Reasons for this project – One: Whale Sound was all contemporary poetry, so poets’ reactions to recordings of their work, our desire to promote that work, and real-time interactions with poets were ever-present considerations. Pizzicati of Hosanna will only tackle work by dead poets, positing a fundamentally different paradigm for exploration.
Two: What’s it like to read poetry aloud for an audience in different languages? Without being any kind of real polyglot, I have a modest working knowledge of French, Spanish and Italian, and a fair ear, although I’ve never tried reading any non-English poetry aloud for an audience (in my view the best and quickest way to get deepest inside a poem). So here we are, stepping out as usual in bright hope & deep ignorance, accompanied by a battery of dictionaries, translation tools and pronunciation guides…
SISTER SITES
This blog title comes from Wallace Stevens’ poem Peter Quince at the Clavier.
you want Russian poems?
I wish I could say yes, but unfortunately, no. I don’t have a word of Russian to help me on my way – maybe some day! Thanks for stopping by. Nic
I love this project, Nic! You do such vital and interesting things for poetry. Not to mention beautiful! xo
Thanks, Sheila!!
…also featured this at alt.lit.gossip. great project! cheerio.
This project is a valuable resurrection and celebration of the human archive. I can see great value in bringing this to the classroom (all ages), and I am not even a teacher. Congratulations, and all success to you. -Scot
Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Scot – always great to hear from you!