Story of a Poem

Matthew?Zapruder?had?an idea: to write?a?poem?as slowly?and intentionally?as possible, to preserve?its drafts,?and record the painstaking, elusively transcendent stuff?of?its construction. It would be the capstone to a new collection of poetry, and a means to process modern?American life in a time of Covid, mega fires, and sobriety. What Zapruder didn't anticipate was that this literary project would trigger a deeply personal aspect as well: a way to resolve the unexplored pain?and...
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Matthew?Zapruder?had?an idea: to write?a?poem?as slowly?and intentionally?as possible, to preserve?its drafts,?and record the painstaking, elusively transcendent stuff?of?its construction. It would be the capstone to a new collection of poetry, and a means to process modern?American life in a time of Covid, mega fires, and sobriety. What Zapruder didn't anticipate was that this literary project would trigger a deeply personal aspect as well: a way to resolve the unexplored pain?and unexpected joys he was confronting in the wake?of?his son's diagnosis with?autism. The result is a remarkable piece of writing, one that explores not just what it means to be a poet, but also what it means to be alive during the Anthropocene-to be on this planet-during this extraordinary time. By comparing the writing?of?a?poem?with his own tangled evolution?as?a?son, husband, and father, Zapruder unfolds moments of his own life in the reflection of an increasingly uncanny world. With a wide range of reference points-from Celan, Li Bai, and Frank O'Hara to Whitman, Merwin, and Rupi Kaur-we join Zapruder on a poet's journey that, in some alchemy of literature, becomes a journey of our own. Ultimately, the poet asks us to join with him in the search for a crucial answer. In his words: "What world can we imagine, and then make, where we all can live?" With Story?of?a?Poem celebrated poet Matthew Zapruder offers a personal, deeply unguarded examination?of?a?poet's eternal struggle to transform?a?moment?of?feeling?into verse,?as well?as?a?subtle?and enthralling roadmap to the practice?of?poetry?and finding its threads in everyday life.