The Daily Poem Mary Jo Salter's "Home Movies: A Sort of Ode"
Dec 17, 2024
Dive into a poetic exploration of childhood memories with a captivating piece that likens home movies to modern-day Grecian urns. Discover how these films evoke nostalgia, shaping personal identities and connections to the past. Experience the emotional depth as the poet weaves joyful and poignant family reflections, linking them to the broader traditions of poetry. This journey immerses you in the beauty of memory and the impact of art on our lives.
05:05
1 chevron_right 2 chevron_right
Interpreting Memories Through Poetry
00:00 • 2min
Nostalgic Reflections on Family Memories
02:19 • 3min
Open Shutters
Open Shutters
null
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "Open Shutters" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of observation, perception, and the natural world. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on openness and the act of seeing, perhaps exploring themes of revelation and insight. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
A Kiss in Space
A Kiss in Space
null
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "A Kiss in Space" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of love, relationships, and human experience. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on the ephemeral nature of moments and connections. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
Sunday Skaters
Sunday Skaters
null
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "Sunday Skaters" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of leisure, movement, and the passage of time. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on the cyclical nature of time and the simple pleasures of life. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
A Phone Call to the Future
A Phone Call to the Future
null
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "A Phone Call to the Future" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of time, communication, and anticipation. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on the relationship between past, present, and future, perhaps exploring themes of longing and the search for meaning. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
The Surveyors
The Surveyors
null
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "The Surveyors" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of observation, mapping, and the act of looking closely at the world. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on the process of examination and understanding, perhaps exploring themes of perspective and interpretation. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
Unfinished painting
Unfinished painting
poems
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "Unfinished Painting" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of incompleteness, process, and the nature of creation. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on the ongoing nature of artistic creation and the beauty found in imperfection. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
Nothing by design
Nothing by design
Mary Jo Salter
While specific details about "Nothing by Design" by Mary Jo Salter aren't readily available, given her body of work, it's likely a collection of poems exploring themes of chance, intention, and the unexpected. Her style often blends personal reflection with a keen awareness of poetic tradition. The collection likely showcases her mastery of language and imagery, creating evocative and thought-provoking poems. The title suggests a focus on the interplay between randomness and design, perhaps exploring themes of fate and free will. Further research into literary criticism would provide a more comprehensive understanding of the book's themes and critical reception.
Ode on a Grecian Urn
John Keats
In 'Ode on a Grecian Urn', John Keats explores the themes of the immortality of art, beauty, and the transience of life. The poem describes and contemplates the images on an ancient Greek urn, highlighting the contrast between the timeless beauty of art and the fleeting nature of human life. Keats uses the urn as a metaphor to discuss the enduring quality of art and the philosophical idea that 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty'. The poem is characterized by its use of ekphrasis, paradoxes, and a unique poetic structure that blends classical and Romantic elements.
Are home movies the grecian urns of the twentieth century? Today’s poem says, “sort of.”
Poet, editor, essayist, playwright, and lyricist Mary Jo Salter was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She grew up in Michigan and Maryland, and earned degrees from Harvard and Cambridge University. A former editor at the Atlantic Monthly, poetry editor at the New Republic, and co-editor of the fourth and fifth editions of the Norton Anthology of Poetry, Salter’s thorough understanding of poetic tradition is clearly evident in her work. Salter is the author of many books of poetry, including A Kiss in Space (1999), Open Shutters (2003), A Phone Call to the Future (2008), Nothing by Design (2013), and The Surveyors (2017). Her second book, Unfinished Painting (1989) was a Lamont Selection for the most distinguished second volume of poetry published that year, Sunday Skaters (1994) was nominated for a National Book Critics Circle Award, and Open Shutters was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. Salter has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation and taught for many years at Mount Holyoke College. She is currently the Krieger-Eisenhower Professor in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dailypoempod.substack.com/subscribe