50 Poems from Emerging Writers | Ben Purkert + More | Talks at Google

TL;DR

The reading presents poets from The Best New Poets of 2012 sharing work shaped by travel, memory, history, translation, and personal relationships. Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. introduces “Albania” through a once-forbidden destination and reads “In The Alleyway of the Beloved,” which draws on Islamic poetic traditions and language from a posted document. Read on for the stories and literary influences behind the poems.

Transcript

KATE: Authors at Google New York is very excited to have a selection of poets from the new book, The Best New Poets of 2012. It is my personal pleasure to introduce our first poet today. Daniel Meltz is a Googler, and is on my team, and I'm pleased as punch that we are here, and talking about some of the stuff he likes to do when he's not doing the... Read More

Key Insights

• 😑 Poetry can provide a unique and powerful medium for self-expression and storytelling.
• 🗺️ Poets draw inspiration from personal experiences, travels, and encounters with different cultures.
• 😒 The use of vivid language and imagery is essential in conveying emotions and capturing the reader's attention.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is the Talks at Google poetry reading about?

Authors at Google New York hosts a selection of poets from The Best New Poets of 2012. The poets introduce and read their work, with the excerpt focusing on Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. and the experiences behind two of her poems.

Q: Who introduces the poets at Authors at Google New York?

Kate opens the event and introduces Daniel Meltz, whom she identifies as a Googler on her team. Meltz then introduces the first poet and explains that the readers will appear in alphabetical order.

Q: Who is Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr.?

Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr. is introduced as a poet, translator, and corporate consultant living in New York City. She studied at Harvard Law School and Warren Wilson College, and her work includes translations from Persian and Tibetan.

Q: What inspired Elizabeth T. Gray, Jr.'s poem “Albania”?

Gray grew up when Albania seemed mysterious and inaccessible, and her first passport warned that entering the country would invalidate it. Much later, while traveling by boat with her husband and homeschooling their children in the Mediterranean, she saw Albania on the charts and decided to visit.

Q: What happens in the poem “Albania”?

The speaker crosses by ferry into a country she had long imagined as unreachable, then returns to questions from her family about what she saw. As the boat later moves north along the coast, Albania becomes distant again, dark and snow-covered.

Q: What changed after Gray shared “Albania”?

Gray says the poem was about to be translated into Albanian by a new friend who had read it. Through that connection, she was introduced to Albanian literature and to Albanians in New York and on Facebook.

Q: What inspired “In The Alleyway of the Beloved”?

The poem addresses Gray's first devastating true love and draws on a journey east from Istanbul to Kathmandu. It also uses the Islamic poetic tradition of pre-battle exhortations or curses against an enemy.

Q: What sources and settings appear in “In The Alleyway of the Beloved”?

The poem begins with a verse from the Koran and includes lines drawn from a document posted on an Al Qaeda website. Its imagery moves through mountains, gravel pits, dog fights, snow, California, the land of the two rivers, and narrow lanes.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Poets share their personal stories and experiences through their poems, offering a glimpse into their thoughts and emotions.

• The poems touch on themes such as self-discovery, nostalgia, and human connection.

• Authors discuss the inspiration behind their work, including personal experiences, travels, and encounters with different cultures.