America's Greatest Unknown Poet by John Lehman

My writing life has turned from short stories to poetry. Probably not the popular choice in most people's worlds, but it is working for me. Hence my reading life is changing a bit. I am reading more poetry and poetry how-to books than ever before.

I knew of Lorine Niedecker because she is a Wisconsin poet and living in Wisconsin I was bound to hear about our arguably most famous poet, but I never really read much of her work. I decided to remedy that by reading America's Greatest Unknown Poet: Lorine Niedecker Reminiscences, Photographs, Letters and Her Most Memorable Poems by John Lehman.

Lorine spent most of her life in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, living in a swampy place that flooded regularly called Blackhawk Island. Her poetry is totally influenced by place. She writes of floods and fish and green places. Her style is all about condensing everything down to its tightest form. Most of her poems are very short and require the reader to fill in a lot of what is missing by relating to their own lives.

Niedecker carried on extensive correspondence with some famous poets of her time, she was born in 1903 and died in 1970. She was published and her work well regarded in poetry circles, but in Fort Atkinson she was the woman worked scrubbing floors at the local hospital. Few knew of her other life of letters.

Many of her poems would make you think of haiku, but even more trimmed. They look simple, but are really not. She cared about sound and images and, I think, surprise. Here is one of my favorites:

Popcorn-can cover
screwed to the wall
over a hole
so the cold
can't mouse in

That poems seems perfect to me. I think I will read more of Niedecker's work hoping some of her brevity rubs off on me.