Providing 'an interesting tension'

 

“Thepleasure that I take in writing gets me interested in writing a poem. It's nota statement about what I think anybody else should be doing. For me, it's aninteresting tension between interior and exterior.”– Marilyn Hacker

Bornin New York in 1942, Hacker often employs strict forms in her poetry: for example,writing in sonnets as in her acclaimed verse novel, Love, Death, and the Changing ofthe Seasons.    Among her 11 books of poetry is Presentation Piece, which won theNational Book Award, and the amazingGoing Back to the River.  Herwriting often speaks for the marginalized or for those who are suffering, especially from cancer.            “Good writing gives energy,” said Hacker,  “whatever it is about.”