Originally Posted: November 10, 2017
The Dark Lyricism of Arkansas poet Greg Brownderville
On this episode of Arts & Letters, we talk with poet Greg Alan Brownderville, who discusses his latest collection, A Horse With Holes in It, published by LSU Press. This collection is interwoven with humor, compelling imagery and dark lyricism.
“I wrote it in a blur, in a psychic state resembling trance, which is appropriate, given that spirit possession is at the heart of the collection. I accepted that it would fail or succeed on its own terms, as a ragged, jagged thing, not as a precious gemstone. If something felt right, even though I couldn’t explain why, I went with it. It is hard for me to remember anything about creating it.” –Greg Brownderville
During the episode, Brownderville focuses on a prosimetrum– a combination of prose and verse– he wrote titled “Assorted Heads.”
This poem describes the mystery of his Pentecostal faith, his relationship with delta lore, including the Mirror Saw–a multiracial secret society in the Delta that practiced a religion and magical arts. READ MORE