Mischief, Caprice, and Other Poetic Strategies [Paperback]

TERRY WOLVERTON (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | ISBN-10: 188899617X | ISBN-13: 978-1888996173

As its title, moving cannily from mischief and caprice to the sterner strategies, clearly implies, this is an anthology based on the premise that a good poem is the fruit equally of play and work. Paul Valéry famously hypothesized that verse is as ludic as prose is laborious, but he knew deep down the two qualities are inextricable for the poet. Indeed, the infinitive to play derives from an Indo-European root, plegan, which also produces to pledge and covers the spectrum of meanings allowed by to exercise oneself. Work and orgy come from the same linguistic source; the worst puns can bring out the best in us; and rules can lead us into a delightful labyrinth. Each of these poets will confirm the point made by Rhoda Janzen that Idling would stall any engine but mine, and all of them will recognize the relevance of effortful ease in Kate Gale s identification of herself and her poem with a rainbow dragon kite / with a long tail (though no one else here can offer such a doubly rhyming last name in evidence). This collection reminds us of what we cannot be too often reminded, that writing poems is (in Marianne Moore s words) the Mogul s dream: to be intensively toiling at what is pleasure. description by Stephen Yenser

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Red Hen Press (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188899617X
• ISBN-13: 978-1888996173
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,308,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Terry Wolverton grew up in Detroit and was influenced by the tough spirit, working class consciousness and African-American culture of that city. In 1976, she moved to Los Angeles to be part of the feminist art movement and the Woman's Building. In addition to writing, she has created performance art and experimental theater and exhibited visual art. She teaches fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction at the Los Angeles writing center she founded, Writers At Work, has edited numerous literary anthologies and consults with nonprofit organizations. She has received Fellowships from the California Arts Council and the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. She is also a certified instructor of Kundalini Yoga.