Robert van Vliet
Poet, teacher.
Minneapolis MN
Sociable introvert who lives on the craton among terminal moraines, glacial lakes, and at the confluence of two rivers.
Short-term pessimist, long-term optimist.
❡ Blogs and Other Diversions
- (fleeting)
- The Pencil Tour (an overview of the pencils on my desk at any given time)
- “Finished” (the books I’ve finished each month)
- My (Small Press) Writing Day
❡ Some Recent Poems
- Otoliths: The Light’s Agitation and The Life of the Mind
- Autumn Sky: Polly and Walls
- Wine Cellar Press: Demiurge and Cadenza
❡ Poetry Mini Interview
- Part One: Never rebroadcast since its original airing, it’s the genre-defying pilot, in which people say the word “accomplish” so many times it stops holding any meaning whatsoever.
- Part Two: In this exciting episode (groundbreaking in its use of CGI), I answer the question, “What poets changed the way you thought about writing?” Special appearance by the late John Engman in a flashback.
- Part Three: In this “very special” episode — animated, in homage to The Sorcerer’s Apprentice — I wonder how I know when a poem is finished. Grace Paley guest-stars.
- Part Four: In this week’s musical episode, Hal Holbrook, fresh off his Tony award-winning run as the Mysterious Stranger, joins the cast to sing about adjectives. (Originally performed and broadcast live!)
- Part Five: It’s the shocking season finale! To raise funds to save our gang’s favorite hang-out from foreclosure, I must perform a thrilling leap on water skis over a shark tank! (And in the episode’s audio commentary, I talk about what I’m currently working on.)
- Part Six: Deleted Scenes & Bloopers