I don't think you're being fair to Elizabeth Bishop. It's not that she took 20 years off writing after The Moose, but rather that The Moose took 20 years to write. And that's how it often goes with poetry. We can (and do) spend years on a single poem in order to get it where we need it to be. And it's not that she spent those 20 years working only on that single poem; poets tend to have multiple poems in different stages of completion or revision simultaneously.
And for poets, writing isn't just the time buckled into the chair and hammering away at things. So much of what ends up on our pages is drawn directly from the subconscious that we need to allow it space to breathe, which can look like not-writing to others.
You're absolutely right: I am clearly certainly *not* being fair to Elizabeth Bishop! Thank you for this extremely necessary context. Adding an edit to the newsletter pointing readers to your comment.
Thank you for this lovely reflection on rituals, Hurley — strong agree on everything you've written here! So flattered to be a part of your book club. And I love the detail about your hallway light!!
I don't think you're being fair to Elizabeth Bishop. It's not that she took 20 years off writing after The Moose, but rather that The Moose took 20 years to write. And that's how it often goes with poetry. We can (and do) spend years on a single poem in order to get it where we need it to be. And it's not that she spent those 20 years working only on that single poem; poets tend to have multiple poems in different stages of completion or revision simultaneously.
And for poets, writing isn't just the time buckled into the chair and hammering away at things. So much of what ends up on our pages is drawn directly from the subconscious that we need to allow it space to breathe, which can look like not-writing to others.
You're absolutely right: I am clearly certainly *not* being fair to Elizabeth Bishop! Thank you for this extremely necessary context. Adding an edit to the newsletter pointing readers to your comment.
Thank you for this lovely reflection on rituals, Hurley — strong agree on everything you've written here! So flattered to be a part of your book club. And I love the detail about your hallway light!!
It’s been such a joy re-reading your marvelous book, Mason. Excited to share it with fellow readers!