“I am often asked . . . ‘Can you teach the students to write poetry?’ Over and over again my answer is: ‘Only if you and they are willing to jump blindfolded out of an airplane without a parachute.’” In this colorful, no-holds-barred post on Latinapoet.net, Magdalena Gomez writes brilliantly about The Risk of Poetry.
Looking for a challenging read? Check out the spring 2009 issue of High Chair, in which five writers give very far-flung and often startling responses to the complex question, “What does risk encompass in poetry?” You’ll find such gems as: “Poems as events, as a rupture from the repetitive . . but also as a slight crack, a slit that allows us to see the possible, a small hole that by its presence allows us to breathe the air of the other room” (Raymond John de Borga) and “When I think of risk I think of stakes—stakes supporting tomato vines in danger of collapsing and being unproductive; stakes for execution, where witches were burned or rebels impaled for defying the community’s standards; stakes raised in a game of poker, or in episodes of “Pera o Bayong” where the contestant gives up a small, certain sum for an unidentified prize in front of a cheering audience” (Naya Vadellon).
Anais Nin is not my favorite philosopher. In fact, her thinking makes me break out in hives. But how I do love this brief, crystalline poem about risk.
On another post, I wrote limply about teaching. I’m a college professor, which is, in my opinion, a piece of cake compared to teaching in the public schools. If you really want to hear about the most undervalued profession around, check out Taylor Mali’s slam poetry video on “What Teachers Make”—that is, if you haven’t already seen it. After it went viral with over 4 million views, chances are you already have.