ONLINE: Marianne Moore and Elizabeth Bishop, both winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, had a colorful friend/mentor relationship. The poets met when Moore worked at the New York Public Library and Bishop was a student at Vassar College. Their poetry shows both similarities and dissimilarities. Both writers use nature in their work, but Moore uses animal life more often, touting creatures’ strength and virtues. Moore was also more the fabulist, Bishop the traveler, never putting down roots except for 15 years in Brazil. Consider these titles: “North & South,” “Questions of Travel,” “Geography III.” Both poets employ acute observation, precise description and evidence of restraint, humility and objectivity. Moore is original, even eccentric and revolutionary in her craft, Bishop more traditional and varied. Starting with Moore and concluding with Bishop, the class will read and discuss selected poems and come to see both poets' important influence on 20th-century poetry. | Facilitated discussion.
Max enrollment: 20.
Harry Brown holds degrees in English from Davidson College, Appalachian State University and Ohio University. After teaching for 43 years at Eastern Kentucky University, he returned to North Carolina and has taught/co-taught some 11 literature courses for OLLI. He has published six poetry collections and co-edited an anthology of Kentucky writing.
Preston Martin received his undergraduate degree from Ohio University, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from the College of Charleston. He retired from both business and education and has published poems in numerous journals and anthologies. He has been active with OLLI as a student or instructor for over a dozen years.