine, but it is still something that crops up for me. Which is likely to make my fiance feel rather unhappy, since she doesn't have those issues, but I am intending to deal with that in my own way.
Anyhow, on other fronts, Melissa and I attended a poetry reading by Danez Smith, which was wonderful. After hearing the work and the answers to several questions, it is clear that the presence on the page is the most important part for Smith as a poet, and the work has a bold and living quality that reflects this. In some ways, I wonder at the limitations of work that has such a strong and singular focus, not in a way of disparaging that work or any poet who does that(their are many amazing poets who stay within a far narrower bandwidth, Emily Dickinson's work certainly has a tiny focus, yet is vast in what it achieves.). What I am meaning, more, is about the question of what it is that creates that singular quality in the work, and of what is intentional versus what is not, as well as how much of this a poet can see in the work they produce. It may well be that what I think of as vast and diverse work is as close as what I see in some poets I think of as having a fairly narrow lens.
If I'd asked a question at the reading, it would have been in that direction, but more specifically, I think I would have put it into the context of Smith writing largely confessional/persona poems, and asked about whether Smith thought of the more cohesive element as something that is a result of that aspect of the work along with the content and imagery it explores or the specifics of the construction of language. It didn't really seem the right question, as it would likely have been outside the interests of most attendees, and it is also possible, as I said, that the very qualities which make the work seem so cohesive are utterly unseen by Danez Smith in rereading those poems.
I did do my writing tonight, and have an idea that I chose to let percolate for a bit. I wrote something in the direction of work that I want to do, with an idea that I've been spinning around and keep feeling closer to, but that has not yet come out in the right way. It is something that is hard to explain, and I think a large issue is getting the context down and creating the right set up for it. I don't think I can really do any justice to it in trying to explain the concept, and so I am not going to try.
I feel that I am gearing up to do some more expansive work, and think something is ready to happen. I am still, of course, pushing forwards on getting an agent, but I need to do more of that. That, I think, is also something that is going to happen, but it is a different thing, and getting myself going with poetry is a way to keep that ball rolling, not only in terms of my writing, but also in that I believe I have a good chance of getting poetry published, and one does not need an agent. In getting poetry out there, I would also increase my chances of getting other kinds of opportunities, and building a platform that might more easily attract an agent. It may well be that I will find an agent with more alacrity, but even if that were true, it would still behoove me to have work out in the world, both for a publisher, and, ultimately, for the book itself. My creative juices are flowing, and I feel myself gearing up to do something, but I also know I need to push forwards on other fronts that are more about my career than the work itself.
Anyhow, on other fronts, Melissa and I attended a poetry reading by Danez Smith, which was wonderful. After hearing the work and the answers to several questions, it is clear that the presence on the page is the most important part for Smith as a poet, and the work has a bold and living quality that reflects this. In some ways, I wonder at the limitations of work that has such a strong and singular focus, not in a way of disparaging that work or any poet who does that(their are many amazing poets who stay within a far narrower bandwidth, Emily Dickinson's work certainly has a tiny focus, yet is vast in what it achieves.). What I am meaning, more, is about the question of what it is that creates that singular quality in the work, and of what is intentional versus what is not, as well as how much of this a poet can see in the work they produce. It may well be that what I think of as vast and diverse work is as close as what I see in some poets I think of as having a fairly narrow lens.
If I'd asked a question at the reading, it would have been in that direction, but more specifically, I think I would have put it into the context of Smith writing largely confessional/persona poems, and asked about whether Smith thought of the more cohesive element as something that is a result of that aspect of the work along with the content and imagery it explores or the specifics of the construction of language. It didn't really seem the right question, as it would likely have been outside the interests of most attendees, and it is also possible, as I said, that the very qualities which make the work seem so cohesive are utterly unseen by Danez Smith in rereading those poems.
I did do my writing tonight, and have an idea that I chose to let percolate for a bit. I wrote something in the direction of work that I want to do, with an idea that I've been spinning around and keep feeling closer to, but that has not yet come out in the right way. It is something that is hard to explain, and I think a large issue is getting the context down and creating the right set up for it. I don't think I can really do any justice to it in trying to explain the concept, and so I am not going to try.
I feel that I am gearing up to do some more expansive work, and think something is ready to happen. I am still, of course, pushing forwards on getting an agent, but I need to do more of that. That, I think, is also something that is going to happen, but it is a different thing, and getting myself going with poetry is a way to keep that ball rolling, not only in terms of my writing, but also in that I believe I have a good chance of getting poetry published, and one does not need an agent. In getting poetry out there, I would also increase my chances of getting other kinds of opportunities, and building a platform that might more easily attract an agent. It may well be that I will find an agent with more alacrity, but even if that were true, it would still behoove me to have work out in the world, both for a publisher, and, ultimately, for the book itself. My creative juices are flowing, and I feel myself gearing up to do something, but I also know I need to push forwards on other fronts that are more about my career than the work itself.
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