![]() ![]() Many of the essays focus on personal, collective, or national tragedy and trauma, such as minority disenfranchisement, homelessness, gender inequality, addiction, and discrimination, bearing out the thesis that the shape of these texts provide a framework in which the writer can display sensitive material while offering the reader an intense intellectual and emotional experience. The range of content covers contemporary and universal issues: illness and death, body image, parenthood, childhood, loneliness, violence, love, and loss. And for a heady digestif, a series of “Meditations” in which each contributor shares their personal definition of this form. For dessert, there is a section devoted to six craft essays, written by practitioners who are also inspiring instructors (Heidi Czerwiec, Marina Blitshteyn, Chelsey Clammer, Maya Sonenberg, Jenny Boully, and Julie Marie). The body of the anthology, or, if you like, the entrée course, consists of forty four lyric essays which cover a wide range of topics, inviting the reader to experience the impact of this unconventional nonfiction format. For example, “Classified,” by Susanna Donato, is a blend of segmented and hermit crab structures while Dinty Moore employs flash and segmented essay strategies to produce “Frida’s Circle.” For lovers of fusion, there are also texts that combine and integrate two structures. The anthology presents four particular types: flash, braided, segmented, and hermit crab essays and provides the reader and practitioner with the tools and strategies required for understanding and appreciating the wide range of essays each type contains. She describes a lyrical essay as, “a piece of writing with a visible / stand-out / unusual structure that explores / forecasts / gestures to an idea in an unexpected way” (xiii). ![]() Noble’s introduction is the starter course of historical background and an exploration of the varieties of lyric essay. This allows readers to experience the impact of each essay in its own right as well as see its placement in relation to other essays with regard to form and the broader architecture of this contemporary and elusive subgenre of creative nonfiction. The anthology showcases a broad, well-structured, and detailed reference frame for teachers, writers, students, and readers. The title is an exciting expression of a range of sensual possibility and beauty a multi-layered name which echoes how, “the whole of a lyric essay adds up to more than the sum of its parts” (xii). “The stars are there,” Noble writes, “but their shape is what your mind brings to them” (xviii). The harp in the title refers to Orpheus’s lyre of Greek mythology and its connection to the constellation Lyra. This hypothetical situation describes my reading of the anthology, A Harp in the Stars, compiled and edited by essayist Randon Billings Noble, founding editor of the online literary journal After the Art. The title attracted my attention, conjuring images of music and the galaxy. You might ask the waiter for their recommendations, ask about the daily specials, or decide to be adventurous and choose your meal by what strikes you on the menu. ![]() But if that person decided to surprise you with an outing to a newly opened venue, one that offered unusual and experimental cuisine, you might feel overwhelmed by the choices on the menu. Writer(s): Joshua Raggatt, Joana Isabela AthertonLyrics powered by a family member or friend wanted to invite you out for, say, a celebration birthday dinner at your favorite restaurant, you would probably know in advance what you planned to order and would anticipate enjoying some well-loved dishes. If we could, last forever and ever Then we would As long as the gods would let us Keep this lovin′ going Till we're all loved out Till we′re riding on the edge of new millenia Cos we don't want it to ever end We've been together all this time Now you′re my only friend We don′t want it to ever end We both know this could be over But right now, just hold me closer Kiss me like it's the first time Kiss me like you′re still mine We both know this could be over But right now, just hold me closer Kiss me like it's the first time Kiss me like you′re still mine It's so hard to walk our separate ways When all we ever said was how we′d make it someday Everytime I get up to leave All these consequences come and linger around me Cos we don't want it to, be the end We've been together all this time Now you′re my only friend We don′t want it to, be the end We both know this could be over But right now, just hold me closer Kiss me like it's the first time Kiss me like you′re still mine We both know this could be over But right now, just hold me closer Kiss me like it's the first time Kiss me like you′re still mine ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |