Post by chrisho112 on May 30, 2013 19:40:31 GMT -5
Stephen Dunn is one of the most renowned and highly acclaimed contemporary poets in American society today. Through the use of simple writing and basic themes many readers find themselves attached to Dunn’s work. Easy to read and understand, Dunn’s works can appeal to an extremely wide audience.
Born in the state of New York in 1939, Dunn as a teenager and young adult had already experienced many aspects of a post WWII lifestyle. He was raised in the suburbs and lived a comfortable life as his father was a salesman. He attended Hofstra University on a basketball scholarship. He played professional basketball for two years after college. After pro-ball, he attempted to follow his father’s footsteps, a working a corporate job as an advertising copywriter for Nabisco. Abruptly, Dunn quit his job, feeling that something was missing in his life. He traveled to Spain in an attempt to revitalize and rediscover himself. In Spain he first attempted to write a novel, and produced quite a poor one. However, he discovered poetry in the process. Despite this unusual path, Dunn finally discovered the missing part of himself in discovering poetry.
A Pulitzer prize winner, Stephen Dunn has come as close as a poet can to mastering his art. Exploring himself and those around him, Dunn revolves his poetry around the popular subject of the intricacies of human emotions and expressions. He does this by conveying the reality of human existence through the encountering of a basic trouble met with acceptance in the end and gaining some sort of dignity by looking life in the eye.
Also prominent in Dunn’s works, is his ability to create familial relationships. Although critics see in his poetry as being mundane and too centralized around everyday life, Dunn never lacks truthful insight. He combines his life experiences with his intellectual thought and imagination to create poetry relevant to almost any reader. Dunn provides unique insight into the human experience, while integrating his thematic lessons into relevant and relatable settings. While some may interpret his poetry to be overly pessimistic, they nevertheless appreciate the complexities of human emotion which he tackles. For Dunn, it is important to depict the precarious nature of human life. Many have tendencies to be narrow minded and focus upon a limited and obstructed view. To Dunn, the most dangerous force in the world is one that is centralized upon only one idea and only one viewpoint. In attempts to combat this force, Dunn integrates his personal life with everything around him in order to create a unique blend of broad-ranging poetry.
Dunn’s poetry offers a great deal of insight and knowledge spanning across many spectrums within the human complexity. To read a few lines of a Stephen Dunn poem is to feel suddenly in touch with the surrounding world which may be hidden beneath the surface of ignorance. With this in mind, I would like everyone here today to give a warm welcome to tonight’s special guest: Mr. Stephen Dunn.
Born in the state of New York in 1939, Dunn as a teenager and young adult had already experienced many aspects of a post WWII lifestyle. He was raised in the suburbs and lived a comfortable life as his father was a salesman. He attended Hofstra University on a basketball scholarship. He played professional basketball for two years after college. After pro-ball, he attempted to follow his father’s footsteps, a working a corporate job as an advertising copywriter for Nabisco. Abruptly, Dunn quit his job, feeling that something was missing in his life. He traveled to Spain in an attempt to revitalize and rediscover himself. In Spain he first attempted to write a novel, and produced quite a poor one. However, he discovered poetry in the process. Despite this unusual path, Dunn finally discovered the missing part of himself in discovering poetry.
A Pulitzer prize winner, Stephen Dunn has come as close as a poet can to mastering his art. Exploring himself and those around him, Dunn revolves his poetry around the popular subject of the intricacies of human emotions and expressions. He does this by conveying the reality of human existence through the encountering of a basic trouble met with acceptance in the end and gaining some sort of dignity by looking life in the eye.
Also prominent in Dunn’s works, is his ability to create familial relationships. Although critics see in his poetry as being mundane and too centralized around everyday life, Dunn never lacks truthful insight. He combines his life experiences with his intellectual thought and imagination to create poetry relevant to almost any reader. Dunn provides unique insight into the human experience, while integrating his thematic lessons into relevant and relatable settings. While some may interpret his poetry to be overly pessimistic, they nevertheless appreciate the complexities of human emotion which he tackles. For Dunn, it is important to depict the precarious nature of human life. Many have tendencies to be narrow minded and focus upon a limited and obstructed view. To Dunn, the most dangerous force in the world is one that is centralized upon only one idea and only one viewpoint. In attempts to combat this force, Dunn integrates his personal life with everything around him in order to create a unique blend of broad-ranging poetry.
Dunn’s poetry offers a great deal of insight and knowledge spanning across many spectrums within the human complexity. To read a few lines of a Stephen Dunn poem is to feel suddenly in touch with the surrounding world which may be hidden beneath the surface of ignorance. With this in mind, I would like everyone here today to give a warm welcome to tonight’s special guest: Mr. Stephen Dunn.