by Kirby Congdon……. In considering poetry, definitions becomes obscure. Each person’s imagination has its own references. It is difficult to
Read MoreAuthor: Kirby Congdon
Kirby Congdon found his calling in the time of the Beat Movement, his poems being published by the New York Times, The New York Herald Tribune and the Christian Science Monitor as well as countless small-press outlets. While influenced by the assertive stance of a new generation in literature, he preferred to set aside the spontaneous approach of his friends and use his work as an exploratory tool in establishing the new identity of his times as well as that of his own maturation. This search was incorporated in 300 works which were compiled in a bibliography by a Dean of the English Department at Long Island University in his retirement and made available in hard-back with an extensive addenda by the literary activists of Presa Press through their skills achieved from the University of Michigan and their own experience which commands a movement in itself of contemporary literary action.
Congdon’s work in poetry covers innumerable treatments of countless subjects in single poems, long treatments on a subject, and many collections of both serious thought and imagination through not only the poetry but through essays, plays and ruminations. Named the first poet laureate of Key West, he received a standing ovation for his reading honoring this position and was the featured poet in a festival celebrating Frank O’Hara in the New York region. He was also asked to read his work as well as give a talk on the country’s national poet laureate, Richard Wilbur, at a seminar honoring that man. Currently, Congdon is working on an autobiography and a collection of complete poems.
by Kirby Congdon……. This column centers its attention on the literary form of poetry. But there are other kinds of
Read Moreby Kirby Congdon……. If you are twelve, or even under that, you can’t wait to grow out of childhood and
Read Moreby Kirby Congdon……. The subjects for a poem are a matter of personal taste. Each person’s experiences are individual ones. After
Read Moreby Kirby Congdon……. Our propensity for poetry in this country is almost self-evident. The beat movement did not come out
Read Moreby Kirby Congdon……. The term, “poem,” resonates. Robert Frost said, appropriately enough, that “poet” is also a praise word. It’s presumptuous
Read Moreby Kirby Congdon……. Many creative people are able to combine their own lyrics with their own music. To be able to
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