17 Interviews with Contemporary Poets
Scott Cairns
Robert Cording
Dana Gioia
Malcolm Guite
Karen An-Hwei Lee
Li-Young Lee
Maurice Manning
Paul Mariani
Marilyn Nelson
Angela Alaimo O’Donnell
Tania Runyan
Luci Shaw
Ryan Whitaker Smith
Jeanne Murray Walker
Jeremiah Webster
Mischa Willett
James Matthew Wilson
Discover the wisdom and wonder of poetry through candid conversations with some of the most powerful poets of the 21st century.
In this remarkable collection, Ben Palpant, author of Letters From The Mountain, invites readers into intimate, one-on-one interviews with seventeen acclaimed poets. These conversations explore:
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The human experience: Grief, hope, culture, and the imagination.
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The writing life: Insights into the craft of poetry and the challenges of creativity.
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Everyday joys and struggles: Reflections on family life, faith, and the power of words.
As Franz Kafka once said, “A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us.” The thoughts and words in this collection aim to awaken what has grown silent within us, reminding us that poetry is an essential expression of what it means to be human.
This book offers wisdom to inspire, instruct, and strengthen readers—proving that words matter, poetry matters, and you matter.
Author Ben Palpant
Ben Palpant is a memoirist, a poet, and a storyteller. He grew up in Kenya, Africa, where he played barefooted with his friends while perfecting the art of daydreaming. When his family returned to the United States, he continued his reveries throughout adolescence and now daydreams and calls it part of the writing process. He graduated from Whitworth University and has spent over 25 years in education. His most recent book is Letters from the Mountain, a meditation on the craft of writing.