WORK OF MARGARET DANNER SUBJECT OF POETRY MAGAZINE FEATURE
Work of Margaret Danner subject of Poetry Magazine feature
BY TIA CAROL JONES
Srikanth Reddy had never heard of Margaret Danner before hearing poet Ed Roberson recite Danner’s “Elevator Man Adheres to Form,” during a panel at the Newberry Library. The poem blew his mind. Reddy started to learn more about her.
Danner was the first Black woman to serve on the editorial staff at Poetry Magazine as editor. In March, she was the subject of the Women’s History Month feature for the magazine, which Reddy has been serving as guest editor. Reddy thought Danner was the perfect subject to start his three issue guest editorship at Poetry Magazine. The result is “These Blazing Forms: The Life and Work of Margaret Danner.”
Reddy, who is a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Chicago, described Danner as an amazing voice from literary history, who was from the South Side of Chicago.
“I couldn’t be happier with how it came out. It’s beyond my wildest dreams, the number of people who came together to make it happen, including the editorial staff at Poetry Magazine, itself, who I think really took this on as a mission of care and admiration and respect for someone who had worked in the same place as them, 70 years earlier, but also, writers, scholars, art historians, poets in the Chicago area as well,” Reddy said. Reddy said what struck him the most about Danner was how incredibly complex and beautifully crafted her art is, and how she looked quietly and attentively at things.
“Her poems are so deep and dense and beautiful, like an oil painting, like any great work of art, like a musical, or like a symphony composition. It’s amazing to me that it hasn’t been recognized before,” he said. “She looked at African art, she looked at animals at the zoo, she looked at race in society during the Civil Rights era, she looked at class and politics. Really her art is an art of looking, and that’s something I admire about her very much.”
Reddy saw the guest editor role at Poetry Magazine and was excited about the opportunity to publish his own poems, as well as those from other voices – from the past like Danner and those from this era. Reddy has been focused on ensuring there is inclusion of diverse voices within Poetry Magazine pages during his guest editorship.
Now that Reddy has discovered Danner’s work and learned more about her life, he is open to including it into his classes. Reddy believes that other teachers will incorporate Danner’s work into their curriculum, not just in colleges and universities, but also in high schools and elementary schools across the country.
The folio of Danner’s life and work in Poetry Magazine are designed to be taught by professors of art history and literature, as well as poets. There also are 15 of Danner’s poems that were selected and featured in the issue. Reddy described it as a little study guide and teaching unit on Danner. As for Reddy’s favorite Danner poem, he insists Elevator Man Adheres to Form, it is one of the most amazing.
In May, the Poetry Foundation is hosting several events. For more information about Poetry Magazine, visit www.poetryfoundation.org.
Srikanth Reddy had never heard of Margaret Danner before hearing poet Ed Roberson recite Danner’s “Elevator Man Adheres to Form,” during a panel at the Newberry Library. The poem blew his mind. Reddy started to learn more about her.
Danner was the first Black woman to serve on the editorial staff at Poetry Magazine as editor. In March, she was the subject of the Women’s History Month feature for the magazine, which Reddy has been serving as guest editor. Reddy thought Danner was the perfect subject to start his three issue guest editorship at Poetry Magazine. The result is “These Blazing Forms: The Life and Work of Margaret Danner.”
Reddy, who is a professor of English and Creative Writing at the University of Chicago, described Danner as an amazing voice from literary history, who was from the South Side of Chicago.
“I couldn’t be happier with how it came out. It’s beyond my wildest dreams, the number of people who came together to make it happen, including the editorial staff at Poetry Magazine, itself, who I think really took this on as a mission of care and admiration and respect for someone who had worked in the same place as them, 70 years earlier, but also, writers, scholars, art historians, poets in the Chicago area as well,” Reddy said. Reddy said what struck him the most about Danner was how incredibly complex and beautifully crafted her art is, and how she looked quietly and attentively at things.
“Her poems are so deep and dense and beautiful, like an oil painting, like any great work of art, like a musical, or like a symphony composition. It’s amazing to me that it hasn’t been recognized before,” he said. “She looked at African art, she looked at animals at the zoo, she looked at race in society during the Civil Rights era, she looked at class and politics. Really her art is an art of looking, and that’s something I admire about her very much.”
Reddy saw the guest editor role at Poetry Magazine and was excited about the opportunity to publish his own poems, as well as those from other voices – from the past like Danner and those from this era. Reddy has been focused on ensuring there is inclusion of diverse voices within Poetry Magazine pages during his guest editorship.
Now that Reddy has discovered Danner’s work and learned more about her life, he is open to including it into his classes. Reddy believes that other teachers will incorporate Danner’s work into their curriculum, not just in colleges and universities, but also in high schools and elementary schools across the country.
The folio of Danner’s life and work in Poetry Magazine are designed to be taught by professors of art history and literature, as well as poets. There also are 15 of Danner’s poems that were selected and featured in the issue. Reddy described it as a little study guide and teaching unit on Danner. As for Reddy’s favorite Danner poem, he insists Elevator Man Adheres to Form, it is one of the most amazing.
In May, the Poetry Foundation is hosting several events. For more information about Poetry Magazine, visit www.poetryfoundation.org.
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