Post by gabriellest116 on May 30, 2013 19:54:16 GMT -5
Marie Howe was born in Rochester, New York in 1950. She was the oldest daughter and second child born into a very religious family of nine children. Raised Catholic, Howe attended Sacred Heart Convent School and then received her Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor. Following college, Howe worked briefly as an English teacher at a high school in Boston as well as a reporter in her home town of Rochester.
It was not until the age of thirty that Howe decided to truly devote herself to her poetry. She attended and received her MFA from Columbia University in 1983 where she studied with Stanley Kunitz. Kunitz, whom she considered to be her “true teacher”, chose Howe to receive the Lavan Younger Poets Prize of the American Academy of Poets in 1988 following the release of her first collection of poems The Good Thief. This collection was highly regarded due to its ability to make the reader “feel interest always, delight often, and occasionally that cool wind at the back of the neck that makes you think there’s one more person in the room than there actually is” according to Margaret Atwood who selected this collection for the National Poetry Series.
Her second collection of poetry, What the Living Do, published in 1998, was written as an elegy to her late brother and closest friend, John, who passed away in 1989. John’s death “transformed her aesthetic completely” which, along with her childhood, inspired many of the poems in the collection. According to Mark Doty, What the Living Do is “a poem of instruction, how we’re educated by grief” due to the way Howe examines everyday life and loss.
Many of Howe’s poems focus on aspects of everyday life and what role they play in the grand scheme of life. One particular aspect that Howe wrestles with throughout her poems is the passage of time. In response to society’s obsession with rushing and saving time, Howe questions “where do I want her to hurry to? To her grave? / To mine?” Her poems demonstrate that in trying not to waste time, individuals are wasting their lives because rushing through life will only bring people closer to death.
Although many of her poems express grief and loss, her poetry is considered to be “a celebration of the homely things ‘the living do.’” Her insights on life as well her ability to evoke emotion and touch something in everyone are just a few of the reasons why Howe is such a distinguished, highly regarded poet. It is my pleasure to announce her as the 2013 Westfield High School Visiting Poet. Please join me in welcoming our visiting poet, Marie Howe.
It was not until the age of thirty that Howe decided to truly devote herself to her poetry. She attended and received her MFA from Columbia University in 1983 where she studied with Stanley Kunitz. Kunitz, whom she considered to be her “true teacher”, chose Howe to receive the Lavan Younger Poets Prize of the American Academy of Poets in 1988 following the release of her first collection of poems The Good Thief. This collection was highly regarded due to its ability to make the reader “feel interest always, delight often, and occasionally that cool wind at the back of the neck that makes you think there’s one more person in the room than there actually is” according to Margaret Atwood who selected this collection for the National Poetry Series.
Her second collection of poetry, What the Living Do, published in 1998, was written as an elegy to her late brother and closest friend, John, who passed away in 1989. John’s death “transformed her aesthetic completely” which, along with her childhood, inspired many of the poems in the collection. According to Mark Doty, What the Living Do is “a poem of instruction, how we’re educated by grief” due to the way Howe examines everyday life and loss.
Many of Howe’s poems focus on aspects of everyday life and what role they play in the grand scheme of life. One particular aspect that Howe wrestles with throughout her poems is the passage of time. In response to society’s obsession with rushing and saving time, Howe questions “where do I want her to hurry to? To her grave? / To mine?” Her poems demonstrate that in trying not to waste time, individuals are wasting their lives because rushing through life will only bring people closer to death.
Although many of her poems express grief and loss, her poetry is considered to be “a celebration of the homely things ‘the living do.’” Her insights on life as well her ability to evoke emotion and touch something in everyone are just a few of the reasons why Howe is such a distinguished, highly regarded poet. It is my pleasure to announce her as the 2013 Westfield High School Visiting Poet. Please join me in welcoming our visiting poet, Marie Howe.