The Paris Review

“Curious Wonder” vs. “Critical Judgement”, or Ways to Read Poetry

/ Sasha A. Palmer / 1 Comment

Reading (La Lecture)

  • Emily Dickinson is nobody’s business but my own. I will not share her with anyone. I would no more tell you about my relationship with her poems than I would tell you about a love affair. If she is yours, I hope you feel the same way.” —  from Mary Ruefle’s essay “My Emily Dickinson” quoted in The Paris Review
  • “Some are surprised that the rigorous analytical approach PG learned to apply to poetry has served him quite well in analyzing contracts and other legal documents.” — from the Passive Guy’s post on The Passive Voice blog

How do you read poetry? Do you as a reader note, for instance, prosody — the patterns of rhythm and sound? In your opinion, should poetry be analyzed? Simply enjoyed? Both? Do share in the comments.

  • Just one more thing (as Columbo would say): head over to Indies Unlimited to vote for your favorite flash fiction entry (will it be mine?). Hurry: the voting closes at 5 pm Pacific time today. Thank you.
  • For some strange technical reason when I post the link to the voting page, it doesn’t open properly: it shows the results, and doesn’t give you an option to vote. So, if you really really want to vote for your favorite entry, please go to Indies Unlimited, open the post ‘Which “Ocean of Sand” Flash Fiction Story Gets Your Vote?’, and vote from there. This should work. Thank you.

And if you enjoyed this post, press those “like” and “share” buttons. Thank you again.

Image credit: Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Reading (La Lecture), c. 1891. Oil on canvas, Overall: 18 1/8 x 22 1/16 in. (46 x 56 cm). BF107. Public Domain.

 

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On the Size of Cameras, Rhyming Photographs, & Over 50 Years Young

/ Sasha A. Palmer

“Ippawards pay tribute to the stunning imagery that can be captured with even the smallest of cameras, reminding us that the person behind the lens plays a significant part in the making of a picture.” 11th Annual iPhone Photography Awards. Open to all iPhone or iPad users worldwide. Deadline 03.31.2018. Snap, and submit.

Photographs can rhyme. See for yourself.

From Poets & Writers Magazine — “a selection of five debut authors over the age of fifty whose first books came out this past year.” Find out their names, and read excerpts from their books.

On Flash Fiction, the “drifting experience” of Poetry, & Security of WordPress

/ Sasha A. Palmer

The ninth annual Gemini magazine Flash Fiction Contest is accepting entries. Stories displayed on personal blogs are eligible. Low entry fee, big first prize. Deadline: Aug 31. Go for it!

“…if the poem gave her that “drifting experience,” it is doing what it is supposed to do… this experience…is precious, rare, virtually extinct even…the preservation of this drifting experience is the purpose and promise of poetry.” — Matthew Zapruder

“For a platform that powers a quarter of the websites in the world, WordPress is surprisingly insecure. The default settings leave a site open to being hacked a half-dozen different ways,” says Nate Hoffelder. Take six common sense steps to protect your site.

Commercial-Free Memories?

/ Sasha A. Palmer

“When I watched the thirty-second commercial for the G.I. Joe Mobile Command Center or a promo for “The Fall Guy,” everything came rushing back: the way light flooded the living room before the extension was added to the house and the mango trees sprouted; the rabbit ears perched on top of the old Hitachi, which barely hauled in two channels on the good days; my grandfather and the cats sitting on the couch, scratching the sides in unison.”

—Matthew St. Ville Hunte on ads in our lives.

Ouch! Sharp-tongued

/ Sasha A. Palmer

The Paris Review delves into Anna Akhmatova’s sarcasm.

Here’s my attempt at translating the epigram:

Could to create like Dante Beatrice seek, 
Would Laura’s ardent verses cause a riot? 
A woman, I taught women how to speak… 
But, Lord, how could I ever keep them quiet!

The Russian original:

Могла ли Биче словно Дант творить,
Или Лаура жар любви восславить? 
Я научила женщин говорить… 
Но, Боже, как их замолчать заставить!