Re: [New-Poetry] An Era of DÃ(c)tente for Creative-Wri ting Programs

[Catherine Daly]

I recommend looking at Cole Swensen's work in the past ten years, as
well as the students of Jorie Graham b/w Jorie Graham, since both
teach at Iowa, if you're looking for ways into very early work --
poetry writing life wise -- of young post-avant Iowa workshop grads.

Cole Swensen basically picks the juice out of various pre-existing
texts -- gardens, performance stances, opera, books of hours...  The
end product is appealing, but easily criticized by not being
"necessary" -- i.e. forceful.  She generally picks up something about
art history again and again and again. This is why it is so common to
find someone who is a former student of hers writing a mix of prose
and poetry very closely tied to an original source in a very
structurally unified way.

Graham's influence was a little different.

Stephen Burt writes a lot of about the influence of Mark Levine. I
don't see it the same way, but I've never been to Iowa City.

-- 
All best,
Catherine Daly
c.a.b.daly at gmail.com