This beautiful interview eased my way into a bitter morning with a dog who has declared war on her jacket. I appreciated both your elegant introduction to Joshua’s work and the inspiring conversation that followed.
Illuminating interview Matthew and Joshua! Full of gifts of advice and recommendation gems. Willa Cather fan here too (so curious how My Antonia changed your life!). Thank you both for teaming up for this interview. I'm newly bitten by the poetry bug, reading and writing, so this interview satisfied my insatiable desire for words strung together in such a way to convey the condensed essence of life.
This is a great interview with Joshua. I was not familiar with Oliver’s American Primitive and have added it to my list. Like Joshua, I write my poetry in longhand in a notebook. I typically find I can edit it better once it is in a DOC. Sometimes I write essays in a notebook as well. When I first starting writing on a computer it took quite a while to acclimate myself to it, some 30 years ago. Great bespoke syllabus, Joshua, both "Vivian Gornick’s The Situation and the Story, and essays from Phillip Lopate’s The Art of the Personal Essay" are two of my top go to books for craft.
Thank you both for sharing! I really enjoyed reading through your conversation. The idea of poetry as maybe/maybe not telling a story really stood out to me in particular, as someone who likes to "narrativize" everything possible, ha. Lots more to ponder from this.
“Mountains feel like they have come whole from heaven. There is nothing more to create; the writer must simply listen, watch, and absorb those surroundings. The prairie, by contrast, is more elusive. There is a lot of what looks like emptiness, but isn’t.”
This beautiful interview eased my way into a bitter morning with a dog who has declared war on her jacket. I appreciated both your elegant introduction to Joshua’s work and the inspiring conversation that followed.
A privilege to be part of your morning. Thanks for reading!
Illuminating interview Matthew and Joshua! Full of gifts of advice and recommendation gems. Willa Cather fan here too (so curious how My Antonia changed your life!). Thank you both for teaming up for this interview. I'm newly bitten by the poetry bug, reading and writing, so this interview satisfied my insatiable desire for words strung together in such a way to convey the condensed essence of life.
This is a great interview with Joshua. I was not familiar with Oliver’s American Primitive and have added it to my list. Like Joshua, I write my poetry in longhand in a notebook. I typically find I can edit it better once it is in a DOC. Sometimes I write essays in a notebook as well. When I first starting writing on a computer it took quite a while to acclimate myself to it, some 30 years ago. Great bespoke syllabus, Joshua, both "Vivian Gornick’s The Situation and the Story, and essays from Phillip Lopate’s The Art of the Personal Essay" are two of my top go to books for craft.
Two of my favorites dudes on the Stack! Well done gents 👊
Thank you both for sharing! I really enjoyed reading through your conversation. The idea of poetry as maybe/maybe not telling a story really stood out to me in particular, as someone who likes to "narrativize" everything possible, ha. Lots more to ponder from this.
“Mountains feel like they have come whole from heaven. There is nothing more to create; the writer must simply listen, watch, and absorb those surroundings. The prairie, by contrast, is more elusive. There is a lot of what looks like emptiness, but isn’t.”
I love this. So timeless.
Many thanks for sharing this captivating conversation Matthew. I have just added Joshua's book to my birthday list... 🙏🏼
Cheers! That is an honor indeed.