Posted on Mar 21, 2022
Untethered by pandemic, Oregon’s poet laureate seeks new ways for poetry to foster joy and...
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When Anis Mojgani first learned he might be Oregon’s next poet laureate, the COVID-19 pandemic had not taken off in the U.S.
“I was excited at the possibility of seeing the state like I never have and, of course, it was very much not the case,” he said.
“I was excited at the possibility of seeing the state like I never have and, of course, it was very much not the case,” he said.
Untethered by pandemic, Oregon’s poet laureate seeks new ways for poetry to foster joy and...
Posted from opb.orgPosted in these groups: State of Oregon
Poetry
Poetry
Posted 2 y ago
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Armando Iannucci’s epic Covid poem: ‘It’s my emotional response to the past 18 months’
When Covid stalled his film work, the writer took revenge on the virus in the form of a poem about Britain, Brexit and the pandemic – exclusively extracted here
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."He thought he’d be traveling around the state, entertaining crowds with acclaimed work that has appeared on HBO, National Public Radio, and as part of the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day series. An author of five books, Mojgani is a two-time National Poetry Slam champion and one-time World Cup winner and regularly emcees events and slams, such as Verselandia, the annual high school poetry slam organized by Literary Arts.
Instead, he found himself at home in Portland. Like many Americans, he shifted toward virtual readings and workshops, doing what he could to make the most of his role as Oregon’s poet laureate.
He describes the experience as “a mixed bag,” noting that the pandemic exposed “how much of the world is held together by duct tape.” While he enjoyed being home, he yearned to get out and meet people in their spaces, something that feeds him.
“I love spaces and how a space shapes people,” he said, adding that he likes to foster and introduce poetry in other communities and use poetry and language to “be in conversation with them.”
He said he likes to “give people permission to hold poetry in a new way.”
“Poetry holds such weight. It is breathing inside of us,” he said."...
..."He thought he’d be traveling around the state, entertaining crowds with acclaimed work that has appeared on HBO, National Public Radio, and as part of the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day series. An author of five books, Mojgani is a two-time National Poetry Slam champion and one-time World Cup winner and regularly emcees events and slams, such as Verselandia, the annual high school poetry slam organized by Literary Arts.
Instead, he found himself at home in Portland. Like many Americans, he shifted toward virtual readings and workshops, doing what he could to make the most of his role as Oregon’s poet laureate.
He describes the experience as “a mixed bag,” noting that the pandemic exposed “how much of the world is held together by duct tape.” While he enjoyed being home, he yearned to get out and meet people in their spaces, something that feeds him.
“I love spaces and how a space shapes people,” he said, adding that he likes to foster and introduce poetry in other communities and use poetry and language to “be in conversation with them.”
He said he likes to “give people permission to hold poetry in a new way.”
“Poetry holds such weight. It is breathing inside of us,” he said."...
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