MFA Writers Ross Gay — Faculty Series — Indiana University Bloomington
Aug 29, 2023
Award-winning poet and essayist Ross Gay, a professor in Indiana University's MFA program, discusses his new book, The Book of (More) Delights. He explores the emotional spectrum of joy and grief, emphasizing that true happiness often springs from shared experiences and radical empathy. Gay critiques technology's impact on genuine connections, and advocates for embracing a collaborative approach in creative writing education. He also shares insights about the complexities of privilege, joy, and the importance of community in navigating life's challenges.
57:16
Literature as Inspiration
- Ross Gay reread David Shields' book, How Literature Saved My Life, during a difficult writing period.
- It inspired him to embrace inexpertise and curiosity in his own writing, leading to The Book of Delights.
Serial Projects
- Ross Gay discusses the title, The Book of (More) Delights, and its connection to serial projects.
- He enjoys the ongoing nature of such projects and the evolution of themes over time.
Delight Practice
- Writing about delightful moments increases awareness of delight in the world.
- Sharing these delights creates a sense of connection and strengthens community.
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Intro
00:00 • 3min
Delight in Writing and Grief
02:31 • 13min
Navigating the Spectrum of Happiness and Sadness
15:02 • 2min
Reconnecting in a Digital Age
17:31 • 4min
Privilege and Joy: A Complex Relationship
21:44 • 7min
Understanding Radical Empathy
28:41 • 7min
Evolving Creative Writing Education
36:01 • 21min
Bringing the shovel down
Ross Gay
Ross Gay
Ross Gay's "Bringing the Shovel Down" is a collection of poems that explores themes of nature, spirituality, and social justice.
The poems are characterized by their lyrical beauty, their insightful observations on the human condition, and their celebration of the interconnectedness of all things.
Gay's work is known for its warmth, humor, and its ability to find beauty in the midst of struggle.
"Bringing the Shovel Down" is a powerful and moving collection that will resonate with readers who appreciate poetry that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging.
It's a testament to the power of poetry to illuminate the complexities of the human experience.
Against Which
None
Ross Gay
Ross Gay's "Against Which" is a collection of poems that explores themes of nature, spirituality, and social justice.
The poems are characterized by their lyrical beauty, their insightful observations on the human condition, and their celebration of the interconnectedness of all things.
Gay's work is known for its warmth, humor, and its ability to find beauty in the midst of struggle.
"Against Which" is a powerful and moving collection that will resonate with readers who appreciate poetry that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging.
It's a testament to the power of poetry to illuminate the complexities of the human experience.
Be Holding
Ross Gay
Ross Gay's "Be Holding" is a collection of poems that explores themes of nature, spirituality, and social justice.
The poems are characterized by their lyrical beauty, their insightful observations on the human condition, and their celebration of the interconnectedness of all things.
Gay's work is known for its warmth, humor, and its ability to find beauty in the midst of struggle.
"Be Holding" is a powerful and moving collection that will resonate with readers who appreciate poetry that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally engaging.
It's a testament to the power of poetry to illuminate the complexities of the human experience.
How Literature Saved My Life
How Literature Saved My Life
David Shields
David Shields' "How Literature Saved My Life" is a unique and unconventional work that blends memoir, essay, and literary criticism.
The book is structured as a series of short, interconnected entries, reflecting Shields' wide-ranging reading and his personal experiences.
Shields explores the power of literature to shape our understanding of ourselves and the world, emphasizing the importance of curiosity and openness to experience.
The book's fragmented structure mirrors the often-disjointed nature of life itself, while its insightful observations on literature and the creative process offer a compelling reflection on the human condition.
It's a book that celebrates the messy, unpredictable nature of life and the transformative power of art.
The Book of Delights
Ross Gay
In *The Book of Delights*, Ross Gay offers a genre-defying volume of short, lyrical essays written over one tumultuous year.
These 'essayettes,' in the manner of Montaigne, capture Gay’s daily observations and experiences, ranging from the beauty of the natural world to the complexities of race and masculinity.
The book emphasizes the importance of delight as a bulwark against casual cruelties and as a way to connect with others, highlighting the shared humanity and mortality that bind us.
Gay’s essays are both intimate and political, never shying away from the terrors of living in America while celebrating the small joys that make life worth observing closely.
The Book of Delights
Ross Gay
In *The Book of Delights*, Ross Gay offers a genre-defying volume of short, lyrical essays written over one tumultuous year.
These 'essayettes,' in the manner of Montaigne, capture Gay’s daily observations and experiences, ranging from the beauty of the natural world to the complexities of race and masculinity.
The book emphasizes the importance of delight as a bulwark against casual cruelties and as a way to connect with others, highlighting the shared humanity and mortality that bind us.
Gay’s essays are both intimate and political, never shying away from the terrors of living in America while celebrating the small joys that make life worth observing closely.
Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude
Ross Gay
This book is a sustained meditation on the themes of death, life, and the natural world.
It finds solace in the processes of gardens and orchards, where death, sorrow, and loss are converted into nourishing elements.
The poems are intimate, conversational, and rooted in personal experiences, highlighting the importance of gratitude and the interconnectedness of human experiences.
The collection addresses various emotions, from sorrow and loss to joy and gratitude, and celebrates the beauty and abundance of life.
Inciting Joy
Ross Gay
Ross Gay's "Inciting Joy" delves into the transformative power of joy, challenging its dismissal as frivolous.
Gay explores how joy can be a radical act of resistance and belonging, particularly amidst grief and sorrow.
The essays examine rituals and habits that foster joy, emphasizing its role in building solidarity and care.
The book encourages readers to embrace joy as a practice, not just an emotion, and to find connection through shared experiences of sorrow.
Gay's personal reflections and insightful observations make "Inciting Joy" a compelling read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of joy's significance.
The mushroom at the end of the world
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing
The book follows the matsutake mushroom, a delicacy in Japan, to explore the unexpected corners of capitalism.
It delves into the worlds of Japanese gourmets, capitalist traders, Hmong jungle fighters, industrial forests, and more, highlighting the resilience of the matsutake and the entanglements between various species in surviving and creating new environments.
Tsing critiques capitalism and argues for diverse and contingent responses to understand its complexities, emphasizing the importance of multispecies assemblages and the precarious nature of life in the ruins of capitalist systems.
A pattern language
Towns, Buildings, Construction
Nax Jacobsohn
Murray Silverstein
Ingrid Fiksdahl-King
Shlomo Angel
Max Jacobson
Sara Ishikawa
Christopher Alexander
This book, written by Christopher Alexander and his colleagues, introduces the concept of a 'pattern language' consisting of 253 patterns that address various design problems in architecture, urban planning, and community design.
Each pattern describes a recurring problem and its solution, allowing readers to adapt these solutions to their specific needs and local conditions.
The book is structured to help ordinary people, as well as professionals, design and improve their homes, streets, and communities.
It has had significant influence on fields beyond architecture, including software engineering and urban planning.
Poet, essayist, and Professor Ross Gay talks to Jared about his new book, The Book of (More) Delights. Together, they discuss how social connection evokes joy, grief, humility, and heartbreak, and the value of practicing radical empathy in our writing and our daily lives. Plus, they talk about Ross’s approach to the creative writing classroom, a space he conceives of as generative, experimental, and cooperative. Finally, he offers advice for students and emerging writers.
Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays—The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023. Find him at his website: rossgay.net.
MFA Writers is hosted by Jared McCormack and produced by Jared McCormack and Hanamori Skoblow. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can find more MFA Writers at MFAwriters.com.
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