Hope

Alison Hawthorne Deming, a poet and essayist who focuses on issues of science and the environment, visited Smith this week to speak from her work. She had some wonderful comments during a Q&A on her writing. I always ask environmental writers how they maintain hope in the face of the immense challenges we face: species …

Always turn in the direction of the skid

Poet Dean Young visited Smith yesterday and said many beautiful and interesting things about poetry during a question-and-answer session on his work. Here are some of his replies, to the best ability of my hurrying pen to capture them. * Writing isn’t separate from my life … There’s always room for writing. It’s automatic. It’s …

The Sound of Trees

by Robert Frost I wonder about the trees. Why do we wish to bear Forever the noise of these More than another noise So close to our dwelling place? We suffer them by the day Till we lose all measure of pace, And fixity in our joys, And acquire a listening air. They are that …