The New Yorker: Poetry Michael Dickman Reads Ellen Bryant Voigt
Apr 17, 2014
Ellen Bryant Voigt, a celebrated contemporary poet, joins forces with Paul Muldoon, the poetry editor at The New Yorker. They explore the vivid imagery in Voigt’s poem 'Cow', highlighting its powerful themes related to nature and emotional connections. The discussion shifts to the nuances of innocence in modern poetry, contrasting historical styles. Voigt and Muldoon dig into the role of punctuation in shaping poetic interpretation, while marveling at the spontaneous process of poetry creation and the unexpected ways it resonates with audiences.
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Small Moments Build the Poem
- Ellen Bryant Voigt's 'Cow' uses small images that assemble into a larger, breathing poem.
- The line 'the smaller brain serving the larger brain' signals how discrete moments work together musically.
Political Feeling Through Tangent
- The poem balances a political edge with indirect, tangential presentation rather than didactic argument.
- This subtle approach lets emotional and sensory details carry the poem's stance.
Punctuation-Free Lineage
- Michael Dickman compares Ellen Bryant Voigt's punctuation-free lines to John Clare's speed and openness.
- He notes Voigt's new poems drop punctuation to gain that breath and motion.