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I found my way to Nancy Willard via a poetry book she wrote for children entitled, A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers. Who wouldn’t buy such a book simply to know what Innocent and Experienced Travelers were? And also wondering if you missed something about an Inn owned by William Blake! I sent for the book sight unseen and found the it so full of whimsy and delight (do buy it for every child you know) that I wanted to know more about Nancy Willard. I found she is not only a poet of renown (eleven books of poetry) but also a novelist (two) and a teacher of writing at Vassar College. I’m always seeking a companion book to be read daily for encouragement, or a course on writing for the price of a book, to deepen my understanding of the craft of writing. I got both in Left-Handed Poetry. There is good practical advise and wise counsel in this book compiled of essays and lectures. Willard reminds us of the importance of letting our writing simmer on the back burner and letting go, about being open to multiple winds of inspiration, and suggests how to cross deep water (read clean page) one stroke at a time. Throughout many of the chapters she reminds us of the importance of memory as source for the kinds of stories that break our hearts. Asking us to trust the memories that rise to the surface, the memories that choose us. Her chapter on the power of litany in poetry is excellent. And I was thrilled with the chapter “Camping on the Board” where she takes us along on the wondrous route that led her to the writing of A Visit to William Blake’s Inn. An extra bonus is the way she models her whimsical creativity for us, in the design and structure of these collected essays and lectures. (I'd like to try the one structured around Tarot cards!) I’ll end with this quote from her preface: Write from what you know, our first writing teachers told us. So in this book I tell stories of failures survived, dilemmas solved, books finished, editors that helped me, and writers whose work I love that inspired me. I go back to my own experience as a writer. But all writers know that the source of their work runs deeper than literary influences. Our writing teachers let us find out for ourselves what they really meant: write about any time or place or person you can imagine your way into – write from more than you know. <back to list |
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