Providing 'an interesting tension'

 

“The pleasure that I take in writing gets me interested in writing a poem. It's not a statement about what I think anybody else should be doing. For me, it's an interesting tension between interior and exterior.” – Marilyn Hacker

Born in New York in 1942, Hacker often employs strict forms in her poetry: for example, writing in sonnets as in her acclaimed verse novel, Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons.   

 

Among her 11 books of poetry is Presentation Piece, which won the National Book Award, and the amazing Going Back to the River.  Her writing often speaks for the marginalized or for those who are suffering, especially from cancer.          

 

 “Good writing gives energy,” said Hacker,  “whatever it is about.”