Reading and Writing

Emily Dickinson (ENGL 669)

Sam and I celebrate more poems by Emily Dickinson, including some lesser-known masterpieces. We talk about bees, the moon, diadems, color, contrast, oxymoron, how to write honestly about faith and doubt, why true poems flee, what do make of those dashes, why we should feel extra lucky to have her poems, and much more. 

Emily Dickinson (ENGL 218)

Niels and April and I savor the lush mysteries of Dickinson's poems, and talk about images, abstractions, subversion, surprise, being true to emotion, the music of poetry, how to imitate Dickinson in the 21st century, and much else. 

Seamus Heaney, part 2

Brady and I chat about some of our favorite Heaney poems, and cover topics like hopefulness in literature, sonnets, poetic form, how and when to "break the rules," and more. 

Rainer Maria Rilke, Duino Elegies

Liz and I swoon over Rilke's angels, and talk about where poems come from, what language does, why beauty is terrifying, and what humans are for. Small technical difficulties left in for metaphorical purposes. 
 

Seamus Heaney, Part 1

Berenisse and Blair and I celebrate the poems of Seamus Heaney, and talk about images, sound, surprise, cliché, telling the truth, and much else. 

H. P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness, Part 2

Melissa and Ben and I enthuse over the ending of At the Mountains of Madness, and talk about foreshadowing, narrative pacing and framing, dialog (or the lack thereof), why it might be better not to show your monsters than to show them, and much more. 

T. S. Eliot, Four Quartets

I swoon with Erin and Maryn over Four Quartets. We discuss how to not let the supposed "difficulty" of this poem distract you from its very accessible power and beauty, and cover topics like time, awe, God, repetition, abstraction, music, tradition, influence, the false god of originality, the general problem of being alive and how Four Quartets can help us cope. Plus, a very special treat at minute 34 (get out your fancy headphones!). 
 
 

H. P. Lovecraft, At the Mountains of Madness, Part 1

I chat with Lenicka and Patrick about the weird and wonderful At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft. We talk about how to build suspense, foreshadowing, "the willing suspension of disbelief," plot structure, diction, setting, and more. 

Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha, Part 2

Adam and I swoon over the magnificent ending of Siddhartha, and talk about journeying into the unknown, archetypes in fiction and in our lives, character change, balance between ambition and living in the present, how there is no such thing as time, and much more. 

W. B. Yeats

Cozi and I chat about some of our favorite Yeats poems and discuss poetic form, the importance of being honest as a poet, how to write lasting political poetry, sublime beauty, poetry as ecstasy, and more.