Heaven from Steam, by Carol Light

Able Muse Press

"Iambics march from short to long;--
With a leap and a bound the swift Anapaests throng."~Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"A poet's mind ...is constantly amalgamating disparate experience; the ordinary man's experience is chaotic, irregular, fragmentary. The latter falls in love, or reads Spinoza, and these two experiences have nothing to do with each other, or with the noise of the typewriter or the smell of cooking; in the mind of the poet these experiences are always forming new wholes."~T.S. Eliot

"The poet makes silk dresses out of worms."~Wallace Stevens

Hello Book Mavens,

We are thrilled at the prospect of having a living poet in our midst, and in the bargain, to reconnect with a family member whom we haven't seen in quite some time. For her part, Carol is excited as well to be coming to the Piney Woods of East Texas to share her poetry with fellow lovers of literature and with family. Heaven From Steam has attracted the notice of more than a few luminaries from the world of poetry, and I have to say, from the first of what will surely be many readings of the book, the praise is well deserved.

We believe that the reading/signing that Carol has generously agreed to do is a unique event for Longview. I can't recall another reading by a working poet in all the years I've lived here. As a club, I think congratulations are in order for bringing something new and exciting to the cultural landscape of the city and the region.

Thanks to all for your cooperation in moving our regularly scheduled meeting to accommodate the poet's schedule. I think after the reading on Friday evening, and the brunch with a very talented author at the Taylor's on Saturday, it will all have been worth it. Trudy has advised us that in accordance with their Home Owners Association's rules, the parking that will be available to us will be the Taylor's driveway, the street in front of their home, and the street in front of empty lots. This should easily accommodate four to six vehicles.

Below are a few more or less formal discussion questions, but I trust that each of you will have much to discuss and ask about during this time when we'll be fortunate enough to have the author all to ourselves. I can't think of a better way to celebrate and enjoy National Poetry Month.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS


1. Which poem, or group of poems touched you most deeply. Which elements of the poem (diction, imagery, rhyme, cadence etc.) were most effective in your opinion?

2.(For Carol) Over the course of a career spent studying, practicing, and eventually excelling in this craft, we can well imagine occasionally coming under the influence of past and contemporary masters of the art. Which poets to your mind stand the tests of time? Which have fallen out of favor with you? Why?

3.Which poem(s) in Heaven From Steam did you find most conducive to being read aloud?

4. (For Carol) Dos poetry's future look bright to you given the welter of electronic devices which increasingly vie for our attention with the accompanying negative effects on attention span?

5. Poetic meaning is more often than not compressed and intense. It is sometimes opaque and knotty. The art has numerous devices at its disposal which simply aren't available to writers of prose. Given the difficulties inherent both in the writing and reading of poetry, is your appreciation of it growing with time? Diminishing?