Posts, toasts, & roasts
official t4d blog
The Uncanny Valley of Input Technology: A look at “Old Bay in the Key of Predictive Text” by Martha Silano
When I read Martha Silano’s poem, “Old Bay in the Key of Predictive Text,” I couldn’t help but reflect on my own frustrations of input technology—the fact that my phone constantly assumes I’m so “ducking” sick of America right now is just one example.
Elevated (Horror) Ekphrastic: A Look at “Blue Poles” by Elizabeth Rosell
“Blue Poles” the poem is a terrifying vision of “Blue Poles” the painting. I don’t often find poetry that fits the function of horror as well as poetry but this one chills me.
Single Poem Review: “Desert Eclipse” By Claudia Putnam
…the smoothness of the writing is undeniable. Putnam can put together some enviably clean lines.
Harsh Truth and Punk Rock: A Look at Tony Gloeggler’s “Workshop”
This is a poem about truthfulness, the kind of pithy truth that can make or break someone.
Power & Play, Artist & Audience: A Look at Jory Mickelson’s “Portraiture”
By exploring one art form through the lens of another (painting through poetry), Mickelson is able to conjure a kind of creative synergy.
Single Poem Review: “Inventing a New Language” by Lara Dolphin
For every logophile, there is the inevitable dilemma when words fail those ineffable moments that are beyond expression.
Intimacy, Vulnerability, and Belonging: Thoughts On (Negative) Criticism
I love every poem, even if I don’t always like them.
The Sacred Athletic: A Look At “Sue Bird’s Second to Last Game at Climate Pledge Arena”
To witness a thing so that the readers themselves could love it? That, I believe, is one of the core missions of a poet, and it is beautifully accomplished here.
Single Poem Review: “Homework” by Cheryl Pappas
This quiz, this call and response, this list, works best when Pappas lets the specificity of an image tantalize…
Love & the Anti-Occasion: A Look at “In the Dark Room of Too Little Time”
Love is often in the microscopic details of the anti-occasion, just as so much of a marriage can exists in one house, and often in one main room.
Single Poem Review: “After Scattering Ashes in August” by Emily Franklin
In a way, “After Scattering Ashes in August” reads like a small life cycle of its own—navigating the spaces of becoming and being, and making music with so many of life’s unsung gestures...
History & Memory: A Look At “After Watching the Challenger Documentary on Netflix”
Margrave creates a poem that functions as memory, history, and private narrative, all at once.