From: Ruth I. Gordon <Druthgo>
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:56:16 -0700

How does an anthologist undertake such a challenge? Of course you have your own world of experience with poetry, and so you have m-u-c-h on which to draw. But - in general - what's your next step?--GMK

. Knowing that there's more to it than using a checklist, what can you tell us about how you go about doing this?--GMK

I have been thinking about Ginny's hard questions since I first read them. But I am not able to fathom them because I don't recall having a pattern to gather together poems to meet the themes my editors and I developed. I do recall, uncomfortably, that the theme for Silences as stated in my first introductory remarks was obtuse and scholastic, as opposed to scholarly. The whole idea was based on the neo-Platonist, Plotinus. His ideas of love and its stages had been with me since I was in college--many years before and I was determined that the whole world know about his work. Thankfully, Charlotte Zolotow and her assistant at that time cut that approach. However, I already had so many poems about the stages of love stored in my mind that the hard part was choosing what to use and what was to be left by the wayside.

I was delighted and surprised by the aesthetics of the book production, the dust jacket art, the type face, paper. and format. You may well imagine my joy when the reviews came in--they were such a shocking surprise including having Silences selected as a best of the decade in Book List.

My one BIG disappointment is that none of the anthologies went into paperback.

Thank you for your patience and interest. (And while you are about it, why not read a bit of Plotinus.)

Big Grandma
Received on Wed 16 Apr 2008 12:56:16 PM CDT