I didn’t write any letters in June because events seemed to have overtaken the need for poetry-criticism for a while. During both a pandemic and an uprising against white supremacist state violence, witnessing, protesting, listening, organising, and demanding seemed more important, and still do. But the more isolated we are from/by events, the more starkly our need for both reading and commentary has presented itself. And yet many people report a reduced ability to concentrate, particularly on books, during quarantine or lockdown. I have always struggled with concentration, even though I read a lot; I found it very liberating when I first read Roland Barthes’
Letter 4. Events.
Letter 4. Events.
Letter 4. Events.
I didn’t write any letters in June because events seemed to have overtaken the need for poetry-criticism for a while. During both a pandemic and an uprising against white supremacist state violence, witnessing, protesting, listening, organising, and demanding seemed more important, and still do. But the more isolated we are from/by events, the more starkly our need for both reading and commentary has presented itself. And yet many people report a reduced ability to concentrate, particularly on books, during quarantine or lockdown. I have always struggled with concentration, even though I read a lot; I found it very liberating when I first read Roland Barthes’