 Friends, my good friend and colleague Jeremy Schraffenberger (associate editor at the North American Review) just loaded onto our website the first "NAR Literary Roundtable Podcast." Hurray!Listen to this conversation in which the editors of the magazine discuss the uses and abuses of the thesaurus, as prompted by poet Mark Doty; the essay "Village of Adams" by J. P. Vallieres from our recent Fall 2011 issue (cover pictured at left); and what we've all been reading lately. Before you click on that link above to listen to the podcast, do check out the cool cover by NAR art editor Gary Kelley. If you click on the cover image at left, you'll see the cover "life-size." I think you'll enjoy Gary's comment on contemporary society here. After you listen to the podcast or view the cover, please go to Facebook or follow us on Twitter and let us know what you think of either. And, of course, do subscribe to the magazine at www.northamericanreview.org. And also please leave me a comment below, won't you? Ingat. |
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Psaltery & Lyre
1 hour ago
1 comment:
I enjoyed the beginning of this podcast (and look forward to listening to more of it later when I’m caught up at work) that covers views about the use of a thesaurus. While I agree with the importance of using a word without ignorance, of context and right fit I feel that writers should explore unfamiliar territory and not be lax in learning new words. As a painter I often create new combinations or new colors when working. I use this approach to some degree as a poet though with restrictions; that is a part of the process of creating art. Each poem has a mini-lexicon, a group of words that integrate aesthetically, are architecturally sound, and add to the melody or countermelody of the lines. Specificity in language is vital, especially in poetry, and enhances the cartography of each piece. Language is part of the quiddity of poetry but also clearly separates one poem from another. Unique diction may keep the reader from travelling well-worn mental ruts that shortcut to associated meanings, keeping them from truly engaging a poem. No thesaurus was used in the creation of this comment but I do use one, a Word Menu, vocabulary builders, and adore my dictionaries. Just as we’re encouraged to read if we write I think it helps to use all the tools available to us. Thank you for the thought-provoking podcast and your kind invitation to participate in the NaPoWriMo celebration.
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