Grace Paley, 1922-2007

The writer Grace Paley has passed away. The NPR report is here. Despite many opportunities to see her in New York I never had the opportunity. Her poem "Here" appeared in The Best American Poetry 2001:

HERE

Here I am in the garden laughing
an old woman with heavy breasts
and a nicely mapped face

how did this happen
well that's who I wanted to be

at last a woman
in the old style sitting
stout thighs apart under
a big skirt grandchild sitting
on off my lap a pleasant
summer perspiration

that's my old man across the yard
he's talking to the meter reader
he's telling him the world's sad story
how electricity is oil or uranium
and so forth I tell my grandson
run over to your grandpa ask him
to sit beside me for a minute I
am suddenly exhausted by my desire
to kiss his sweet explaining lips

I was bemoaning the fact that I never had the chance to see her to my friend north of the border and he wrote me back the following anecdote:

I met her once, and she was delightful. I got her to inscribe her second book to me (from 1974) formally and to sign a bunch of anthologies, etc. I recall her smiling complaint about signing a Best American Essays proof underneath Cynthia Ozick's signature: "Oh, I'm used to this---Paley always follows Ozick alphabetically." When I presented a book of interviews that had already been gloriously inscribed to me by Joy Harjo ("For _____/for justice/for love...") she craned her neck and said "whose writing is that?" When I replied, "Joy Harjo, isn't her handwriting beautiful?" Paley jokingly responded "she's a show-off!"

There is more great Paley material here at The Paris Review site.

Charles Simic is the New Poet Laureate

My favorite poet, Charles Simic, has been named the new U.S. Poet Laureate, succeeding Donald Hall.

The New York Times story is here. Includes links to some poems.

I try and see Mr. Simic whenever he comes through town. He is a great performer of his poems. One of the few poets who I can never tire of hearing read. He is next reading in NYC on August 21 as part of the Bryant Park Distinguished Poets Series.

I have lost count of the number of signed items I have from Mr. Simic but, between anthologies and his own books, the number exceeds 50. I'm going out on a limb to say that he is probably the most prolific of all poet laureates. I realize that I am unable to collect all of his work.

I have Charles Simic stories galore, from my stuttering introduction of myself the first time I met him ("You're my favorite living poet!") to him shooing me away at Joe's Pub, so he can sign books for some other people.

One of my Simic prizes is a signed copy of a 1959 Chicago Review, which he affirmed to me contained his first published poems, although he acknowledged in his self-effacing way, they weren't very good.

Check out also his Poetry in Motion poster here.

I'll leave you with one of his best-known, wonderful, short poems:

Watermelons
Green Buddhas On the fruit stand. We eat the smile And spit out the teeth.
From Return to a Place Lit By a Glass of Milk, by Charles Simic.