Hilary Holladay 5/16/24 Hilary Holladay 5/16/24

Poetica ex Machina

Toni Morrison scholars have had a glorious feeding frenzy dissecting the relationships and historical contexts of Beloved (1987). Still, there’s one element of this ghost story that deserves more attention: the surging, sluicing, wondrous poetry conveying the thoughts of the dead and the living as the novel moves toward its denouement.

Hilary Holladay 5/1/24 Hilary Holladay 5/1/24

Philip Levine’s “Milkweed”

I first read Philip Levine in a poetry writing class when I was an undergrad at the University of Virginia. Professor Charles Vandersee assigned a bouquet of books by contemporary poets, including Levine’s 7 Years from Somewhere, Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich, The House on Marshland by Louise Glück, and Field Guide by Robert Hass—all marvelous and enduring volumes.

Hilary Holladay 9/25/18 Hilary Holladay 9/25/18

Anne Sexton's "Her Kind"

I have always admired Anne Sexton's "Her Kind." It is as good and purposeful as the nib of a fountain pen sinking into a bloviating patriarch's fleshy old fanny.

Hilary Holladay 12/31/17 Hilary Holladay 12/31/17

What to Do with a Year Like This One

1.

Press its thorny stems between the pages of a book you plan to give away.

Let it simmer on the stove until the smoke is sweet and the pan is gone.

Hilary Holladay 7/2/17 Hilary Holladay 7/2/17

Happiness

It is the middle of summer, the heart of the watermelon, and I'm sitting on a patio looking out at hills and cypress trees and listening to people splashing in a pool I'll swim in later on.

Hilary Holladay 5/8/17 Hilary Holladay 5/8/17

Robert Frost's Drop Shot

I've often wondered about Robert Frost's famous line, "I'd as soon write free verse as play tennis with the net down."

Hilary Holladay 6/16/16 Hilary Holladay 6/16/16

Beat Poet Harold Norse: An Interview with Todd Swindell

During times of upheaval, art of all kinds can offer solace and refuge. As an antidote to the horrors we are all grappling with these days, I recommend to you the life and writing of Harold Norse (1916-2009), an out gay man who grew up in the 1920s and 1930s.