on poetry

Words matter, for
Language is an ark.
Yes,
Language is an art,
An articulate artifact.
Language is a life craft.
Yes,
Language is a life raft.
Amanda Gorman
(b. March 7, 1998)

. . . . .
photo by Abbie Trayler-Smith
Quote excerpted from “What We Carry” in Call Us What We Carry: Poems

on poetry (and where we write it)

“My writing space is a hot mess. I tend to think in piles. So, it may look like a disaster area but I know where everything is. My decorating style is like a Pedro Almodóvar film — I like lots of color. I have pictures of friends on top of a file cabinet and a bureau with red doors that I fill with keepsakes and knick-knacks. It houses an autographed copy of Citizen!! It also has the Bible and the American flag I received at my father’s funeral. I use a red plastic dish rack for papers and the silverware holder for pens and pencils. On my desk is a red lamp, a framed rejection letter from The New Yorker, a tiny, red dinosaur from one of my students from Bronx Science in New York and a knitted change purse in the shape of a whale that I used to keep Marlboro Lights in when I smoked. I quit in 2011. In front of my desk, I bought this carpet from Ikea that looks like a multitude of blue circles. I could never get it to work on the floor, so I decided to hang it on the wall. Now, I pin postcards and important memos in each circle. Behind my desk, is a red metal and glass bookshelf that houses the printer, books I need to read and a silver, giant letter “S” that my husband bought me when he was bored and shopping at Home Goods. There is also a framed cover of my book that all of my high school English and creative writing teachers signed and sent to me. There are at least two burnt out writing candles in the room.”
Sjohnna McCray
(b. March 7, 1972)

. . . . .
photo by Aaron Mervin
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