Thank you for this lovely conversation. I particularly enjoyed your discussion of difficulty in poetry, which, as you observe, can sometimes arise from the act of wrestling with difficult concepts, but can also be used--sometimes effectively and sometimes not--as a surface technique to signify style or create an aura of mystification. I would love to hear either or both of you elaborate on that topic in the future.
In the meantime, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank both of you for the gift of this lovely pamphlet. I made a similar comment on Henry Oliver's review, but I would be delighted if at least some of the upcoming releases from Headless Poet (I am a very happy subscriber) follow the model Victoria has established here. There are very few poetry anthologies on the market that present this kind of focused case for a particular style or time period, and that are designed primarily for delight rather than study. Most anthologies strive to be comprehensive and are designed to fill the needs of a college course. That approach is useful, of course, but it dilutes the impact of the poetry itself, especially for a reader who is not initially seeking comprehensive knowledge of a time period. Victoria's approach of hand-selecting a small group of beautifully representative poems seems more likely both to win over a reader and to provide them with a useful starting point for further study. Moreover, the small size of the pamphlet makes it easily portable, which makes it more likely that readers will return to it. Personally, I have kept "Poems Beautiful and Useful" in a jacket pocket, and have found myself browsing through it in coffee shops and grocery stores. As a result, I've now read through the entire anthology several times and memorized a few of the poems. Thanks to Victoria's careful curation, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the emotional richness of the era's didactic poetry, and a deeper sense of how that impersonal mode can be utilized to convey deep personal feeling.
Thanks again for this wonderful little book. I am excited to see what comes next from Headless Poet.
Thank you Tyndall, I couldn't have asked for a more sympathetic appreciation of what we were trying to do. There will definitely be more anthologies in this vein - which said, the next few pamphlets will attempt (and, I think, succeed) to do something similar for individual poets... I'm very glad to hear the pocket-size paid off, too - that was always my intention and it took quite a big of playing around with dummy copies before settling on the format.
The physical format is a complete success. Small and portable, and yet elegant enough for a coffee table (the typography is stunning!). I love the idea of similarly compressed anthologies for individual poets. I will keep an eager eye on the mailbox for future packages from the UK!
Great advice from Victoria for aspiring early modern poets! I’m struck by how much poetry was/is a communal activity, then as now. Perhaps “have your poems set to music”, or “make your name as a dramatist” might be added to the career pathway? Plus, in the spirit of Headless Poet inc., have friends in the print/bookselling world?
Thanks for the superb conversation! One question I have about *Poems Beautiful & Useful*: I notice that the cover says "made by" Victoria Moul" rather than "edited by," though in this interview, Jeremy, you do call her the pamphlet's editor. Victoria: Do you prefer one term over another and, if so, why?
Thank you for this lovely conversation. I particularly enjoyed your discussion of difficulty in poetry, which, as you observe, can sometimes arise from the act of wrestling with difficult concepts, but can also be used--sometimes effectively and sometimes not--as a surface technique to signify style or create an aura of mystification. I would love to hear either or both of you elaborate on that topic in the future.
In the meantime, I wanted to take the opportunity to thank both of you for the gift of this lovely pamphlet. I made a similar comment on Henry Oliver's review, but I would be delighted if at least some of the upcoming releases from Headless Poet (I am a very happy subscriber) follow the model Victoria has established here. There are very few poetry anthologies on the market that present this kind of focused case for a particular style or time period, and that are designed primarily for delight rather than study. Most anthologies strive to be comprehensive and are designed to fill the needs of a college course. That approach is useful, of course, but it dilutes the impact of the poetry itself, especially for a reader who is not initially seeking comprehensive knowledge of a time period. Victoria's approach of hand-selecting a small group of beautifully representative poems seems more likely both to win over a reader and to provide them with a useful starting point for further study. Moreover, the small size of the pamphlet makes it easily portable, which makes it more likely that readers will return to it. Personally, I have kept "Poems Beautiful and Useful" in a jacket pocket, and have found myself browsing through it in coffee shops and grocery stores. As a result, I've now read through the entire anthology several times and memorized a few of the poems. Thanks to Victoria's careful curation, I have developed a deeper appreciation for the emotional richness of the era's didactic poetry, and a deeper sense of how that impersonal mode can be utilized to convey deep personal feeling.
Thanks again for this wonderful little book. I am excited to see what comes next from Headless Poet.
Thank you Tyndall, I couldn't have asked for a more sympathetic appreciation of what we were trying to do. There will definitely be more anthologies in this vein - which said, the next few pamphlets will attempt (and, I think, succeed) to do something similar for individual poets... I'm very glad to hear the pocket-size paid off, too - that was always my intention and it took quite a big of playing around with dummy copies before settling on the format.
The physical format is a complete success. Small and portable, and yet elegant enough for a coffee table (the typography is stunning!). I love the idea of similarly compressed anthologies for individual poets. I will keep an eager eye on the mailbox for future packages from the UK!
Gosh thanks so much for this comment Tyndall. I’m sure I speak for @Jem as well in saying that this is exactly what we were hoping for!
Great advice from Victoria for aspiring early modern poets! I’m struck by how much poetry was/is a communal activity, then as now. Perhaps “have your poems set to music”, or “make your name as a dramatist” might be added to the career pathway? Plus, in the spirit of Headless Poet inc., have friends in the print/bookselling world?
Yes these would all be good tips as well!
Thanks for the superb conversation! One question I have about *Poems Beautiful & Useful*: I notice that the cover says "made by" Victoria Moul" rather than "edited by," though in this interview, Jeremy, you do call her the pamphlet's editor. Victoria: Do you prefer one term over another and, if so, why?
Excellent!