Friday | November 24, 2006

An Interview with Franz Wright

I came across an interview with Franz Wright in the most recent issue of Image magazine. Image is a magazine mostly focused on the intersection between faith and literature. I have enjoyed reading through this issue of it very much.

So, back to the interview with Wright. He talks at length about his own faith crises at various points in his life. But what I like about the interview is how he connects those with his poetic processes. If you'd like to read more about my thoughts on it all, I've written about it here.

Posted by poetically challenged at 08:35:46 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Monday | November 20, 2006

Translation and the Poetically Challenged

Writing poetry is a very difficult art. It involves a love of language, and a willingness to play with and manipulate language to see what effects might come about.

Translation is a different art altogether. It is, in many ways, a more difficult art. It requires a larger body of knowledge, in that the translator must have a good understanding not only of vocabulary and grammar, but also a good knowledge of each of the cultures that speak the languages between which s/he is translating. Add to that all the sensitivity to language that is required for other poetic endeavours, and you begin to have the makings of a good translator.

I have a real love for all things Chinese, including stories such as Journey to the West. I am not, however, a good translator. But I do hope to be one day.

With that goal in mind, I will begin a new blog just for the purpose of practicing translation. That blog can be found here.

And whatever you do, please don't laugh. Remember, I am poetically challenged, after all.

Posted by poetically challenged at 23:15:18 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Tuesday | November 14, 2006

Poetically Challenged

I'll be using this blog space to practice my poetry. I'll work less on content than on use of a specific form when I post. If I write a villanelle, for instance, I am not so much seeking to write moving content as to gain some comfort within the form.

I am treating this blog, then, as a space for writing exercises. I don't expect much brilliance here, but I hope it will be a place that will help me gain a greater adeptness in more serious ventures into poetry writing as I go along.

Once in a while, I'll pop in, in more prosaic form, and share reflections about writing processes too.


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Posted by poetically challenged at 08:22:29 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |