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Category Archives: writers
“I rather like the idea of death.” — poet Stevie Smith
Born on this day in 1902, in Hull, Yorkshire England, Stevie Smith was christened Florence Margaret, but was called “Stevie” by her friends. (She was very petite and “Stevie” was the name of a famous jockey of the time.) Her … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged England, Michael Schmidt, Norton Anthology of Poetry, poetry, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Stevie Smith
3 Comments
“I refuse to have what is known in the trade as a ‘coherent metaphysic.'” — Mícheál Ó hAirtnéide
“I’ll never forget reading his first short poems in the early sixties; they had a kind of hypnotic power, as if a new Orpheus had emerged from Newcastle West. He was Limerick’s Lorca.” — Seamus Heaney on Mícheál Ó hAirtnéide … Continue reading
“When I can find nothing better to do, I write.” — William Carlos Williams
“No ideas but in things.” – from “Paterson”, by William Carlos Williams The first poems I read of William Carlos Williams, in high school English class, were the red wheelbarrow one and the one about the plums. I imagine that’s … Continue reading
“If a man is not faithful to his own individuality, he cannot be loyal to anything.” — poet Claude McKay
Claude McKay was born on this day in 1890 on the island of Jamaica. He grew up poor, but was exposed to literature through an older brother. He loved English literature, he loved the Romantic poets. As a young man, … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged Harlem Renaissance, James Weldon Johnson, poetry
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“Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” — H.L. Mencken
“You know what H.L. Mencken said one time about religious people? He said he’d been greatly misunderstood. He said he didn’t hate them. He simply found them comical.” – Kurt Vonnegut Today is the birthday of one of the greatest … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged A Mencken Chrestomathy, essays, H.L. Mencken, nonfiction
12 Comments
“Poetry in my opinion must be honest before anything else and I refuse to be ‘objective’ or clear-cut at the cost of honesty.” — Louis MacNeice
“Self-assertion more often than not is vulgar, but a live and vulgar dog who keeps on barking is better than a dead lion, however dignified.” — Louis MacNeice Born in Belfast on this day in 1907, Louis MacNeice went to … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged Belfast, Elizabeth Bishop, Hugh MacDiarmid, Ireland, Irish poetry, Louis MacNeice, Michael Schmidt, poetry, W.H. Auden
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“Writing. Love is writing.” — poet H.D., HERmione
“Words were her plague and words were her redemption.” — H.D. HERmione It’s H.D.’s birthday today. First up: I wrote a gigantic piece about H.D.’s film criticism for Film Comment. Turns out, it was the final piece I wrote for … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged Camille Paglia, Ezra Pound, H.D., Harold Bloom, Harriet Monroe, Michael Schmidt, poetry, William Carlos Williams
21 Comments
“Those who know what it means to be a colored woman in 1922 – know it not so much in fact as in feeling …” — poet Georgia Douglas Johnson
Georgia Douglas Johnson, one of the leading voices of the Harlem Renaissance, was born on this day. She grew up in Georgia, attended college, and then became a teacher and vice principal. Her time of activity was somewhat concentrated: her … Continue reading
“When you write a poem, you write it for anybody and everybody.” — Mary Oliver
Poet Mary Oliver, who died in 2019, was born on this day. Her work is woven into the fabric of my life. I know I am not alone in this. When Death Comes When death comes like the hungry bear … Continue reading
“I am better able to imagine hell than heaven; it is my inheritance, I suppose.” — poet Elinor Wylie
She was born on this day. I am not familiar with the full scope of Elinor Wylie’s work, but what I do know strikes my fancy. Unlike the other free verse modernists of the day, Wylie liked structure and form. … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged Edna St. Vincent Millay, Elinor Wylie, Harold Bloom, poetry, Rebecca West
4 Comments