Site Meter Media Criticism » Blog Archive » Sunday Discussion with Charles Simic

Sunday Discussion with Charles Simic

by Nicholas Katers

poetry.jpg

I harbor a grudging jealousy with anyone who can write a poem that doesn’t sound like something a teenager wrote for an ex-girlfriend. I know I can put together a string of good sentences but I cannot put the soul of a poem in my commentary. The reason I bring this up is that The New York Times interviewed U.S. poet laureate Charles Simic in the Sunday edition.

I should say Mr. Simic’s official title “Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress,� a mouthful of words that make the title holder an ambassador for flowery prose. Deborah Solomon’s interview with Charles Simic covers the spectrum of issues from the poet laureate’s accessible poetry to his vote for John Edwards in the New Hampshire primary. I like the issues spanned in this brief interview because few people know what the U.S. poet laureate does on a daily basis. The vague mandate offered by Congress for this position makes the ideal candidate capable of promoting poetry while relating well with the press. Charles Simic seems to fit this bill.

The Times interview points out a fatal flaw in our educational system which is a focus on writing. I don’t mean handwriting which remains a sticking point for many students (I can relate as a left hander who was encouraged to turn rightie by some mean old nuns). The over-scheduling of children leaves no room for imagination, whimsy, mental flexibility or expression of emotions of all types. I hope that Mr. Simic uses what Deborah Solomon refers to as “unusually accessible and plainspoken� poetry to open doors for artistic endeavors in our schools. As someone who grew up in a family that encouraged expression and went to a school that tried to suppress it, I can tell you that the former is vital for proper development into adulthood.


3 Responses to “Sunday Discussion with Charles Simic”

  1. farley Says:

    AS a poet who never has time to write poetry, thanks for sharing this interview. And I agree with you completely about the lack of focus on writing and creativity; it should be encouraged more, not less.

  2. Nicholas Katers Says:

    Farley,
    Thanks so much for your comment. I have a similar problem writing fiction. I write so much non-fiction professionally that I have no time for imagination. I must heed my own advice.

  3. Media Criticism » Blog Archive » Civil Unions Inevitable Despite Backward Adherence to Religious Interpretation Says:

    [...] casual conversation this weekend led me to think again about the issue of gay marriage. I read an article in this weekend’s New York Times Magazine written by Benoit Denizet-Lewis about the trend toward [...]

Leave a Reply


About Media Criticism

Media Criticism takes a critical look at the media's coverage of news, politics, celebrities, and current events. It is not intended as a replacement for traditional media; rather, it is an analytical lens through which mainstream journalism can be viewed.

Media Criticism Author(s)
    » Nicholas-Katers

Politics & News Channel Posts

  • Frightening...
    From Films for Action: Thousands of Troops Are Deployed on U.S. Streets Ready to Carry Out "Crowd Control" By Naomi Wolf, From AlterNet.org Posted on October 8, 2008 Background: the First [...]
  • Selling Mortgages Like Credit Cards
    Families used to spend years saving up enough money to purchase a home in the United States. Only buyers with a 10% down payment and an excellent credit rating qualified. But in the last decade [...]
  • Pope Announces India's First Woman Saint
    India's Christians have something to celebrate today: At St. Peter's Square Pope Benedict XVI declared four new saints to the Roman Catholic church including an Indian woman. Her canonization is a [...]
  • Wake Up, America!
    A friend forwarded this youtube video: I love the original song, and I usually like a good parody, but the subject matter for this one is a little hard to take. Which led me to a few other [...]
  • Bailout Betrayal
    Dennis Kucinich on the Democrats' Bailout Betrayal Posted on Oct 5, 2008 - TruthDig.com By Chris Hedges The passing of the $850-billion bailout pulled the plug on the New Deal. The Great [...]
  • Michelle Obama: A real mother and wife
    I think Michelle Obama would make an excellent First Lady and I hope and dare to say, I think she will get that chance in just a few short weeks from now. I heard her really speak for the first [...]
  • Tent Cities Becoming Common Sight in United States
    From Radio Havana Cuba: Washington, October 3 (RHC)-- Throughout the United States, homeless advocacy groups and city agencies are reporting the most visible rise in homeless encampments -- or Tent [...]
  • Corporate Economy a Paper Tiger
    A letter to the editor the Cumberland Times-News published eight years ago from Jan D. Tuckley. The economy of the corporate capitalists is like a bicyclist who has ridden over a cliff. Unaware [...]
  • Rubber in the Road
    The pedestrians of Gardena, California have a little more spring in their step these days, and it has nothing to do with lighter wallets. Gardena's new rubber sidewalks are making the town more [...]
  • Chatter...
    From talk on the net ... People think that a banking or stock market collapse must be bad for everybody, but it's not. If you know a stock collapse is coming (because you are going to cause it) [...]

Hot Off The Press

  • Back in Action
    Scene: At our favourite local coffee shop. Mr. JM and I are sitting across from each other, he reading the newspaper and I thinking about various things as I stir my chai. In our hurry to get there [...]
  • Paris Hilton annoys Roxy Music frontman
    You cannot please everybody. For Paris Hilton’s case, it’s the majority she can’t please. Well after several Hollywood A-listers expressed their annoyance to our dear heiress’s [...]
  • Say hi to your mother for me, okay?
    Aw, look who doesn't have a sense of humor about himself. Good old Mark Mark (formerly of the Funky Bunch) has been in too many Academy Award-nominated movies and has produced too many Emmy-award [...]
  • I'm Very Lame
    I have all these great and fun photos of Timber and the other doggies but haven't yet uploaded them into my Flickr account. I also went to an amazing wedding on Saturday and MUST share it with all of [...]
  • Bound for Glory IV Jeff Jarett VS Kurt Angle - Video
    Bound 4 Glory IV Kurt Angle Vs Jeff Jarett 1/3 Bound 4 Glory IV Kurt Angle Vs Jeff Jarett 2/3 Bound 4 Glory IV Kurt Angle Vs Jeff Jarett 3/3 [...]
  • Supernaturally Gross
    "Well, that's gonna be . . . horrible." Dean's quote pretty much sums up Thursday's episode of Supernatural. No, wait, the episode was good, but it was also pretty gross and horrible. Dean did have [...]
  • Absentee ballots due by Nov. 1
    Mark Estelle is voting with an absentee ballot in the Nov. 4 election so he can remain a registered voter in his hometown. "I know people running for different offices, and I want to support them," [...]
  • Just forget about it!
    ...But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans [...]
  • The Four Reasons..or the Fourth One Anyway...Meg found it....
    Meg is guest posting for me while I drag myself together and figure out which way is up.  You can find her posting regular at her place, Get In, Hang on. When Jerri Ann asked me if I might do a [...]
  • Ode to Classic Rock & Converse (Celebrating the New Line of Rock n' Roll Inspired Shoes!)
    Journey's Shoe Retailer and Converse Shoes have teamed up to create a new line of shoes inspired by some of the best classic rock bands ever! Below is a short story written by Pop Culture Buzz [...]