There is no question that literature and life are inextricably connected. Authors often use their own personal experiences as raw material for their creative projects, whether those projects take the form of novels, short stories, essays, or poetry. For students of literature, there can be no greater thrill than to unearth these biographical connections by speaking directly to the artist himself/herself. This was the case for both Alyson Breslin and Maegan Sheehan, members of the sophomore class who found their research taking them far beyond the computer and into the real world of an actual writer.
In Mr. Brown’s American literature course, students are asked to research the poetry of a particular American author in an attempt to discover an underlying theme in at least three separate selections. At first, this assignment posed a huge challenge for Alyson because she could not find enough critical information on her given writer, Catherine Chandler. At the suggestion of Mr. Brown “to dig deeper,” Alyson decided to contact the author herself, and what transpired between poet and student proved to be an incredibly enriching intersection of life and literature.
In her conversation with Ms. Chandler, Alyson discussed the thematic approach she was considering with regard to her research and was able to ask specific questions of Chandler regarding the poet’s sources of inspiration and her poetic craft. (See the attached interview below.) Upon sharing this information with Mr. Brown and her classmates, Alyson was recognized for her proactive approach, subsequently inspiring others–like Maegan Sheehan–to also think “outside the box.” A few days later, Chandler graciously spoke with Maegan as well, offering both students (and Mr. Brown) the opportunity to attend the Carmine Street Metrics’ Zoom meeting on February 7th, where she would be one of three featured readers.
Classroom lessons are all very well and good, but there is no comparison between a course lecture and a personal interaction with an actual artist. For Alyson and Maegan, looking back on this tenth-grade poetry project will always remind them that literature and life are, indeed, intrinsically linked.
General Questions
Is there anything in these poems that you intended to be symbolic?
In “Supernova” a supernova, caused by the “last hurrah” of a dying massive star, is the biggest explosion that humans have ever seen.. This happens when a star at least five times the mass of our sun goes out with a fantastic bang (this information from the NASA website). The poem is about death, dying, and the acceptance of death. The supernova is the symbol of both life and death.
There is nothing symbolic in “New Hampshire Interval,” although there are several plays on words, as in pined, turned, harrowed, tapping, and frosted.
“Caesura” itself is a symbol. It does not refer to a person. In poetry, a caesura is a pause, usually in the middle of a metrical line (as in Beowulf). It may or may not be marked with punctuation (for example, a comma or semicolon) or it may just introduce a new clause. The “caesura” which is the symbol or perhaps the extended metaphor, of the poem is the month of November. It’s a “pause” between the glorious colors of autumn and the “rime-embellished” (play on the word “rime”) month of December when everyone’s preparing for Christmas. November is a quiet month. One of the best poems about November is Robert Frosts’s “My November Guest.” https://poets.org/poem/my-november-guest
Another poem of mine, “November” appears in a more recent book. I guess you can tell, I’m a November baby! The poem is reviewed here https://sihamkarami.wordpress.com/tag/catherine-chandler/
Was there something or someone specific that inspired you to write these poems?
“Supernova” was inspired by the death of my brother-in-law, who was more like a brother to me than a brother-in-law. He was a High School English teacher, then he became Principal of a middle school in Maryland, which he turned around from a failing school into something wonderful. When he died, he asked his wife (my sister) to go to Ireland with some of his ashes and to strew (“release”) them into the wind near his ancestral home. I imagined myself in my sister’s place, and how (in the first three stanzas) she might be bitter, and in the final three stanzas how she comes to accept the fact that he has died.
“New Hampshire Interval” was inspired by my visit to the Robert Frost Farm in Franconia, New Hampshire. Years later, I attended a poetry conference at another of Frost’s farms, in Derry, NH. I was supposed to lead a workshop on the sonnet there last year, but everything was canceled because of COVID-19.
“Caesura” was inspired by the long, dark, dreary days of November.
I chose the theme of nature because I noticed it in your poems. Is there a specific reason you choose to write about nature?
In my earlier writing days, I wrote much more about nature than I do now. Actually, the first “published” poem I had was in my High School Journal magazine, and it was dedicated to Autumn. I live in a rural area of Quebec and am surrounded by trees and fields. But more than that, I have a deep and longstanding reverence for the flora and fauna, the “inanimate” geology, the air, water, and land. Call me crazy, but, after a terrible ice storm in 1998, the horse chestnut tree in front of a former house had to be cut down because it was in danger of splitting and causing injury. So the night before they came to cut it down, I went outside, hugged the tree, and told it how sorry I was that it would be cut down, and how much it had meant to me over the years. Just one example!
Questions about Supernova
In the beginning of Supernova, are you talking about how we should just appreciate nature and not think too scientifically about it? If so why?
Yes. Because the beauty of nature speaks for itself. I would direct you to a poem by Richard Wilbur which also speaks about the simple appreciation of nature, “Praise in Summer.” http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/richard_wilbur/poems/17438
In the middle of Supernova, you start to shift your focus from nature to things that seem more scientific, like logic and reason. Could you explain why?
I shift my focus to reflect the change in perception of the narrator.
In Supernova, I was confused as to what you meant by the last 3 stanzas, could you explain what you meant?
The last three stanzas reflect the narrator’s acceptance of reality. She sees a purpose and a plan in God’s world and even realizes that she, too, is only stardust.
New Hampshire Interval
In New Hampshire Interval, why did you choose to write about Robert Frost?
He chose me.
In New Hampshire Interval, what do you mean by “Morris Chair”?
A Morris chair is simply a wooden chair with an adjustable back and long flat arms. Very comfortable. My father had one. Robert Frost usually did not sit at a desk to write. He sat in his Morris chair and wrote. I saw the chair at the Frost Farm. This is a photo of Robert Frost writing on his Morris chair:
Could you explain what you mean by “I can sense him still, tapping the frosted trees near Sugar Hill” in New Hampshire Interval?
What a good question! And one of the poem’s metaphors. First, Sugar Hill is where Frost’s farm was located. It contained sugar maples, which, every spring, are tapped for their sap, which is boiled down to make maple syrup. My use of the phrase “tapping the frosted trees near Sugar Hill” is my way of saying that, when I visited the farm, I could imagine Robert Frost “tapping” into his poetic imagination (the “frosted trees”) and composing his magnificent poetry.
Questions about Caesura
In Caesura, you refer to someone called he/his. Could you explain who that is?
“He” is the month of November.
You seem to talk about fall in Caesura, is that correct. Could you explain why?
Yes, I talk about fall in Caesura. It is because November is one of the fall months.