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To Make a Record, a book of poems, and, Poetry and Community, an essay. (Original writing);
Abstract
The first half of the dissertation is a collection of my poems, spanning a writing career that began in the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1980. Part I focuses on childhood and family poems. Part II is primarily teaching poems. Part III is made up of poems focusing on abstractions, while Part IV is lyrical poems. The second half of the dissertation is an essay, "Poetry and Community," that examines the way in which my work takes part in a larger tradition and context of poetry writing in Nebraska, including the work of Hartley Burr Alexander, John G. Neihardt, John Trudell, Greg Kuzma, Hilda Raz, Nancy Peters Hastings, Constance Merritt, Ted Kooser, Roy Scheele, and William Kloefkorn. Historically, to be a Nebraska poet has meant to contribute to the larger community that supports and inspires the writer, through acts of public service and education. Perhaps because of their relative geographic isolation and perceived safety, Nebraska poets frequently bear witness, thus developing a sense of belonging to a global community in which human rights and the natural world are valued. The following techniques frequently used by Nebraska poets contribute to this communitarian attitude: pointedly recognizing the limitations of human knowledge; focusing on small details; undercutting poetic pretensions; and attempting through writing to freeze moments in time, to preserve portraits of people, and to preserve the creative thought process. Nebraska poets are also a mutually supportive community, often working to publish each other's work. By looking at my own work through the history and tradition of Nebraska poets, I encounter parallels, appreciate old influences and discover new role models. But more importantly, I see my work as part of a thriving writers' community that has a symbiotic relationship with communities of all kinds in the state, and that is the result of a long, rich history of Nebraska poets, seen not as sheltered aesthetes, but as actively involved and committed community members.
Subject Area
American literature
Recommended Citation
Cihlar, James Jay, "To Make a Record, a book of poems, and, Poetry and Community, an essay. (Original writing);" (1995). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9538628.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9538628