If you are needing a healthy dose of current events, delivered via poetry, you might want to have a look at Starting Today: Poems for the First 100 Days. I am sad to say it has taken me until day 38 of the project (and, ergo, the Obama administration) to post about this. But here's to day 38! And here's to Arielle Greenberg and Rachel Zucker for making the project happen.
All kinds of poets are up there--Major Jackson with some knockout couplets for day 22, Cornelius Eady considering the much-considered inaugural poem for day 14, Diane Wald with a "nonromantic valentine" for day 27. I have also in particular enjoyed days 2 (Matt Rohrer), 3 (Martha Silano), 4 (Aimee Nezhukumatathil), 19 (Laurel Snyder), 20 (Cate Marvin), 23 (Erin Belieu), 26 (Nin Andrews), 32 (Mark Doty), 36 (Lindsey Wallace).
There's a lot of funny bits, and some stuff that is convincingly sincere and moving. And they said that couldn't be done with "political poetry." Well, I have news for they, and the news is actually getting a little old, and it goes something like, "yes we can!"
Friday, February 27, 2009
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3 comments:
Thanks for blogging about the First 100 Days blog! I looooved Laurel Snyder's poem, and I think it was Patricia Smith's, about the squeegee guy whose mouth was going "Obama" over and over? I mean, that one I just can't stop thinking about.
Time to check out Fringe Magazine! Thanks again!
Thanks for writing, Martha! Yes, that Patricia Smith poem knocked my socks off. Definitely worth posting a link: here's day 7.
Cheers,
AL
Great post! Thanks for finding this, and sharing!
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