Atlanta Poet Jericho Brown Questions Status Quo With Words

Poet and writing professor Jericho Brown says that if you see a poet this month, give them a hug, because they’re busy. He’s referring, of course, to National Poetry Month. Brown was just on a whirlwind of readings and classes in New York last week and is heading back out on the road soon.

But he took some time from his busy schedule to stop and talk about what he’s working on and about recently being awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship.

“There’s a certain kind of uncertainty to poetry, and I feel really attracted to that,” Brown says. “[Poetry] is the conversation that the self has with the self. It’s a way one can talk to himself without being crazy. It’s very similar to what we think of as prayer. It has a lot to do with meditating on what your ideas are and finding the exact and perfect language for those ideas.”

The fellowship will allow Brown to complete his next collection of poetry, titled “Character,” which he says deals with the ideas of celebrity and media.