A Goat in the Snow in Poetry Paradise
The Tin House blog features an interview with Northampton poet Emily Pettit, one of the many inspiring forces behind the Western Massachusetts poetry scene. Drew Swenhaugen asks Pettit about the literary organization Flying Object (founded by her brother Guy Pettit), her new book, Goat in the Snow, as well as Pettit's Factory Hollow Press and the magazine she co-edits, notnostrums (busy bee!!):
DS: When I think of Amherst poetry, even East Coast poetry, Flying Object is where I begin. You seem to have a poetry tradition behind you with James Tate and Dara Weir, amongst so many others at UMass. When I was at Flying Object this summer, I saw a signed copy of John Ashbery’s Flow Chart, among a perfect sales room of small press gems. Jesus! From the West Coast, this seems like a poetry paradise. Do you feel like your amidst such a poetry legacy?
EP: I do feel that I am living in an amazing poetry community! An amazing poetry community composed of poets from the past and poets making poems today. Poets making marvelous poems today—Peter Gizzi, James Tate, and Dara Weir—the UMass MFA program poetry faculty—are phenomenal forces of poetry. Past and present UMass MFA students makeup many other fierce and friendly and forward pushing forces! When one looks at the number of incredible poems and books written by people living in the area or who have in the past lived in the area—it is oh so remarkable! Emily Dickinson did her thing in this place. I repeat, Emily Dickinson did her thing in this place.
Oh, and the impressive list of all the publishing goings-on:
When one looks at the presses and journals that began or are now being run or helped run by past and present Umass MFA students or people living in the area—it is awe inspiring—for example Agnes Fox Press, Bateau Press, Brave Men Press, Flowers & Cream Press, Minutes Books, Pilot Books, Slope Editions, The Song Cave, Wave Books. Journals I might think of include—Conduit, GlitterPony, Invisible Ear, Jellyfish Magazine,The Massachusetts Review, Model Homes, NOO Journal, notnostrums, Rain Taxi, SKEIN, and Verse. And I am missing many things right now!
And events at FO:
People who run events at Flying Object include, but are not limited to—The Boys Upstairs run by the boys who live above Flying Object; CELAN SALON run by Nathaniel Otting; THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF HADLEY FOR IMPROVING NATURAL KNOWLEDGE run by Heather Christle & Don Blair; LOOT run by Elaine Kahn and Bill Nace; and THE WHENEVER WE FEEL LIKE IT READING SERIES run by Michelle Taransky and myself. Workshops taught at Flying Object include Creative Writing with Rachel B. Glaser, Poets & Poems with Emily Pettit, and Bookmaking for Writers, Small Press Publishers, and Dabblers with Betsy Wheeler (and sometimes when we are lucky, a Pickling Workshop taught by Jono Tosch is offered!).
Day to day operations at Flying Object are organized and run by Guy Pettit—my brother. Guy is magic and has made a magic space in the space that is Flying Object. Originally the building that Flying Object occupies, was the town of Hadley’s Police and Fire Station. Then it became apartments. Then Guy invented Flying Object. Guy is the most amazing inventor.
Certainly there's a lot happening out there, and the Pettits are in the eye of it. Oh, but what about Emily's own composition? Let's read her title poem.