A few tidbits from the Land of the Internet (and Beyond)
Shawn Cooper’s new newsletter from The Lamp launched this week, and covered one of my favorite topics: Why Memorize Poetry (and Prose, for that matter).
A word of comfort for anyone just starting to memorize poetry: pick metrical poems, get a few under your belt, and you’ll be amazing at how quickly they start coming together!
With that in mind, I’ve finally buckled down to memorize Geoffrey Hill’s “Genesis” in earnest (and happily finding that I know it pretty well). Who doesn’t want these lines in their heart?
By blood we live, the hot, the cold
To ravage and redeem the world:
There is no bloodless myth will hold.I just finished reviewing Rhina Espaillat’s translation of St John of the Cross’s poems. There was far too much to fit into a thousand-word review, so there will be a whole post on that volume soon. Pick it up if you haven’t.
NOTE: Soon I am going to begin offering the option to become a paid subscriber to receive my longer, more in-depth posts. I’ve been wary of doing this, but I want to post here more and I’m simply not able to unless I make a little money from it. Artistic life is crass; it’s all about trying to get together enough resources to make the next thing. That’s where the role of the patron is a powerful one!
In the spirit of Dante, Virgil, Michelangelo, etc., I’d like to honor my patrons in my art, so I have a few little gifts to offer to folks who subscribe… more on that to come!