Thank you so much for commenting here. I actually regret being so didactic in this video. When I rewatched it recently I realised (to my surprise) how obsessed I had become with understanding everything, to the detriment of my reading experience. Do you follow Bibliosophie's channel? She and I have had some discussions about this in my comment boxes, and I admire her so much for her ability to accept (and even enjoy) not understanding everything. I'm trying to train myself to be more like that, which probably makes you laugh because just having written that shows how difficult it is for me to chill hehe. Which is all to say that your comment means a lot to me, thank you.

Thank you so much for your kind wishes, and also for your thought-provoking ideas and questions. "To avoid absolutism" - yes, yes, I agree, the constraint actually frees the poet in this way. So well put, thank you. Which leads me to wonder why so few contemporary young poets refuse to even learn prosody, no less use any constraint in their work. It's such a liberating tool. You know ... I think that "The More Loving One" is really growing on me. It has such a glorious twisty quality, in both the philosophical pondering and the tone. The poet is so pleased with their ability to love selflessly (and to be super casual and cool hehe), but then can't resist showing that they are also a deep thinker... or are they... The more I read it the more profound but also amusing it is. And all while sounding like a comforting nursery rhyme. Oh. I think it might be my favourite too now. "Total dark sublime" is also the best phrase and image. Can't you just imagine Auden being so delighted to have come up with that?!

@ Now you have me imagining Auden being delighted with himself. 😁

"Grumpy and brilliant" is exactly what I would have expected lol. How amazing that he travelled to Adelaide. I just placed a hold on "Everywhere I Look" at my library because I think that's where she writes about it? Thanks for the tip, much appreciated! Lovely to meet you here, Eleanor.

I was, indeed, trying my very best to channel you (as I do now when I read generally) xx

Oh, my absolute pleasure. I think you will love stay, illusion!! But in either case, I look forward to your thoughts (as always).

Thanks to you I've revisited my poetry shelves. So the feeling is mutual.

Right?!!

Thank you! Your comment is so kind. Means a lot to me.

Thanks for taking the time to comment. That's a great one to have by your bed because of the sleeping woman on the cover hehe. The podcast episode I linked to is all about "Trouble in Mind" and I found it helpful. One of my personal favourites in that book is "The Halo That Lit Twice" :-)

Thanks so much for taking the time to comment here, I really appreciate it. I've just printed off those 2 poems and I'll have a read of them later, thank you.

I had a look at those 2 poems in the books they come from. I pencilled in a massive question mark next to "Almost a Conjurer" some years ago lol. The book's notes mention that the title is from a Yannis Ritsos poem, and I found that poem online thanks to a quick search. Reading it today, I'm strangely attracted to this portrait of a poet and actually find that it's speaking to me much more. How odd. So thank you! "And so long..." has an entire paragraph in the notes explaining that the title is taken from Marilyn Monroe's last published interview.

Oh definitely NOT STUPID!!! Some of her poems are online (I forgot to mention that in the video). I often wonder where my subscribers are from, so now I can imagine you in Florida :-)

I also grew up in Washington State and, from such a distant vantage-point - my case is Phoenix - reminisce about seasons and believe Eleanor does, as always, a fantastic job of characterizing poetry.

This is astonishing!!! This is just absolutely brilliant. You had Marie Howe and L B-B over for dinner, and L was your mentor ... I almost collapsed with delight when I read this. Also, I will call all workshops "workships" from now on. OMG Hannah :-)

@ My friend and I invited the two of them to our dorm (which had a tiny kitchen). Both of us were from the South and neither of the them had eaten southern food. Chad and I made collards, okra, banana pudding, and other southern favorites. Lucie, as usual, only had coffee. (She did not eat in front of anyone, and we were innocent enough to think we might convince her to try just a bite. Nope!)

Kevin Young was also in our workship-and he was amazing even as a freshman. While I never was a great poet, I really learned how to be an attentive editor from LBB.

@@HannahsBooks Oh my goodness, her legacy is huge. I am new to Kevin Young and will immediately start reading him. What an experience it must have been. I'm sitting here and grinning.

@ Kevin is a very distinctly American poet. I am eager to hear what you think of him.

Thanks for your comment! She has several poems online if you'd like to sample them. Warm regards, E.

It is indeed a very divisive book.

Thanks! I inherited it from my grandfather who was a magnificent person and taught me that "the only real property is the property of the mind".

Oh! I haven't heard of Abel and Lubrin, thanks for the mentions here. I looked up that musical and am watching the short video of The Raven song online right now. I would have loved to go to that with you. Fabulous.

Thank you so much. "Boulder" is on my tbr list. I'm so glad that you're enjoying "Break of Day", it really stole my heart. Thanks for the other mentions of books, I am always interested in hearing what my viewers are reading at the moment. Let me know if any Elizabeth Bishop poems speak to you, and also of course always feel free to tell me if they don't. Everything is of interest!

You're welcome, and thank you for your comment. Your words encourage me to share more.

Thanks for the recommendation!

What fascinates me about Poe is that his rhyming poems are so loved these days, and yet almost no contemporary poets rhyme... I might talk about that in the next video... it's so odd.

Oh! I think I remember your fabulous name and avatar from when I first started my channel. Yes? I'm so happy to see you here again. I'm just now reading "The Fall of the House of Usher" and I am under Poe's spell. Thanks for commenting, it makes me so happy :-)

Oh, that's so kind of you to mention because I did notice your comment disappeared and I worried that I inadvertently annoyed you. I'm so relieved!! I also saw another comment from you (which perhaps was also moderated?) asking if I read German, which I sadly don't. But thank you so much for checking as I would have loved to read that.

It's so amazing of you to comment here, thank you so much! Did you already try to read the book and not really get into it? I really didn't get into it whatsoever at first!!

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 Correct. Really struggling to continue. But now you've given me some incentive. I confess, though, I'm not as generous as you are with books that require me to have read other books (or other art forms) in order to understand them--unless they make it clear. I was beginning to wonder if it was syllabic and about her choice of stanza, but hadn't made the connection so I appreciate that. However, I haven't read comprehensively of Marianne Moore or Elizabeth Bishop to catch the allusions. I'm now curious about their wasp poems because I was finding Schiff's rather grotesque. Thanks for encouraging me to give it all another look and a stay of execution.

@@poetrycrone6061 "A stay of execution" lol. I was SO CLOSE to donating it to my library hehe. Two things stopped me ... about ten years ago I read an article in the Boston Review that still intrigues me about the "baroque" in poetry. I didn't get it (still not sure I do, actually), but I like the way Stephanie Burt writes about poetry and pay attention whenever she recommends something. So Schiff was familiar to me as a name from then. Secondly, I recently noticed that Sean Singer had "Information Desk" as one of the books in his book club. I didn't attend the book club (it's via Zoom) but I tend to think of him as an astute poetry reader. And now you've reminded me to return to that article on the baroque and give it another shot! Of course, the Mayer reference and the articles I found gave me the final push.

But it's so true, I will often due waaaaay too much homework on the off-chance I'm missing a gem. It drives me crazy, but I'm compelled. I am actually trying to train myself to do less of it, and accept the poem as it comes.

If you feel like it, have a look at "Santarem" by Bishop (it's online) and the last stanza has an intriguing wasp nest in it. For Moore, I only know of "The Paper Nautilus" also online. Oh wait ... Bishop also has a gorgeous reference to a wasp nest in "Jeronimo's House" describing her house as a wasps' nest "of chewed-up paper / glued with spit." Which I think is very meta haha (I like that kind of stuff).

Oh!! Yes, I see what you're saying here. Now I'm going to go back to the poem (it's been more than a year) and see it through your eyes. What you write here makes so much sense. Thank you!!

LOL this made me smile x (Haven't read her essays, and now they'll be on my tbr ).

Thank you so much. I hope you get over your block as quickly as possible. So is your struggle with both reading and writing poems? I can certainly relate.

I have only read Carson's critical work / essays. Thanks for reminding me to try her poetry again. I so appreciate your comments and presence here.

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 She has a book, "Wrong Norma," being considered for the (US) National Book Award in poetry (they have a 10-book long list). I'm about midway through "Wrong Norma." Some of it I don't get, but some of it I perceive (while not sure this is how she intended it to be perceived) as wry and cheeky.

@@poetrycrone6061 Oh yes! I did try to read it and I just didn't get what the fuss was about at all. I didn't connect with it, not intellectually, not emotionally. I didn't want to talk about it here because I'm a bit embarrassed as she's a huge name. What truth serum did you put in this comment box??? Eleanor x

@@poetrycrone6061 OMG I just now opened KZbin to watch more of your videos and I receive your comments!!! And so I revisit my Penguin reading challenge and I think “ I reckon that Poetrycrone will love Robert Wrigley!!” Also, you are so good to remind me about being able to recommend to others!! Also … almost two years later I find myself returning to Wrigley and enjoying him more and more which is so unexpected.

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 I'm pretty omnivorous as a poetry reader. I lean less toward a love of researching a poem or riddle-ish poems than you do but I also enjoy being pleasantly confounded. It's fun to discuss with someone who enjoys poetry but leans a little differently.

Yes, I do agree with this so much. So thankful that I found you.

You understand so well!! Embracing you :-) The Penguin Project came to a stop, unfortunately. I just didn't find enough there to be truly engaging....

Thanks for being here, it makes all the difference to me!!

Mr Colmer!! It took me a second or two as I stared at your name here to realise why it was so familiar hehe. I cannot thank you enough for your brilliant translation of this book. I know absolutely no Dutch, so would never have discovered these poems if not for your hard work. Furthermore, I never once stumbled on any word / phrase in the English, and in fact I completely forgot it was a translated work once I started reading. The poems cover so much time and so many different forms and tones that it really is remarkable how immersed I felt in the language world. P.S. Also, you are a fellow Aussie! Wonderful!!

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 Thanks, Eleanor. I really enjoyed your discussion of the book. Fresh and frank. Inspiring too! Plus I think a Dutch version of you could say the same things about the originals, and that's the very thing a translator aims for. This translator, at least...

@@davidcolmer7246 Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I found almost no English reviews / discussions of the poems so I did actually wonder what other readers were thinking about it. And of course now I'm imagining a Dutch version of me with great delight.

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 drop me a line by email if you can. address is easy to find

Thanks for popping by, I'm a big fan of your channel! I get a kick out of Ted Berrigan's sonnets and now I'm going to revisit him, thank you! A quick funny story .... about a decade ago I sat at a poetry reading in NYC and, feeling very self-conscious, asked the man sitting next to me if he knew anyone in the crowd and he laughed and said "Yeah, pretty much everyone" and then he introduced himself - Edmund Berrigan lol (Ted's son).

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 That's fantastic. Things like that don't happen in Phoenix.

So lovely of you to comment, many thanks.

Hehehe, thank you Ms Pessoa :-) Now that's interesting ... do contemporary poets in the Romance languages rhyme a lot? Very small-minded of me to speak of poetry at large when I really only read in English. E x

Yeah, and you've had the rare pleasure of reading one of his novels, which I'm very envious of.

@leafyconcern and @TheBookedEscapePlan I had dreamt of sitting down with both of you at a cafe and discussing poetry, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine we'd convene our first meeting of the Schuyler Fan Club here in my comment box :-) So lovely to have you both here, thank you!

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 That's a great idea! We could be the New York School Dead Poets Society.

How fascinating. While I am very new to Poe, I was truly surprised when I read his "Philosophy of Composition" because I do not imagine that any poet writes poems in that way. It reminded me of a Hollywood script doctor I once met who believed that reverse engineering successful scripts can also work the other way to create new scripts.

@@theonlyrealproperty2567 Many scholars have grudgingly come to the same conclusion, but they rescue their assumption of Poe's authorship by interpreting that the essay was a "hoax," as though it was a satire. Actually, I think it's obvious that it was a scam intended to reinforce the earlier scam of having claimed authorship of the poem.

Welcome to my grandfather's library :-) (I inherited it). The only real property is the property of the mind (he taught me that).

I don’t understand … maybe you might explain a bit further?

I was just watching the magpies in my garden this morning, and now here you are in my comment box :-) I'm always interested in what you have to say, and I hadn't heard of "The Manor" until now. Reading Singer does feel like a trip to an older time and place, and he seems to have taken up residence in my soul this month. Warm regards, E x

You are so welcome!

Welcome and thank you so much for your comment here, it means so much to me! I hope Murnane's imagination takes off in your mind is it did in mine. What a coincidence about "The Magician of Lublin", wow, did you enjoy it? I look forward to reading more of your comments as time goes by. Also, please feel free to comment even if you disagree with me, I'm always looking for different views and personalities in my comment boxes. Warm regards, E.

So kind of you to take the time to comment and say 'thanks' - it means a lot to me! Yes, this book really surprised me (I don't usually read this type of travel memoir) and I'm still thinking about it.

Oh! You know, I had forgotten that it was Aaron's comment section that led me to discovering you :-) Hmmm.... your mention of a favourite poets video has me thinking now ... once again you've sent me back to my shelves to try and think things through. I really appreciate that, thanks xx

Welcome!

Thanks for your comment, and I assure you that your thoughts and frustrations are shared with many (perhaps even all?) poetry readers. Unfortunately, I don't have any definitive answers, only this video in which I try to at least come to some understanding of the complex goals and techniques of poets. I have no qualifications other than immense curiosity and enthusiasm. Warm regards from my House of Possibility to yours.

Thank you for the recommendations, I look forward to reading them!