There are many ways to look back upon a year. I have decided to select a single post from each month of 2008 that in some way reflects my preoccupations at the time.<\/p>\n
Looking back on the second year since the birth and death of our son<\/a>, as even now we are approaching the third anniversary.<\/p>\n Some observations on poetic lineage and terza rima<\/em> form, which influenced The Silence Teacher<\/a>. This excerpt later became a part of the essay portion of my MFA creative thesis<\/a>. <\/p>\n Reflections on postmodernism in the twentieth century, and the need for hope.<\/p>\n April 1st<\/u><\/sup> is “April Fools’ Day.” April 1st<\/u><\/sup> is the start of National Poetry Month. Coincidence? I think not.<\/p>\n Some thoughts on William McGonagal, one of history’s so-called “worst poets,” and the importance of being “bad” in the creative process.<\/p>\n A response to renowned classical pianist Krystian Zimmerman’s boycott of the USA, including a humbling and edifying exchange in the comments section with a remarkable Serbian musician.<\/p>\n Thoughts on love and marriage, months before the passage of Proposition 8 in California.<\/p>\n Reflections on a significant moment in my process of grief recovery<\/a>–cleaning out the shed full of baby things.<\/p>\n Here are my reactions to a beautifully well-written piece on losing a child.<\/p>\n Completing my MFA creative thesis brought about its own kind of anxiety–the kind brought on by creativity-killing comparisons between new and compiled work.<\/p>\n Here are some thoughts on the need for poetry in a “down” economy–still relevant, it seems.<\/p>\n In preparing for my graduate reading, I began thinking about the process of writing, and the importance of defying the sense that one is ever “done.”<\/p>\n And, on that note, here’s to more writing and thinking and learning and loving and hoping in 2009.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are many ways to look back upon a year. I have decided to select a single post from each month of 2008 that in some way reflects my preoccupations at the time. January: The Second Year Looking back on the second year since the birth and death of our son, as even now we …<\/p>\nFebruary: Seamus Heaney on Dante, Eliot, and Mandelstam<\/a><\/h5>\n
March: Post-Postmodernism and Hope<\/a><\/h5>\n
April: The Foolishness of Poetry<\/a><\/h5>\n
May: Worst Poet Ever<\/a><\/h5>\n
June: America’s Hunger: an Open Letter to Krystian Zimerman<\/a><\/h5>\n
July: What Marriage Means to Me<\/a><\/h5>\n
August: The Shed<\/a><\/h5>\n
September: Modern Love<\/a><\/h5>\n
October: Manuscript Anxiety<\/a><\/h5>\n
November: Poetry and the Economy<\/a><\/h5>\n
December: Poetry as Defiance<\/a><\/h5>\n