Elizabeth Bishop - Sandpiper
Event Details
“Since we do float on an unknown sea, I think we should examine the other floating things that come our way carefully; who knows what might depend on it?”
Elizabeth Bishop
Elizabeth Bishop is a poet of details and absences. She explores the world around her, always looking for truth even in the most ordinary observation, with poems that are both controlled and expansive. Sandpiper, written on a return visit to Bishop’s childhood home in Nova Scotia, effortlessly evokes a moment watching a bird searching for food on the shoreline. At the same time she makes the bird a personification of herself, endlessly searching for something, something, something.
Sandpiper can tell us much about Bishop’s vision of our relationship to nature, uncertainty and art. Through repeated readings and discussion, we will work towards a great understanding of this exquisitely constructed poem. It’s also quite likely that we will spend some time on the question “Why do so many poets write about birds?”
JOINING DETAILS:
- Facilitated by Caroline Hammond
- Single meeting study, Wednesday 7 February 2024, 6.00-8.00 pm (UK)
- £30 includes background materials and opening notes
- Sandpiper can be read on the All Poetry website
