Post by annata112 on May 31, 2013 22:50:53 GMT -5
It’s quite an experience to grow up in the suburb of Portland, Oregon among the influences of drugs, alcohol, and gang violence, so it’s know wonder that it molded Michael Dickman into the captivating man he is today, and shaped his writing into an engrossing creation. Living with his twin brother and fellow poet, Matthew, his single mother, and his younger sister in the Lents neighborhood of Portland was far from easy, but he learned to be strong, and express himself through poetry.
Dickman pursued his passion for poetry and received his Master of Fine Arts from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, and continued on with a very successful career as a poet. With two published collections of poetry, “The End of the West” (2009) and “Flies” (2011), Michael Dickman was being recognized for his outstanding work. “Flies” ended up winning the Academy of American Poet’s James Laughlin Award. Not only did Dickman receive honors from the Michener Center from Writers, but also from The Vermont Studio Center, the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and the Lannan Foundation. From 2009-2010 Dickman was awarded the Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, where he became a professor, as well.
It is no wonder why his poetry is so highly regarded. Dickman fills his poems with unmatched intensity and emotion, drawing on his past experiences and life story for inspiration. It is clear that his rough childhood and the early death of his older stepbrother, who died at the tragically young age of 33, influenced him greatly. Dickman uses his experiences to create poems flooding with emotion, and that is precisely why his poems are so esteemed. Michael Schiavo, a young poet has said, when asked about Michael and his brother, that, “the Dickman twins have put their life story, not their poetry, front and center.” The violence and death imagery in the poems continue to entrance readers while still reflecting the struggle he has dealt with from childhood to today.
Dickman flawlessly blends the deep messages in his poems with a powerful set up. The short lines and stanzas along with the lack of punctuation leave much more white space on a page than usual. Rebecca Mead of the New York Times accurately addresses Dickman’s writing style by stating, “Michael’s poems are interior, fragmentary, and austere, often stripped down to single-word lines; they seethe with incipient violence.” The power, emotion, and depth in every word, line, and stanza of his poems come from his skillful set up of the free verse. The originality and creativity with which he approaches his poems is ever fresh and eye opening as Dickman continues to inspire others and deliver groundbreaking literature.
Anyone with a love of poetry would feel honored to learn from such a master of the craft, and with that said, I am proud to introduce Mr. Michael Dickman.
word count:486
Dickman pursued his passion for poetry and received his Master of Fine Arts from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin, and continued on with a very successful career as a poet. With two published collections of poetry, “The End of the West” (2009) and “Flies” (2011), Michael Dickman was being recognized for his outstanding work. “Flies” ended up winning the Academy of American Poet’s James Laughlin Award. Not only did Dickman receive honors from the Michener Center from Writers, but also from The Vermont Studio Center, the Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center, and the Lannan Foundation. From 2009-2010 Dickman was awarded the Hodder Fellowship from Princeton University, where he became a professor, as well.
It is no wonder why his poetry is so highly regarded. Dickman fills his poems with unmatched intensity and emotion, drawing on his past experiences and life story for inspiration. It is clear that his rough childhood and the early death of his older stepbrother, who died at the tragically young age of 33, influenced him greatly. Dickman uses his experiences to create poems flooding with emotion, and that is precisely why his poems are so esteemed. Michael Schiavo, a young poet has said, when asked about Michael and his brother, that, “the Dickman twins have put their life story, not their poetry, front and center.” The violence and death imagery in the poems continue to entrance readers while still reflecting the struggle he has dealt with from childhood to today.
Dickman flawlessly blends the deep messages in his poems with a powerful set up. The short lines and stanzas along with the lack of punctuation leave much more white space on a page than usual. Rebecca Mead of the New York Times accurately addresses Dickman’s writing style by stating, “Michael’s poems are interior, fragmentary, and austere, often stripped down to single-word lines; they seethe with incipient violence.” The power, emotion, and depth in every word, line, and stanza of his poems come from his skillful set up of the free verse. The originality and creativity with which he approaches his poems is ever fresh and eye opening as Dickman continues to inspire others and deliver groundbreaking literature.
Anyone with a love of poetry would feel honored to learn from such a master of the craft, and with that said, I am proud to introduce Mr. Michael Dickman.
word count:486