Okay, as the owner of all 3 of her books, I was predisposed to enjoy this installment of How a Poem Happens. But you should definitely not miss Erin Belieu’s matter-of-fact, straight-up answers to how her poem happened.
I just saw Erin Belieu read at Chautauqua — she is matter of fact, straight up, and quirky (I consider that a good thing in the poetry world).
Thanks for sharing that link, Marie. Lovely interview. I enjoy hearing Erin’s perspectives on the poetry world.
Lori A. May
http://loriamay.blogspot.com
http://www.loriamay.com
and now I love her too.
It was this that got me: “But I do suspect that people write and send and publish too much generally. I remember Edith Wharton describing a powerful New York society couple—Mr. and Mrs. van der Luyden—in her novel The Age of Innocence. When one character asks why these two—who are neither particularly fascinating nor entertaining—wield so much influence over the social scene, another character responds by saying ‘they make themselves valuable by making themselves rare.’ I may be paraphrasing slightly, but I think the point is a useful one.”
Karen, you are one lucky duck!
Lori & Lily, I’m glad to oblige! — I can recommend any of her books, but her most recent, Black Box, in part deals with a divorce, so there are some very fierce poems — blood jet!
Marie Gauthier 
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