NaPoMo QOTD Louise Glück Doesn't Want You to Know About This Poem. Doesn't That Make You Want to Read It?
"...stars everywhere, like in the river, though these were the real stars,
even the dead ones were real.
But the ones in the river-
...not real, maybe, but somehow more lifelike."
- At the River by Louise Glück* (PoLau '03-'04, Special Bicentennial Consultant in Poetry '99-'00)
Louise Glück is one of my favorite poets. She writes beautifully. I had an incredible amount of respect for her prior to this project, but I must confess, it has waned. I didn't know anything about her, just that I loved her poetry. Now I know that she refuses to do interviews, promote poetry, and she used to refuse to eat. I am mildly offended that she has described herself as having "no concern with widening audience." Maybe I shouldn't have included her at all in this, but I think that poetry is more important than the poet, so I did.
Although Glück is disgusted by the idea of gaining popularity, her poetry needs to be read. I think that she is disrespecting her work and simultaneously shirking her most basic duty as a Poet Laureate. Even if she doesn't want any interlopers reading her poems, she should still encourage the reading of poetry as a whole. The fact that she thinks her personal feelings (read: insecurities) about her own work trumps the life of the poem is absurd and self-centered. If you give a poem to the world, give it to the world. Don't be greedy with your words. I had a theater professor, Mrs. Mac, that gave me the best piece of writing advice. (She meant it for acting, but cross-application is great.) She said, "Rip your heart out, and while it's bleeding, show it to the audience." The part she didn't say is that, the audience is looking at you. They're looking at your heart. Louise Glück needs to hear that, I think. In the meantime, go read her poetry. Even though she doesn't want you to.
Homework Assignment:
Share something. Anything. A poem. A story. Your car. Whatever. Just open yourself up a little bit.
*From The Poets Laureate Anthology, published by W.W. Norton in association with the Library of Congress. Poem copyright Louise Glück.
even the dead ones were real.
But the ones in the river-
...not real, maybe, but somehow more lifelike."
- At the River by Louise Glück* (PoLau '03-'04, Special Bicentennial Consultant in Poetry '99-'00)
Louise Glück is one of my favorite poets. She writes beautifully. I had an incredible amount of respect for her prior to this project, but I must confess, it has waned. I didn't know anything about her, just that I loved her poetry. Now I know that she refuses to do interviews, promote poetry, and she used to refuse to eat. I am mildly offended that she has described herself as having "no concern with widening audience." Maybe I shouldn't have included her at all in this, but I think that poetry is more important than the poet, so I did.
Although Glück is disgusted by the idea of gaining popularity, her poetry needs to be read. I think that she is disrespecting her work and simultaneously shirking her most basic duty as a Poet Laureate. Even if she doesn't want any interlopers reading her poems, she should still encourage the reading of poetry as a whole. The fact that she thinks her personal feelings (read: insecurities) about her own work trumps the life of the poem is absurd and self-centered. If you give a poem to the world, give it to the world. Don't be greedy with your words. I had a theater professor, Mrs. Mac, that gave me the best piece of writing advice. (She meant it for acting, but cross-application is great.) She said, "Rip your heart out, and while it's bleeding, show it to the audience." The part she didn't say is that, the audience is looking at you. They're looking at your heart. Louise Glück needs to hear that, I think. In the meantime, go read her poetry. Even though she doesn't want you to.
Homework Assignment:
Share something. Anything. A poem. A story. Your car. Whatever. Just open yourself up a little bit.
*From The Poets Laureate Anthology, published by W.W. Norton in association with the Library of Congress. Poem copyright Louise Glück.
Comments
Some poets and writers are good at speaking and creating movements, but others are just good at being writers and poets. For poets especially, who tend not to be much in the public eye, I could understand the resistance to such a role--and maybe she felt she couldn't turn down such a prestigious award. Because, let's face it--it's not so much a job as a recognition.