September 2014 – Alison McGhee

September 27, 2014

Poem of the Week, by Catalina Ferro

Everyone in my creative writing workshop memorized a poem and recited it last week in class. The only rule was that the poem had to be a minimum of three lines long (think haiku). “Anxiety Group” was one of the many poems, and even though she was nervous and worried that she’d forget some of … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Catalina Ferro

September 20, 2014

Poem of the Week, by Lianne Spidel

The workshops I teach, at my non-traditional, designed-for-working-adults university, are filled with all kinds of characters, with characters meaning people: tattoo artists, auto mechanics, journalists, pearl-wearing grandmothers, cops, military vets, hairdressers, graphic designers and you name it, you get the picture. Within the first class, friendships and alliances are formed. I can’t even call them … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Lianne Spidel

September 13, 2014

Poem of the Week, by Bob Hicok

I’ve been stuck on long poems the past few weeks, poems that tell stories from beginning to end. This one makes me wince and laugh and wince and laugh. Why does it take so long for parents and children to see each other as people, unstuck from the If only you’d done this or that. … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by Bob Hicok

September 6, 2014

Poem of the Week, by B.H. Fairchild

In the past couple of weeks I keep coming back to this poem. I’ve read it through a few times, slowly, each time thinking the same thoughts, along the lines of This is a story, not a poem, and I wish there were more plumber/electrician/miner/farmer poets, and Why does this poem make me want to … Continue reading Poem of the Week, by B.H. Fairchild