| A Former Poet |
I was a minor poet of the late 20th-Century. I say “was” because
I stopped writing poems in the year 2000 and “minor” because
that's the objective truth. I published poems for 25 years in literary
journals ranging from the glorious “littles” (e.g. Free Lunch), to the
slick and slippery biggies (e.g. The New Yorker). During the last
fifteen years of the last century, Poetry and Sewanee Review
published more of my poems than anyone else. Along the way, I
brought out four collections, each with a different press, and had
work in a variety of anthologies (including those that are used to
torment students).
I was privileged to meet many of the celebrated poets from my
own generation and older ones. Most were/are gentle, generous
souls. Some I'm pleased to count among my friends. Similarly, I
got to know many journal and book editors and came to regard
them collectively as heroic people because of the largely thankless
work they do. When I gave up poetry, I did so for two reasons:
(1) I felt that I had said everything I wanted to say and would
simply repeat myself if I continued. (2) Poetry (with a capital “P”)
had become an academic insider's game, and I felt more than a
little complicit.
So that's the short version of my life as a poet. I'm proud of the
body of work I produced and pleased to let it speak for me as long
as anyone cares to listen. For a sampling of work (poetry and
prose), please click "The Daily Scrawl" in the menu.
I stopped writing poems in the year 2000 and “minor” because
that's the objective truth. I published poems for 25 years in literary
journals ranging from the glorious “littles” (e.g. Free Lunch), to the
slick and slippery biggies (e.g. The New Yorker). During the last
fifteen years of the last century, Poetry and Sewanee Review
published more of my poems than anyone else. Along the way, I
brought out four collections, each with a different press, and had
work in a variety of anthologies (including those that are used to
torment students).
I was privileged to meet many of the celebrated poets from my
own generation and older ones. Most were/are gentle, generous
souls. Some I'm pleased to count among my friends. Similarly, I
got to know many journal and book editors and came to regard
them collectively as heroic people because of the largely thankless
work they do. When I gave up poetry, I did so for two reasons:
(1) I felt that I had said everything I wanted to say and would
simply repeat myself if I continued. (2) Poetry (with a capital “P”)
had become an academic insider's game, and I felt more than a
little complicit.
So that's the short version of my life as a poet. I'm proud of the
body of work I produced and pleased to let it speak for me as long
as anyone cares to listen. For a sampling of work (poetry and
prose), please click "The Daily Scrawl" in the menu.
| Major Poet |
| Minor Poet |
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