Dear Lovers of Poetry,

my dream about time

LUCILLE CLIFTON

a woman unlike myself is running

down the long hall of a lifeless house
with too many windows which open on
a world she has no language for,
running and running until she reaches
at last the one and only door
which she pulls open to find each wall
is faced with clocks and as she watches
all of the clocks strike
NO

Living and earning a living are never easy. We move forward with our lives in whatever
configuration seems to make sense. Have kids? We work here or there. No kids? We work here
or there. Have debt? We earn. No debt? We earn. There’s no getting around the fact that
negotiating time and opportunity often feel like impossible tasks. And no matter what we do, we
often wind up giving what we can (sometimes for the benefit of jobs or people that don’t
recognize or deserve our offering). It’s okay. Do your best anyway.

When I issued the call for poets who were interested in learning more about poetry--those who
haven’t the time, opportunity, or financial solvency to go to grad school--I didn’t expect this
response. The current list is over 500 souls who are interested in a deeper engagement with
craft. And what a beautiful sight to see! Thank you for being here and being open to learning
whatever you might learn from these reading suggestions.

The writing life is not an easy one, and it’s further complicated by the seeming need to be
credentialed in order to make a living. I’m here to say you can actually do any number of day
jobs and still be an amazing poet. There is no secret potion or spell that one might cast in order
to be a good poet. Like most things it’s seed, time, and harvest. It’s planting and waiting. Waiting
and feasting. Feasting and hunger. Hunger and planting. Until time ends, writing is work. The
shroud is lifted. The answer is before you. Reading and thinking and writing are what’s required
of the writer. Talent helps. But talent will not persuade you to sit still every day to write. The only
thing that will get you where you desire is sheer force of will, or having read something you want
to reply to, or having an emptiness in your belly that mimics physical hunger but can only be
satisfied with language. These agitators will get you to read, which will get you to write. Some
may cause you to feel feelings, which will get you to write. Some may cause you to question,
which, too, will get you to write. It’s that simple.
I want to be clear that I am not disparaging grad school. The MFA is a lovely accomplishment,
and a bit of a necessity for those who want to teach college. Nevertheless, the MFA is not
stopping anyone from meeting the page. A degree will not stop the determined. The only thing
folx may require is access to articles or journals or an environment in which people talk about
art in a compelling way. For this reason, I hope to give some resources and links to podcasts,
lectures, scholarly and/or critical writing that engages poetic interest. In the words of the poet
Rickey Laurentiis, “Learning poetry is learning a new language.” And, as we know, the best way
to learn any new tongue is immersion.

LOCAL GROUPS AND ARCHIVES:

If you are trying to find local groups, the best place to canvass is your local library or your local
university. Almost all major universities and colleges have a reading series that you can attend
for free. For instance, in Philadelphia, Penn’s Kelly Writers House and Bryn Mawr College both
have two of the best reading series in the country. Also, The Free Library of Philadelphia has a
well-curated Monday Reading Series throughout the year.

Some of the larger universities even have an online archive—like, for instance, this video
archive dating back to the 60s and 70s from Suny Brockport. This particular archive is a cool
resource because you can watch some of the late greats talk poetry (including Clifton and
Sexton). For those who have wanted to take an online class, check out the Modern and
Contemporary Poetics class on Cousera for FREE (yes, it’s actually free). You might also
browse Penn’s comprehensive experimental catalog at ubuweb.com or the Pennsound site
where you can listen to translations, podcasts, or watch videos. Can’t afford an MFA but desire
to hear the MFA-level lectures? Tune into these lectures from past Warren Wilson MFA
residencies. Want to get into the head of your favorite writers? Listen to Rachel Zucker’s
Commonplace or dig into Zucker’s new Soundmachine Project (coming soon). Want to read
interviews about poetry and poets? Go to Divedapper. If you want to read about historical and
contemporary writers and other relevant topics, get a subscription to Brainpickings. I also
suggest bookmarking The Rumpus and Lithub for regular visits. And, by all means, you should
definitely sign up for the poem-a-day at Poets.org or get a subscription or two or three to
journals. Wondering where to find poetry journals? Your local library or your local university.
Most universities are open to the public for research but not for lending. Make sure to carve
out some time to relax and read while there. If you’re looking for podcasts with poems or
podcasts about poets, try Tracey K. Smith’s The Showdown and VS. Podcast with
Danez Smith and Franny Choi. You should also check out the archive and resources at
the Center for African American Poetics at the University of Pittsburgh (CAAP).

Options exist for the autodidact. I ask you to be open to possibility.

READINGS:
I am offering an initial reading list that includes craft essays and more scholarly work.
No list is ever comprehensive. The nature of lists is such that they are conceived in the
limited imagination (and memory) of the one writing the list. People are fallible. Lists are
flawed. These are simply some readings I’ve enjoyed with topics ranging from the
essentials of poetic craft (sound, imagery, tone, lineation and syntax) to readings on
futurism and experiment. There’s no starting point. Dig in wherever you choose. I will
say that excerpted work can not substitute reading a text in full. With this in mind, I’d like
to offer some craft books and writing that you might find valuable additions to your
existing collection:

Madness, Rack and Honey, Mary Ruefle

Don’t Read Poetry: A Book About How to Read Poem , Stephanie Burt
The Art of Syntax, Ellen Bryant Voigt
The Art of Voice, Tony Hoagland
Real Sofistikashun, Tony Hoagland
Poetic Rhythm, Derrick Attridge
Art Object: Essays on Ecstasy and Effrontery, Jeannette Winterson
The Art of Daring, Carl Phillips
The Art of the Poetic Line, James Longenbach
Poet’s Work, Poet’s Play, Tobin and Triplett
Broken English, Heather McHugh
Best Words, Best Order, Stephen Dobyns
A Poet’s Glossary, Ed Hirsch
Poetry as Persuasion, Carl Dennis
Poet’s Teaching Poet’s: Self and The World, Orr and Voight
A Poetry Handbook, Mary Oliver
A Poet’s Ear, Annie Finch
The Book of Forms, Lewis Putnam Turco
Making of a Poem: An Anthology of Poetic Forms, Strand and Boland
Metaphors We Live By, Lakoff and Johnson

Lectures/Video:
"The Work of Poetry in the Age of Ferguson, Baltimore, and Charleston: Towards a
Klepto_Poetics" Roger Reeves

“Building the Emotional Image” Natalie Diaz

Additional Readings:
Trans/Space: A Trans, Non-binary and Queer + Resource List This list is curated by the
inimitable TC Tolbert. TC is a trans and genderqueer feminist, collaborator, mover, and poet.

“Lineage of Mirrors” is curated by Julian Randall and offers brief craft essays written by writers
of color about another writer of color who influenced them.

“The Craft of Writing Empathy” Nuar Alsadir

“In My Defense, Monsters: Notes on Black Poetic Grotesqueries, Composite Humanity,

and Freedoms of the Horrific” Justin Phillip Reed

“Toward A Politics of Mere Being” Carl Phillips

“Delusions of Whiteness in the Avant Garde” Cathy Park Hong

Kathleen Ossip close reading Gwen Brook’s “Do Not Be Afraid of No”

“The Politics of Meter” Catherine Wagner

“Jennifer Chang on Collective Denial”

“IDENTITY, POWER, AND A PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF REPATRIATION: ON

TRANSLATING AND WRITING POETRY” Khaled Mattawa

“Dispatches from the Land of Erasure” Marwa Helal

NON-MFA RESOURCE FOLDER:

This Google docs resource should get you started with readings. There are, literally,
hours and hours worth of reading in this folder. As I find new readings of interest, I’ll add
more. For now, in this busy season of life, this is my offering to you.

Happy Reading!

To The Work,
Airea Dee
Disclaimer: This is a work in progress. I recognize that in developing these resources I have neglected to include
others. I recognize this is a limited global tool developed with a decidedly Western (American) lens. I recognize the
world of literature is more vast than one person’s mind, aesthetic, gender, sexuality, race, class and/or
socio-political/geographic border. For these recognitions of privilege and truth, I am grateful.