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Ammons 2: Ezra and Elbert [by Roger Gilbert]
Archie Ammons's much-loved poem "Easter Morning" begins with an oblique reference to one of the formative events of his childhood: I have a life that did not become, that turned aside and stopped,…
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Morning Rain, Hiking, Haibun and Basho by Elaine Fletcher Chapman
A slight drizzle began a few minutes ago and birds arriving for spring settle here and there on the grass and next to the early daffodils blooming in a circle on the side yard.…
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Larkin, Uncensored (On Frank Kermode)
Philip Larkin in private was a frank curmudgeon, as these lines show: If I could talk, I'd be a worthless profEvery other year offJust a jetset egghead, TLS toffNot old toad: Frank Kermode. The…
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The Dog Man Nasko Hooten (by Mitch Sisskind)
The hard biting type dog likeGrandpa Munster and Coco ClopsAnd the wrestler type dogLike Snuffy and Black Eyed Pete —Those are the main types of dogs. The hard biting dog likes to bite, He…
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Archie Ammons and the Poetry of Hymns [by Roger Gilbert]
I’m writing a critical biography of the late Archie Ammons, who edited The Best American Poetry 1996. Since there’s been lots of talk about songs on this blog, I thought I’d…
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Rural Virginia, Grief, and Let Evening Come, by Jane Kenyon / Elaine Fletcher Chapman
I live in a small rural town on the Eastern Shore of Virginia between sea and bay,only seven miles wide, mostly farm. My husband is the pastor of a fairly large church for the Eastern…
