Welcome to my blog, which I call “From where I stand.” It will feature my informal essays on literature, politics, daily life, and any other topics that move me. I’ll also include links to essays that have been published online in various journals.
My philosophy about language and writing has been influenced, among other things, by a collection of essays by Wendell Berry called “Standing by Words.” Much of what Berry has to say is about poetry, but I feel that his precepts are applicable to all genres of writing. A piece of writing for me achieves importance based on how faithfully it corresponds to something outside itself: that “something” includes the rather personalized sense of what life and the world is like that each of us carries within us. For me, a piece of writing – whether it is poetry, fiction, non-fiction prose, or any other genre – is hardly ever an end in itself.
I highly recommend the six essays in Berry’s collection: “The Specialization of Poetry,” “Standing by Words,” “People, Land and Community,” “Notes: Unspecializing Poetry,” “Poetry and Marriage,” and “Poetry and Place.” I can think of many examples of the creative and personal difficulties great writers have experienced when they have lost their grip on the appropriate relationship between life and art. Over time, I hope and expect to expand on the points made about the “referential” quality that underlies all good writing.
Another useful book for me about writing is a collection of meditations for writers called “Walking on Alligators” put together by Susan Shaughnessy. I’ve started to record these meditations and play them back to myself when I meditate.
