Author Archives: Anna Kate Lister

Olds and Whitman

Posted on December 6, 2010 by Anna Kate Lister

Sharon Olds addresses Walt Whitman directly, by name, in at least two of her poems.  But her conference with the Bard, despite the century between them, pervades a far more overwhelming portion of her work than that.  “The bodies of … Continue reading →

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Highways and Cathedrals

Posted on December 4, 2010 by Anna Kate Lister

During our not-so-recent discussion of Juliana Spahr, there was some mention of the spoils of the future and those technological advances which seem only to set us back.  Spahr addresses senseless wars, cell phone conversations about loneliness, celebrity worship, our … Continue reading →

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The Poem as Fruit

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Anna Kate Lister

I am invigorated by the shift to a woman’s perspective of Walt Whitman, which (obviously) often places him in the maternal role and/or that of a nurse.  Because Sharon Olds has been one of my favorite poets since I saw … Continue reading →

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Be Here Now

Posted on October 17, 2010 by Anna Kate Lister

I would like to recommend to you all a book called Hip: the history, even though I find that an unfortunate title. It was written by John Leland, self-proclaimed “reporter for the New York Times and former editor-in-chief of Details, and…an original columnist … Continue reading →

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Ballads of Walt Whitman

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Anna Kate Lister

Reading the portion of Crane’s “The Bridge” entitled “IV. Cape Hatteras” strangely reminded me of a song I heard again recently.  This soulful jam is the late, great Odetta’s cover of one of Bob Dylan’s early folk classics.  To me, … Continue reading →

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Forget Eternity

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Anna Kate Lister

Ol’ Walt has got me pondering the relationship between memory of events and our ability to tangibly record them.  The two quotes we started class with on Tuesday (which I can’t cite because I turned them in with the quiz) … Continue reading →

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