Episode 105: Carl Phillips

Dear Listener,

Poetry is an experience unique to each person. Which is to say that there is no single way to experience reading and writing poetry. For Rachel, it's like falling in love. For Carl Phillips, writing is like daring himself to think further and better. I've always thought of poetry in the terms of a strategy game—manipulating resources and contexts until a stroke of brilliance shines through in a combo. Maybe as writers, we’re prone to metamorphosing a feeling as vivid and complex as the tension and release of studying language. Love, sex, a dare, a game.

Much of the following episode is about poetry, but much of it is also about falling in love. Rachel asks a lot of questions about falling in love, perhaps maneuvering toward the single burning question she hasn't yet verbalized for herself, perhaps assuming that Carl—whose poems recursively engage with love and sex as subject matter and method of attention—experiences poetry in the same way, and so these questions are themselves about writing. Eventually, Carl addresses his own metaphors for reading and writing. But even if much of the original line of questioning stems from an assumption that doesn't prove correct, the results are deep, engaged conversations about life and the practice of living in a fractured world.

Carl Phillips is the author of 16 books of poetry, most recently Then the War: And Selected Poems 2007-2020. His new book of prose is My Trade is Mystery: Seven Meditations from a Life in Writing. He teaches at Washington University in Saint Louis.

LISTEN TO EPISODE 105 HERE!

‎All Commonplace patrons will receive access to a playlist by Carl Phillips. They will also get access to the audio of “Radiance versus Ordinary Light: A Tribute to Carl Phillips,” moderated by Rickey Laurentiis and including close readings of Carl Phillips poems and comments from poets Erin Belieu, Dawn Lundy Martin, and Justin Philip Reed, as well as a reading, at the end of the tribute, by Carl himself. Patrons will also get a pdf of all the poems mentioned in the tribute. Rachel recorded “Radiance v Ordinary Light a Tribute to Carl Phillips” live on March 28, 2019 at the Association of Writing Programs in Portland, OR.

Some members of the Commonplace Book Club will receive:

• Cortège by Carl Phillips

• From the Devotion by Carl Phillips

• Pastoral by Carl Phillips

• Coin of the Realm: Essays on the Art and Life of Poetry by Carl Phillips

• The Art of Daring: Risk, Restlessness, Imaginations by Carl Phillips

• THEN THE WAR by Carl Phillips

• Too Bright to See by Linda Gregg

Thanks to Graywolf, Liveright, and Farrar, Straus & Giroux for donating books!

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Cook with Carl (and Commonplace)!

We’ve been talking behind the scenes about bringing more content to these newsletters and helping our listeners get to know the team a bit better in the process. Carl Phillips has generously shared two of his well-loved recipes with us to share with all of you, and in that spirit, three of our team (including yours truly) are also happy to share some of our favorite recipes!

Happy cooking as we swing into the holiday season!

• Langa’s fav Candied Yams (via Sweet Tea & Thyme)

• Christine’s fav Pan-Fried White Beans with Greens (via Rancho Gordo)

• V’s Harissa Caper Pasta

Patrons might also remember these recipes from Doreen Wang (Episodes 80, 81, and 100) and Code-Rose Clevidence (Episode 103), which we’re making available now to all:

• Mish Liang Hsu’s Fish, Three Ways

• Cody-Rose’s “Without Objective Morality, Anything is Permissible” Hangover Breakfast Sandwich

If you love the above recipes and want more non-episode content from Commonplace, consider signing up for our Patreon! Patrons pledging $10 or higher will also automatically become members of the Commonplace Book Club. For the rest of the year, we will be experimenting with expanding our newsletters with additional content—recipes, book recommendations, places to submit, etc.—in advance of rebranding our newsletter with additional non-episode content and moving to a tip-based subscription model. Patrons will continue to get access to additional content related to each episode. All current newsletter subscribers will remain subscribed for the rest of the year and we will continue to announce new episodes on social media and via e-blast.

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Up-and-Coming: In the coming months look out for additional conversations with S. Yarberry, Claire Schwartz and Chase Berggrun, as well as conversations with Jorie Graham, Eileen Myles, and more.

Join the discussion on social media! What can you compare the experience of reading and writing poetry to? You can Tweet at us, DM us on Instagram, talk to us on Speakpipe, or even just reply to this email.

As always, thank you for listening and for your continued support.

Love and solidarity,

Valentine & the Commonplace Team