Tag: Creative Writing

A Lost Whisper: Recovering Vanessa Howard

Presenter(s): Lorelei Kelsey—English, Creative Writing

Session 4: Cultural Considerations—The Other

During my Spring term in 2019 at the University of Oregon I was assigned an archival assignment, I was to uncover a little known author of color . I elected to find a copy of a collection of poetry edited by June Jordan and Terri Bush, The Voice of the Children (1972) . I had heard that the kids who were included in the collection were from the intercity in Brooklyn, and that they were a part of a poetry workshop led by Jordan and Bush . I wasn’t aware how moving the work would end up being . After receiving the book I decided to highlight one of the students, Vanessa Howard . In this presentation I will be highlighting my journey through researching this book and reading some poetry . In doing so I hope to highlight the importance of poetry and freedom of expression .

The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems: A Haunting Maternal Presence in Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Poetry

Presenter(s): Martha DeCosta—English (major) and Creative Writing (minor)

Faculty Mentor(s): Corbett Upton

Session 3: Beyond a Melody

The image of the ideal mother as a self-sacrificial caretaker for her children echoes in Edna St . Vincent Millay’s Pulitzer Prize winning poem “The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver”: “She sang as she worked, / And the harp-strings spoke; Her voice never faltered, / And the thread never broke .” Although deserving of its high praise and reception, this sentimental ballad’s appearance in The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems collection seems somewhat incongruous, given the nature with which Millay’s other poems explore the roles of motherhood . She depicts speakers who regard children, or the absence of children, with detachment and pity for their unsettled lives, reinforcing underlying anxiety or association with death and suffering . This volume deals with darker themes such as domestic violence, neglect, and imagined realities, embodying various forms of motherhood and not a traditional depiction of gentleness and love . Much of the excitement and the controversy surrounding Millay focuses on her bisexuality and compelling voice for the early twentieth century’s New Woman . However, critical lenses historically discuss her poetic themes in connection with her biographical background . They leave unexplored gaps in their research by minimalizing or overlooking her poetic representations of alternate women’s roles . To enhance and expand the larger and perhaps limited literary discourse about motherhood in The Harp-Weaver and Other Poems, I analyze Millay’s portrayal of a haunting maternal presence throughout this unique volume .