Today we welcomed Elizabeth Robinson into the studio. We primarily discussed her book Counterpart (Ahsahta Press, 2012). The conversation began with a consideration of 'the uncanny' in writing and the investigation of the double, the doppelganger. Robinson's poems grapple with what happens when we meet our counterpart, how we interact with, criticize, investigate the copy of ourselves. How does the poet act as 'other'? The book contains quotes by other writers who similarly interrogated the 'other;' these quotes act as part of this conversation. Like Robinson's other work, Counterpart contains the religious and spiritual, including a 'study' of Hell. In the second half of the interview we discussed the uncanny in writing from the point of view of the writer and the reader. Elizabeth shared with us perhaps the best analogy of poetry ever, as compared to the Invisible Man. A large section of the book, 'The Golem,' was inspired by the novel of the same name by Gustav Meyrink. Towards the end of our time together, Elizabeth was kind enough to share poems from her newer books, Blue Heron and On Ghosts. We talked about how her work, and her form, have transformed over time.
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