I sure do seem to be leaning on these link dump posts of late, sorry about that, but things have been busy, so time for writing is sparse. By which I mean that I’m actually spending too much time faffing about in the internets, hence actually having a bunch of links to dump. Speaking of which:
- And Now, Deep Thoughts About ‘Deep Thoughts’ – Really just an excuse to partake in some Jack Handey brilliance, but also an interesting note about how Handey has influenced modern poetry.
This past fall, while teaching poetry to undergraduates, I witnessed something of a literary tragedy. Each week, I asked a few students to read a contemporary literary journal of their choosing and present one poem that particularly struck them. An unmistakable pattern began to emerge. In the final week of the quarter, I voiced my discovery: “Have you guys noticed that you gravitate toward poems that are like ‘Deep Thoughts,’ by Jack Handey?”
Crickets. Blank stares.
To a person, all the students were born in or after 1990; not one of them knew to whom I was referring. Therein lies the tragedy.
Quite tragic. Apparently a lot of poets these days attempt to go for that Handeyesque style, without even really knowing Handey. Interesting.
- How the sky would look if the planets were as close as the moon – I don’t really have anything insightful to say here. It’s just cool.
- Sports Balls Replaced With Cats – Niche site of the week.
- Interview with Kevin Stewart – Who? Oh, he’s actually Professor Badass. Ok then.
That’s all for now!