Poetry

Poet Mark Halliday returns to Fresh Air to read one of his latest works. Halliday, an English professor at the University of Pennsylvania, has published several books of poetry. The most recent is titled Little Star.

Poet and essayist John Haines. Haines' new book The Stars, The Snow, The Fire, recalls the 25 years he spent homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness. Haines is more than "one of our best nature writers," according to Hayden Carruth of Harpers Magazine. Carruth writes that Haines "knows the ecological crisis ... as a crisis of consciousness, the human mind in ultimate confrontation with itself.

Writer May Sarton. For many readers, Sarton is a heroic figure for her decision to expose her lesbianism in the early 60s, long before it society was tolerant of the gay life, and also for her decision to lead a life of solitude. The author of over 35 novels, books of poetry and essays, Sarton is probably best known for her journals, Recovering, and At Seventy. Her most recent book of poems, The Silence Now, explores themes from the solitude of the aging, to AIDS, to world peace.

Rich's writing has been deeply political, but her recent poetry explores more personal themes. She joins Fresh Air to discuss her coming out as a lesbian, the difference between her poetry and the poetry written by men, and why she's reluctant to speak publicly about her personal life, despite being an autobiographical writer.

A new anthology of Wilbur's early and recent poetry has recently been published. He joins Fresh Air to talk about his writing, the effect of how reading in front of audiences has had on his work, and his relationship with his children. Wilbur was Poet Laureate from 1987 to 1988.

Egyptian-American writer Gregory Djanikian reads a poem called "Renovations," about his coming to grips with chaos.

Despite his often misanthropic themes, Galway says he's been roused from his depression, in part because of his wonder of nature. He's known for exploring emotional extremes in his writing.

Gregory Djanikian, who has a new poetry collection published by Carnegie Mellon Press, reads a new work about American identity and the Midwest.

Waldman grew up in Greenwich Village and joined a community of poets who moved to her neighborhood. She says her work is influenced by the noises of the street as the, as well as the writings of other poets.

Benet worked as a longshoreman in San Francisco until gentrification and automation rendered his labor unnecessary. He says he mourns the workers' culture more than the job itself. Benet later went to graduate school and became a novelist and poet. His newest book is called A Short Dance in the Sun.

Hass says he is overwhelmed by images; the point of art is to make sense of it. He joins Fresh Air to talk about how memory and invention influence his poetry. A new collection, called Human Wishes, will be published later this year.

Lorde is open about her identity as a black lesbian feminist; she hopes her visibility will help other women like her feel less alone. She joins Fresh Air to talk about her romantic relationships with men and women, and the tensions between African American and feminist communities. Her new collection of essays, A Burst of Light, deals with her experience with breast cancer.

Poet Mark Halliday reads a poem about the doo-wop group the Capris, and nostalgic recollections of teenage crushes.

Olds' writing is confessional and personal, but she says her work is not necessarily autobiographical. She wonders why readers have the desire to separate truth from invention in her work -- and the work of other women poets in particular.

Book critic John Leonard reviews Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Ezra Pound, called A Serious Character. Leonard says the book is filled with inessential material, and doesn't do enough to address Pound's literary, political, and personal shortcomings.

Pinsky says he's suspicious of literary criticism, even though he often writes it himself. His new book, Poetry and the World, looks back on his past, including growing up in New Jersey.

Ray has written twelve books of poetry. His lastest, Sam's Book, centers on memories of his son Sam, who was killed in a drinking accident.

Arnold Rampersad's biography of the African American poet has been called "a literary event." Despite dedicating his writing to the black experience, Hughes grew up in a largely white community. His more radical work didn't find much of an audience, which led to him adopting a more social-realist style later in his career.

Lawrence Joseph is lawyer and poet from Detroit whose parents are from Lebanon. Critic Stuart Klawans says Joseph's newest collection features brutal autobiography and fierce intelligence.

Russian poet Irina Ratushinskaya was sent to a labor camp for her poetry advocating human writes. She continued to write in prison, smuggling her poems out for publication and committing many others to memory. Her memoir, Grey is the Color of Hope, details that time.