David Anthony Sam's Blog, page 137
September 3, 2019
The Summer issue of Poetry Quarterly including 2 of my poems is available now
The Summer issue of Poetry Quarterly including 2 of my poems is available now from their bookstore.
September 1, 2019
The Poetry Society of Virginia North Central Region & Germanna Community College will cohost an Evening of Poetry on Oct. 24.
The Poetry Society of Virginia North Central Region & Germanna
Community College will cohost an Evening of Poetry on Oct. 24.
Go HERE for details.
August 31, 2019
Review: Tradition
Tradition by Daniel Khalastchi
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
In “Tradition,” Daniel Khalastchi does his best
to fulfill the aesthetic of shock–that is, that the quality of the
poetry depends on how shocked you can make the reader. Juxtaposing
disconnected actions and images suggests that the world does not make
sense, but also that, perhaps, the poet is trying too hard.
… An hour passed before
you asked if I was bleeding, and
when I couldn’t answer
you struck me again. Do you
think, you said later, our air
depleting while we shared
the last throat lozenge, that male
high school girls’ basketball
coaches feel their athletes are
the reason they have such distance
in their marriages? I don’t
know, I said. I do, you
said, and you began to
dig us a tunnel with your
teeth…
The
collection is filled with death and copulation, suggesting I suppose,
our lives. But it all seems overheated, strained. I respect the attempt
at the 21st Century version of the Surreal. But it does not work for me
here.
The exception is the long “Poem for My Father,”
which expresses deeper emotions as it suggest a biography we want to
know more about. Here the juxtapositions seem to fit a real life and
individuality. Here we experience poetry with some power. The rest of
the collection pales in comparison.
August 23, 2019
Review: Hansel & Gretel Get the Word on the Street
Hansel & Gretel Get the Word on the Street by Al Ortolani
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Bleeding with despair, dripping with contempt
for himself, his students, his fellow teachers, and whimsically rich
with snark, the protagonist of these poems is an unhappy man.
There are a few gems herein, including “Game Prayer,” “Tough Cookies,” and Daddy’s Car.”
Thank you Editor Glenn Lyvers of Poetry Quarterly for accepting 2 more of my poems for publication in the next issue.
Thank you Editor Glenn Lyvers of Poetry Quarterly for accepting 2 more of my poems for publication in the next issue.
August 13, 2019
Art is a form of truth
“We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda, it is a form of truth.” John F. Kennedy
August 10, 2019
Toni Morrison – A voice that insists on facing the truth and believing that we can be true to our betters selves
“We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. The may be the measure of our lives.” – Toni Morrison
By that measure, her life will always be measured large.
August 9, 2019
Review: The Left Hand of Darkness
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Rereading this classic nearly 50 years after the first time I experienced it, I was impressedby two things:
First,
this is a wonderful book, a powerful book on love, friendship,
sexuality and gender, politics and betrayal, and light and darkness.
Second,
when I first read it, I found it to be in some ways revolutionary in
dealing with gender and sex roles, Time has passed. The world and I have
changed. Now I see the masculine-oriented viewpoint of LeGuin, the
condescension towards the female in many places that can’t be explained
entirely by the point-of-view of the main character. LeGuin herself said
that the criticism she received over the years was justified, that
while she was a child of her times, that was no excuse, and that she
would write in differently. For instance, she would not use the pronoun
“he” for an androgynous people who are both male and female.
But
I still love the book despite its flaws and recommend it highly. The
journey of the main characters and the journey of the book over time are
both revelatory.
August 8, 2019
There are still seats left in my Fall 2019 creative writing class at Germanna
Register for classes | Germanna Community College
Students may register in person at Fredericksburg, Locust Grove, Stafford, Culpeper locations or online. All students are encouraged to register for classes as
— Read on www.germanna.edu/admissions/register/
August 7, 2019
Review: Life on Mars: Poems
Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I wanted to like this collection more
I wanted to like this collection more than I did. As is my practice, I read each poem at least twice. Some are good, but many do not stir me emotionally or awaken me with original or at least striking language. The poet likes simile, which many current poets seem to avoid along with any metaphor. Some of the similes ring with significance, but many fall flat.
A competent collection, worth reading, but it may not reward rereading.
