Stephen Burt puts us onto the work of Vivek Narayanan, to a cluster of whose poems this link leads: http://www.openspaceindia.org/vivek_poem.htm. I especially love the buzzing presence of “the mosquito hour” in the “Oddessa, Texas” poem.
Burt also mentions as funny poems he has read lately “several recent poems by Albert Goldbarth.” Who is one poet we can be sure is NOT reading this blog. The bio note to his book Griffin ends with the assertion that “his fingers have never touched a computer keyboard.” Which hasn’t kept his poems from showing up on-line, as for example at this link.
The “young/new poet” question has given me a lot of new poets to look for, but Evie Shockley mentions among her suggestions at least one such poet of whose work I’m already a fan: Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon. Here’s a link.
Which adds another website worth mention in regard to the “what other sites should I check out” question: “From the Fishouse” is an extraordinary archive. And the President of its board, Camille Dungy, is a fine young/new poet who ought to be mentioned in any list of such.
Evie Shockley also confessed to falling asleep over “The Prelude,” which brought a guilty laugh from me. I’ve never managed to stay awake all the way through that one myself. And by the way Lucill Clifton got from Shockley a second nomination for President. Sounds like an emerging consensus!
Speaking of consensus, there’s an emerging consensus building around Stevens as author of various poems that readers love, love, love but do not understand. Jesse Nathan adds several votes for Stevens to the list. Nathan also adds Todd Boss to the list of young/new poets, and a quick scan of the web revealed a witty poem, “Go Ye Rarely to the Mall,” at this link.
Nathan also creates a nice mini-anthology for Obama — and any leader — to read, including some stalwarts: Shelley’s “Ozymandias” and Bishop’s “One Art.” Which reminded me to add to Nathan’s list Auden’s “Epitaph on a Tyrant.”
