Discussion of Kiki Smith’s wax sculpture of a naked woman who has peed; streams of yellow glass beads spread on the floor behind her. The genius of the sculpture–Pee Body–is in the beads. ) This work likely was conceived as feminist art. The present essay also invokes a core idea of Surrealism: artists make visible the unconscious.
Categories: William Eaton, ZiLL • Tags: art, Ezra Pound, feminism, Fogg Museum, Kiki Smith, poetry, sculpture, T.S. Eliot, Wordsworth
After the poet dies, people like to argue about the relevance of their work. Was it innovative? Did it do something new for form, for formality, for fluency. Does it deserve to be reread in schools or university seminars? Sometimes this discussion is valid. Sometimes the poetry in question is perhaps only marginally relevant. Other times the discussion becomes ridiculous, as it does when it concerns a poet like Anne Sexton. Sexton, often linked to the Confessional poets, which includes writers like […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: anne sexton, books, feminism, literature, poetry, reading, writing
Current events and dialogue frequently remind me of the late poet and musician, Sekou Sundiata. As a former student in his “America Project” class, I, like many others, was greatly influenced by his teachings. Sekou’s 2000 album, Long Story Short, features a song called “Reparations,” which was also performed by him on Russell Simmons’s popular HBO series, Def Jam Poetry (as seen in the video included in this post). In watching his performance again, I am reminded of Sekou’s unique voice. Come on and […]
Categories: Jeremy Syrop, ZiLL • Tags: music, narrative, poetry, sekou sundiata, sound
A few nights ago I dreamt that a close friend and I were stalking Bertolt Brecht in Paris. Since I rarely have such intellectual dreams, I took it as a sign to read some of the German writer and thinker’s work. Although Brecht is perhaps best remembered for his contributions to theater, he is also considered to be one of the greatest German poets that ever lived. Brecht’s approach to poetry, as opposed to the way in which he took on […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: books, History, literature, poetry, reading, theater, writing
Ireland may be known for St. Patrick’s day, and the heavy beer drinking involved. But, it is also known for the many legendary writers that came from its rolling green hills. James Joyce, William Butler Yeats and, most recently, Seamus Heaney all called Ireland their home. This year, RTE, the national broadcaster, hosted a contest aimed at identifying the country’s most-loved poem written in the last century. The winner is a sonnet by Seamus Heaney called “When all the others were […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: books, Ireland, literature, poetry, reading, writing
One of my favorite blogs is called “Interesting Literature.” It is just that, a site with interesting, often very random, facts about literature and literary history. A few weeks ago they published a piece called “10 Short Medieval Poems Everyone Should Read.” Fear not. The poems included are only a few lines long and translation is provided, so they are very easy to read. Sure, the poems’ subject matter may seem simplistic, almost pre-adolescently romantic. But it is nevertheless fascinating to have […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: art, books, culture, History, medieval poetry, poetry, reading, writing
I recently visited the main branch of the Miami Public Library System and was strongly impressed by what I found. Although the entire library was elegant, spacious, well-stocked and easy to decipher, the teen’s section was truly remarkable. There were large signs indicating that only 12-19 year-olds were allowed to use the area, which was equipped with computers, lounge chairs and large arched windows. One of the section’s featured books caught my eye, so I picked it up. It is […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: books, free verse, literature, poetry, reading, writing, young adult
Written by Arab-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye, the poem below is launched in a childish tone, but closes in a distinctly mature voice. For me, this combination of child/adult voices is what makes the poem interesting, what makes it work. Otherwise, the piece stands the risk of being another doe-eyed “barrio” poem. But it is not. It is a rather masterful poem representative of Nye’s highly respected and abundant body of work. Trying to Name What Doesn’t Change Roselva says the […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: books, literature, poet, poetry, reading, writers, writing
I keep coming back to this poem by British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy again and again. There is a myth among poetry writers that poets will only ever write a few perfect poems. Well, I think this is part of her (quite ample) list of absolutely perfect poems. It is from her collection “Rapture,” which won the T.S. Elliot Prize and should be on every poetry fan’s bookshelf. Text I tend the mobile now like an injured bird We […]
Categories: Ana Maria Caballero, ZiR • Tags: books, lit, literature, love, poetry, reading, writing
ZETEO