Poet Lloyd Schwartz brings a symphony to his work

 

I had the pleasure to interview Lloyd Schwartz about his latest book of poetry: "ARTUR SCHNABEL AND JOSEPH SZIGETI PLAY MOZART AT THE FRICK COLLECTION (APRIL 4, 1948) and other poems." Schwartz's work is full of musicality and delicately gets the marrow of life.


From the Citation for the 2025 David Ferry and Ellen LaForge Annual Poetry Prize:

"A simultaneous delicacy and ferocity of introspection, interiority, and inhabiting of minds that is intoxicating.... lyrics that spiral into haunting snapshots of fractured lives..."

You have written that you hope people will call your new poetry collection your best book.


I think this is an odd but interesting and (I hope) entertaining and moving book about living in the world and how to respond to it. I love to overhear conversations and listen to people talking. I think plain speech can be as beautiful and moving as a more poetic diction. There's a poem in this book that's about what people were saying immediately after 9/11 and another poem about things I just happened to overhear that seemed hilarious or oracular. There's a section of quiet, intimate, personal poems based on Vermeer, or visiting a poet I loved (you have a poem in that same series), and it ends with a section of poems about making art--paintings, movies, music--and what that might mean to us, and questions how important that is to us. Art--engaging with it or making it--has been a central part of my life, has probably kept me alive. I think the poems in this book come closer to dealing with that question than the poems in any of my previous books.



You dedicate your first poem to Attila Józef, the late great Hungarian poet. How does he speak to you? He was known as the 'proletarian' poet. You have a working-class background.


The poem is really a loose translation not an actual dedication. But you're absolutely right, He came from the working-class and lived a short painful life. But this marvelous poem spoke to me more because it reflected the way an artist responds to a terrifying world situation, as artists do now. Maybe the best we can do is write an elegy for a world we knew and loved, a world that seems no longer possible.


The title of your book refers to a famous concert at the Frick Museum in New York when Artur Schnabel and Joseph Szigeti played Mozart. They were very different in sensibility—but they gelled together at this event. Could you do this with a poet vastly different than yourself?


Wow--I hope so! The poets I've been close to--Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop from an earlier generation--Frank Bidart, Gail Mazur, Robert Pinsky from my own generation--Jill McDonough, Tara Skurtu, Andrea Cohen from a younger generation--seem very different from me. I could never write their poems. Yet I love their work and love reading together with them, and have even read their poems at readings, workshops, and discussions. How dull the arts would be if everyone worked in the same style. That's one of the ideas behind the Schnabel/Szigeti poem. It's one of the things that drives me crazy when I open a magazine and read poems that all sound like they were written for the same workshop.



I noticed you have translated Victor Neborak's poem " Fish" Compare this to Elizabeth Bishop's poem of the same name. He seems more political than Bishop was.

 Bishop could be very political, but in a slyer, less overt way. For decades, "The Fish" was her most famous and popular poem. Now it's "One Art." Neither is overtly political. But all three have to do with suffering. In "The Fish," Bishop lets the fish go when she identifies with its suffering. Could we read that as a political statement?




As you are a Pulitzer Prize winning music credit-- I am not surprised that you dedicated a poem to Paul Verlaine. Many composers put his work to music. Has your own work been put to music? Sometimes when I hear you read your poems-- I am thinking they could be songs.


Thank you! I knew that Verlaine poem because it's one of Debussy's greatest song-settings. Yes--a bunch of my poems have been set to music by composers I admire. It's so fascinating to hear how someone from a different artistic world responds to any of my poems. I once wrote a poem that I had hoped the wonderful composer John Harbison would use in the party scene of his opera The Great Gatsby. I heard it as a madcap 1920s fox trot. He set it as a sultry beguine. But he didn't use it in his opera.

OFFICER AND LAUGHING GIRL



“Who is this man? I can barely

make out his face in the window-glare.

A fierce silhouette. The glowing edge

of his floppy, broad-brimmed hat—

the Devil with a halo! His

red jacket on fire. An assault

of maleness; a mystery . . .



Does he see my terror?



—Or is he staring at the map

on the wall behind me? Or out the

open window? His impatient hand

on his hip, even sitting down.

What does he keep staring at? What

makes him stay?”



*



“Why doesn't she just drink her wine

and relax? She looks like she's

about to cry. I can see the tears

welling up. But no—her eye

is clear. Her hands on the table,

around her glass, palms up—ready to take

whatever is given . . .



What do I have to give?



—I could travel past the edge

of the known world, and never find

a pearl worthy of this smile

that sees right through me,

sees my darkness—

yet doesn't cease to smile.”

 

The Organizing Music in Robert Pinsky’s poem ‘Branca’

 

A Handpicked Poem

by Michael Todd Steffen

The Organizing Music in Robert Pinsky’s poem ‘Branca’

Who the heck is Ralph Branca? Well, as baseball fans (and there are poets among this group) may know, Branca was a not bad, not bad at all pitcher in the Major Leagues between 1944 and 1956, with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Detroit Tigers, and finally with the New York Yankees. The specific moment of Branca’s career that still registers with us is that he gave up the game-winning homerun to Bobby Thompson of the New York Giants in a 1951 playoff game, and that hit became known as The Miracle of Coogan’s Bluff, and also as The Shot Heard Around the World

The poem is not merely about defeat and failure, it’s about widely-witnessed and soul-crushing defeat and failure.

After he gave up the most famous homerun ever,

Back in the clubhouse Branca lay weeping, face down.

The poem appears in Pinsky’s most recent collection Proverbs of Limbo, published last June (2024) by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

It is a poem typically rife with subjects for discussion. I just wanted to make this one note about the stunning topical variety of the poem and how its immediate appearance of random organization, which keeps us on the edge of our seats as we read, still maintains our trust with its rhythmical consistency. Life is crazy, we need something to hang onto. Kids prepare to confront crazy love and mortality with poetry:

Ring around the rosies,

Pocket full of posies,

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down.

Similarly the poem ‘Branca’ conjures life’s falls, with a dazzling variety of facts about Ralph Branca, importantly as to his identity as a human being associated with so much more than that moment of failure which has been etched in history, or baseball lore. The poet will also take the opportunity to make statements about himself in the ramble of his data:

His father was an immigrant from Calabria.

These words are those of Robert Pinsky. Speaking.

Why these two pieces of information are joined in the same couplet? Seemingly for no reason at all, and there’s a great indulgence these days of being unburdened by reason or coherence. However, the two do go quite profoundly together, as they each evoke origin of the man, his father of the biological Ralph Branca, Robert Pinsky as another, different source of Ralph Branca in the poem itself which will extend and expand on the pitcher’s living repute as a man, in details, much more than just the notorious baseball pitcher, otherwise diminished to a needle of failure in the haystack of historical addenda.

When we read through the poem, we notice an end-line or “heroic” based versification, with the little hiccup, in most of the lines, of a dactyl or anapest (however you score it)—

Branca wore Dodger uniform number 13.

Speaking is the punchline of a Jewish joke.

Some Romans call Calabrians “Africani.”

Brooklyn has its own daily, the Brooklyn Eagle.

At eighty-five Branca learned about his mother.

He was twenty-one when Robinson joined the Dodgers…

That versification holds the very remote and difficult associations between the two lines of each couplet stable, so to speak, and keeps us going along with it even as we’re wondering, perhaps squirming, about the sense of the organization or logic of the poem, however our nature to just swallow language. Again, as poets and readers of poetry, it can be a gimme to revel in madness. But if folks are going to start talking about the poem, that is if the poem is to stand a chance to stay with us, in memory, as Branca himself somewhat obscurely has, we need to find sense in it. The editors of The New Yorker found sense enough to publish it in March 2017.

The music or prosody of the Greek-ish lines begins to work on us subconsciously as a sort of coherence. When we look closer, associations emerge: unlucky number 13 and the (mortal) laugh in a joke; a Roman colloquialism and a town’s daily journal both vehicles of hearsay or facts; late in life “At eighty-five” balanced with early career “He was twenty-one”…

The poem will be the challenge and subject of this week’s poetry discussion forum Let’s Talk About a Poem hosted by Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz via Zoom, on Saturday April 12 at 11a.m. Robert Pinsky will be “there” to read ‘Branca’ and take part in the discussion. For more information and a link to join, contact Marita Coombs at maldencirc@gmail.com.

Somerville’s Creative Writers on Writing from Place

 

Somerville’s Creative Writers on Writing from Place

 By Off the Shelf Correspondent Rachel Ranie Taube




What does it mean to write from Somerville? To find out, I asked writers associated with our city three questions: How does living here influence your writing practice? What does it mean to write from this place? And what do other Somerville writers need to know?




A dozen writers replied to my call for interviews, and participants included present and past Somerville Poets Laureate Lloyd Schwartz and Gloria Mindock; award-winning novelists Daphne Kalotay and Elizabeth McCracken; as well as a number of emerging writers. They talked about the unique privilege and responsibility of writing from Somerville, shared writing advice, and offered plenty of recommendations for local writers’ haunts, groups, and programming.




Many specifically talked about the possibilities of writing about Somerville itself:




To write from—not simply in—any place requires some significant knowledge and connection. Cities have many layers and corners; it’s helpful to visit and understand as many as you can. Longevity in a place can bring about this familiarity, but so can delving into it—walk around, talk to people, look and listen… Personally, I think it would be difficult not to write here in Somerville. My first book, Curious Peach, follows the cycle of the seasons. But it’s about the fringe and remnants of nature in this heavily paved and built-up city.

—Denise Provost (poet)




Somerville is lively, dense, with a weird history and more artists per square mile than anywhere. You will feel right at home... Just know that everything in Somerville has been written about at least once if not twice, but not from your perch.

—Gary Duehr (artist and critic)




I feel like I know the most about Somerville through the people I know who have always known it, in all its incarnations. I tried to set a novel in Somerville a while ago, but I couldn’t do it justice. In the end I had to make up a city because I couldn't make Somerville obey the rules of fiction.

—Elizabeth McCracken (novelist)




An experience I had here is the subject of my poem “Jerry Garcia in a Somerville Parking Lot,” in which that classic Somerville experience makes me conclude “how little it takes to restore [my] affection for the city.” The incredible diversity of Somerville and the community of poets here are consistent inspirations.

—Lloyd Schwartz (poet)




In fact, many interviewees commented on that community. Gloria Mindock said, “Somerville has more artists and writers than I have ever encountered in other cities [and s]o many writers in Somerville and the surrounding area have books out published by presses here… I could not imagine living any place else.”

[I] have long associated Somerville with creativity. One of my fondest memories is of a reading/performance a writer friend put on in a little building here that was so packed, some of us ended up standing on the sidewalk and watching through the open window. That to me summarizes the energy, enthusiasm, and support of the creative community here.




I take my inspiration from the streets and houses, have written about my neighborhood and the vast, extreme changes that this area has undergone…. To me, the best thing about Somerville is the opportunity for exchange with all sorts of people, from college and grad students half my age to longtime homeowners who have been here for generations… Inspiration is important, but so is feeling part of community, part of humanity.

—Daphne Kalotay (novelist)




So, how to connect with this writing community? Denise Provost suggests checking out the local presses Ibbetson Street Press (founded by Doug Holder, it publishes poetry and a nationally respected literary journal) and Červená Barva Press (founded by Gloria Mindock, it publishes fiction, poetry, and translation from around the world), and the public library’s listings of readings, book clubs, book launches, and other literary events.




One important source of support and connection, referenced by several of the interviewees, is the Somerville Arts Council, a local agency supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council. In fact, a literature grant from the Council made this interview project possible. A not-so-side note: The annual deadline is October 15th, and any artist living in Somerville can apply for funding for a public arts project—I highly encourage you to apply. Sign up for their listserv, too.




Many interviewees also got specific about the best places in town to write. Suggestions included Bloc Café (with several votes), Diesel Café, The Somerville Museum, The Arts at the Armory (with a lovely café as well as a slate of arts events), and of course the public libraries (check out their local history collections).




I cherish living somewhere that has a Brazilian market, a Korean and Japanese market, an African market, three other bodegas, a bougie donut shop, and a natural wine bar, all within a two-block radius. To write from here means to speak of an entirely small community, that feels so vast at the same time.




Grab paper and a pen. Diesel in Davis Square turns their wifi off on the weekends to discourage people from hunkering down at their laptops. Bloc Café is calmer during the week, but still bustling on the weekends. It’s much easier to take your coffee outside and your notebook with you when places are crowded. As a laptop writer this dynamic helps me write in a different, more present way.

—Madelyn Musick (poet)




Several people also commented on the rising cost of living in Somerville. Doug Holder said, “Somerville has vastly gentrified over the years, and many artists have had to vacate the city because of high rents, etc... I hope this will not change the sensibility of the city.” One anonymous submitter agreed, “We are getting pushed out of the city by rising rents and by those able to pay the rising rents. While you are here, be sure to give back to the community.”




How do they suggest you give back to the arts community? By supporting our local presses and buying local writers’ work (Červená Barva Press, for example, published a high school poetry anthology edited by Lloyd Schwartz); by “getting to know [your] neighbors” (Schwartz); by “volunteer[ing] with the Somerville Arts Council, Somerville Open Studios, and other local groups that continue to make Somerville an interesting place to live” (anonymous); and by making sure that, when you visit a café, you “buy food and drink—don’t just use free internet!” (Provost).




Somerville obviously offers inspiration and community aplenty, but still, the work is the writing. A local writer and editor had some parting advice:




There is no such thing as a perfect book. And the closer you get to finishing, the louder the voices in your head will become, telling you it’s no good, reminding you of a plot hole, or repeating a critique you got once that stung just a little too hard. The secret to finishing a book is to finish it. The rest can come later. I think that here in Somerville, I learned to be myself—I learned that I am good enough as I am. And that helps my writing every day.

—Amy Maranville (editor and children’s author)




You can read these interviews in full (or add your own submission) here: https://somervillewrites.wixsite.com/place

The View From Somerville Edited by Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz

 

The View From Somerville  Edited by Lloyd Schwartz  Cervena Barva Press, Somerville , MA. http://www.cervenabarvapress.com

Article by Doug Holder

At a recent poetry reading Somerville Poet Laureate Lloyd Schwartz handed me a poetry anthology. Not just any poetry anthology, but this collection is by Somerville High School students. Schwartz got a grant from the Academy of American Poets, funded by the Mellon Foundation. He has used some of this grant money to encourage and publish young poets. Schwartz writes in his introduction,

 " I asked students to write poems about their city--anything they wanted to write. Some of them asked if the poems all had to be positive,  'No,' I told them, 'in a poem you can say anything.' Can I really say what I think of bike lanes?' one of them asked. I said, 'yes, and I would really like to read that poem.'

Among the many poems I enjoyed, I thought I'd include this little gem--that is sure to bring you back to your school days of yore.

SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL

The blue and red at night

The girls bathroom never having soap

The teachers yelling at students to get to class

The cafe sounds like you're at a concert at lunch

The stairs crowded like a pit at a concert

The hall smelling like fart spray

And the school spirit on fridays

----Aryanna Ray

And how about Maya Roldan, whose wistful poem "Wash. ( A walk home, Bon Iver in my ears)" brings lyricism to the sometimes mean streets of our city, "Cinematic chords in/ Weeds and smoke/Chain link/ Overgrowth/Reflection in water, windows..."  

 Do you want to know how Somerville High is like chicken nuggets? Want to hear odes to the Assembly Mall? And who would of thought that the banal Medford St. would inspire poetry? Ah yes, sweet mystery of life! Thanks to all the young poets who gave something of themselves to the city we love!

Poet Linda Conte talks about her new collection Seldom Purely

Dec. 2019 Somerville Poet Laureates reading. Lloyd Schwartz, Gloria Mindock, and Nicole Terez Dutton

Five years ago I founded the Somerville Poet Laureate position with Greg Jenkins and Harris Gardner. This reading took place at the Somerville Public Library. Lloyd Schwartz, our current laureate, and our previous laureates Gloria Mindock and Nicole Terez Dutton read at the event. I was honored to read an introduction, and very grateful to Michael Steffen--who organized the event.

Grolier Poetry Book Shop Poetry Festival June 2, 2018

 

I interviewed Francine LaChance at the Bloc 11 Cafe about the Grolier Poetry Festival coming up this Saturday.  LaChance wrote a small piece about this important poetry event for Off the Shelf in The Somerville Times.

The Grolier Poetry Festival Brings Poetry, Music, Dance, and Dramatic Performances to the Street, Saturday, May 19, 2018, 12noon–8pm
 The Poetry Festival is one in a series of 90th Year Celebrations, and includes an exciting lineup of readings and performances, while featuring new collaborations with local organizations, workshops for children and adults, and a preview of future events.  This event is free and open to the public. 

The Grolier Poetry Festival will be held on Plympton Street, between Mass Avenue and Bow Street. Board Member and Poet Lloyd Schwartz will open the children’s hour, which will feature scene selections from Twelfth Night, performed by Boston Shakespeare Project, Shakespeare in Motion, followed by interactive segments, word play and a Q&A. X. J. Kennedy, will read children’s poetry, from his own work, and poems written by close Grolier poet friends from Elise Paschen’s anthology, Poetry Speaks to Children. He will also read later in the program. A poetry writing workshop for children will be held from 1-3pm. 

Proprietor and Director, Poet and Philosopher Ifeanyi Menkiti will give opening remarks at 1pm. David Ferry will lead an impressive lineup of poets, reading from his poetry and translations, followed by Kathleen Spivack, Lloyd Schwartz, Lillian Yvonne Bertram, and many great local poets. Dramatic performances will include Jim Vrabel, performing from John Berryman’s The Dream Songs, and Michael Mack, performing from Hearing Voice, Speaking in Tongues. Jimmy Tingle will make a guest appearance. 

Stan Strickland will play the saxophone and James Kamal Jones will play the drums from 3:40–4:10pm. They will both accompany Ifeanyi Menkiti while he reads one of his poems. Our performances include dance and music with poetry, and Audrey Harrer playing the harp. We will also feature Joe Burgio, Ensemble Inedit: Poetry, Song and Dance by performers from Turkey, Brazil, and Israel.

Diana Norma Szokolyai will read and perform with members of the Cambridge Writers' Workshop and lead a workshop based on CREDO: An Anthology of Manifestos & Sourcebook for Creative Writing. a newly released book that she and Rita Banerjee edited. Whiskey Radish, who has worked at Ryles Jazz Club for over 20 years, will sketch throughout the day,  and and she and Philip O’Brien take photographs.

Lloyd Schwartz and Joyce Peseroff  will read poems and essays by Donald Hall, a dear friend of the Grolier who also turns 90 later this year. Readings will include excerpts from A Carnival of Losses: Notes Nearing Ninety, which will be released in July, and poems by Mr. Hall’s late wife, Jane Kenyon. 

Future events with Grolier poet friends will be previewed, including: Frank Bidart, Robert Pinsky, Tino Villanueva, Peter Balakian, Robert Perkins, David Ferry, Jim Vrabel, and Michael Mack.

We will conclude our Festival with a special video presentation of Ifeanyi Menkiti’s title and signature poem, Before a Common Soil, an original composition by George Emlen, Former Music Director of Revels for over 30 years, performed by the Revels chorus and musicians.