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Friday Thought: What the Poet James Wright Teaches Us

Today is the beginning of the James Wright
Poetry Festival in Martins Ferry, Ohio, Wright's
hometown and also mine. I'm excited to participate
in this year's festival to learn and share things
about the art of poetry. To my surprise and
pleasure, I have been invited to read one of my
poems at the festival.

So, what does this Martins Ferry legend teach us
about poetry, and yes life?

James Wright is widely recognized as one of
America's finest 20th century poets. He has
left behind a body of work admired by fellow
poets as well as critics. The Encyclopedia
Britannica entry nicely captures his work,
saying that he "wrote about sorrow, salvation,
and self-revelation." His images arise from the
natural and industrial landscape of the Ohio
Valley: the football stadium in Martins Ferry,
the blast furnaces of Benwood, Wheeling Steel,
Hazel Atlas Glass, the suckholes of the Ohio
River. His complex outlook was marked by
despair and hope; in his dark vision a spirit
of affirmation persists.

I am eagerly awaiting the start of the festival
this evening.

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