An Italian-American Writer & Poet with a Yankee Outsider Perspective
Too many years ago to count, I won the Loft’s Mentor Series as a poet. Over the course of nine months, we were guided by perhaps six mentors, among them the poet and novelist Jim Harrison. I was recently divorced … Continued
In case you haven’t heard, Jeremy Denk recenly won a MacArthur genius grant. As did our very own Patricia Hampl, not recently, but well remembered. Ah, genius in relative youth! And I am thinking of Mozart, and his divine sonorities, … Continued
I’ve been struck by what I call The Documentary Impulse and now, I’m trying to inspire masters students to allow themselves to do the same. This is creating something of a quandary. What worked for Daniel Defoe in the early … Continued
Sometimes in a schematic mood, I divide poets into Emilys and Tennysons–Emilys belong to the pare-it-down, nail-it-tight school of poetry. Tennysons to the broader sweeping, celebratory school. Their music is different. They look different on the page–Emily’s tiny explosions, Tennyson’s … Continued
Every time I try to remember my breakup from my first husband, there are loud voices, the two of us standing in the kitchen shouting, then phone calls when he pled with me not to leave. At least we were … Continued
For sheer outrageous characterization, Charles Dickens has no match. It helps that his England was rife with class divisions (probably still is). Whereas US novelists play around with outlaws, hoodwinking innocents with snake oil and motley, Dickens almost always draws … Continued
This is addressed to you, the excellent musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra! Don’t be a rhinoceros. Try instead the part of a gazelle. Yes, I know: gazelles are brought down by big cats, and rhinoceros can stand as long as … Continued
Margotlog: Orchestras on the Slide: A Tale of Two Cities “The Twin Cities were separate at birth and far from identical,” I wrote in a novel called Falling for Botticelli (not yet published). Yet sometimes these separate cities suffer similar … Continued
Water…a Film about India and Widowhood But it’s filmed in Shri Lanka. Beautifully filmed with close-ups of a dreamy eyed girl (around 8) in the back of an oxen-pulled wagon. Her dark eyes, framed by long heavy dark hair, stare … Continued
We in Minneapolis/Saint Paul enjoy one of the world’s great images of the Roman matron Lucretia, Rembrandt’s deeply moving portrayal just after she’s stabbed herself. I’ve stood before this achingly beautiful young woman, her chemise stained with blood, a tear … Continued