Post by sophiapa116 on May 31, 2013 17:51:10 GMT -5
Growing up in the countryside of the Sonoma Valley, throughout her childhood, Ada Limón found joy in writing songs and listening to poetry. She was influenced greatly by her artist mother and her father and stepfather who both wrote poetry. Although surrounded by this artistry, she struggled “finding her way into poetry”; it was not until her junior year in college, at University of Washington, when she took her first poetry class and became “totally addicted.” Poetry provided her with a way to confront her emotions and get in touch with herself and the world around her. Now, “[she] cannot imagine [herself] as anything else other than a poet.”
Her decision to pursue this newfound passion led her to attend New York University where she was able to study under poets such as Sharon Olds, Philip Levine, Marie Howe, and Mark Doty. Limón has composed three full volumes of poetry, the most recent being Sharks in the Rivers, published in 2010. She has won the Chicago Literary Award and her earlier collections, The Big Fake World and The Lucky Wreck, have received various prestigious awards.
Limón’s work reflects her belief that “everything goes into poetry. Everything.” She speaks of the world as it is, finding meaning in this “beautiful mess” she calls life. Her life in relaxing Sonoma and her life in bustling New York City are both evident in her constant contradictions. Another distinctive characteristic of Limón’s works is that she primarily writes in the first person, as she is “very fond of the ‘I.’ But the “I” doesn’t always have to be [her] own personal ‘I,’ it can be a more universal ‘I.’” This usage of the “universal ‘I’” creates a personal and a collective experience when reading her work, offering an intimate and conversational take on the world, while still extending beyond the self. Her fluid and simplistic style of writing also allows the reader to connect. She invites the readers to join her in her view of the world which really focuses on the “here and now.”
American Poet magazine describes her poems as “in flux, transitioning between sadness and something else—perhaps disaster, maybe hope.” Through her poems, Limón is able to convey her singular goal of “helping people constantly recommit to the world. To stay in it. To be in it. To rejoice in all its weird pain and weird happiness.”
I want to thank Ada Limón for coming here and sharing her interesting view of the world with us tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Ada Limón.
Her decision to pursue this newfound passion led her to attend New York University where she was able to study under poets such as Sharon Olds, Philip Levine, Marie Howe, and Mark Doty. Limón has composed three full volumes of poetry, the most recent being Sharks in the Rivers, published in 2010. She has won the Chicago Literary Award and her earlier collections, The Big Fake World and The Lucky Wreck, have received various prestigious awards.
Limón’s work reflects her belief that “everything goes into poetry. Everything.” She speaks of the world as it is, finding meaning in this “beautiful mess” she calls life. Her life in relaxing Sonoma and her life in bustling New York City are both evident in her constant contradictions. Another distinctive characteristic of Limón’s works is that she primarily writes in the first person, as she is “very fond of the ‘I.’ But the “I” doesn’t always have to be [her] own personal ‘I,’ it can be a more universal ‘I.’” This usage of the “universal ‘I’” creates a personal and a collective experience when reading her work, offering an intimate and conversational take on the world, while still extending beyond the self. Her fluid and simplistic style of writing also allows the reader to connect. She invites the readers to join her in her view of the world which really focuses on the “here and now.”
American Poet magazine describes her poems as “in flux, transitioning between sadness and something else—perhaps disaster, maybe hope.” Through her poems, Limón is able to convey her singular goal of “helping people constantly recommit to the world. To stay in it. To be in it. To rejoice in all its weird pain and weird happiness.”
I want to thank Ada Limón for coming here and sharing her interesting view of the world with us tonight. Ladies and gentlemen, Ada Limón.