Mark Wunderlich, “The Earth Avails” (Graywolf Press, 2014)

In The Earth Avails (Graywolf Press), Mark Wunderlich presents a world unfamiliar to most of us: rural life. While many poets are enamored by the impact of the Internet and the smartphone upon the self and how the digital landscape has changed our understanding of the worlds around us, Wunderlich’s book seems to be arguing that the best way to know who we are is not by excavating the immediate world around us, but the world we’re losing and have nearly lost. In poem after poem, he investigates the relationship between humans and animals, humans and the environment, and through that inquiry we discover that our divorce from nature has not only had devastating consequences on the planet, but on our imaginative and moral lives. And while this would depress most to consider, Wunderlich proves ultimately resilient and hopeful and not just for himself, but for his reader. During our discussion, we cover a lot: his childhood, homosexuality and popular culture, his time in New York City, the relationship between animals and humans, his maturation as a poet, he reads and discusses several poems from his latest collection, and so much more. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

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