30th June, 2008
The Poem I Turn To edited by Jason Shinder
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Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.
~Adrian Mitchell~
I found this quote here. Sounds interesting, huh? I don’t know what Mitchell meant by poetry ignoring people. Can somebody step up and share your thoughts on it?
Anyway, The Poem I Turn To – Actors & Directors Present Poetry That Inspires Them is a book of collected poems. Jason Shinder went out and asked various actors and directors to share their favourite poems and explain why they like them. These actors and directors would include Alan Arkin, Adam Arkin, Peter MacNicol, Carrie Fisher, Jane Fonda, Stanley Tucci and lots more! So, if you happen to be a fan of theirs, then you may get to know them a little bit better by knowing what poem inspires them.
Well, what kind of poems do celebrities like? Shakespeare? Poems by Robert Frost? Yeah, there are some sonnets from Shakespeare in it. It would be relatively surprising if nobody actually turned to Shakespeare’s words. Besides that, the simplest poem in it would be ‘Alone’ where there’s only one lone word in it, Alone. It is one of Stanley Tucci’s favourite poems.
Oh, do you like listening to poems being read aloud? I do! This book is accompanied by a CD where you can listen to some of the actors read their favourite poems. I didn’t really like Paul Guilfoyle’s (from CSI Las Vegas) poetry recitation. His voice was soft and he read the poems way too fast! Is that supposed to be a style? If I weren’t holding the book as well as reading and listening to the poem at the same time, I wouldn’t catch what he said. By the way, there are 30 poems being read aloud on the CD. And if you don’t like hearing other people read them, why don’t you read aloud yourself and record it? 
All the same, this hardcover book has a lovely cover although it’s quite wordy. But I like it! Somehow I have a good feeling when I look at it. I’ve always liked poems. The poem I like most in this book would be The Guest House by Rumi. If only we had learnt more English poems in school. The only poems we were exposed to were:
Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost
If by Rudyard Kipling
Monsoon History by Shirley Lim
There’s Been A Death In The Opposite House by Emily Dickinson
Si Tenggang’s Homecoming by Muhammad Salleh
Life’s Brief Candle by William Shakespeare
The Dead Crow by A. Samad Said
The Lake Isle of Innisfree by W.B. Yeats
Still, it’s a good start.
So…which poem do you turn to?
A heartfelt thanks to Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.
Other Bloggers’ Reviews: John Mutford, Kim
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Posted in Authors S, Poetry, Titles P at 11:29 pm |
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On July 1, 2008 at 1:42 am John Mutford said:
Funny, we both singled out Paul Guilfoyle. I actually prefered his reading for the same reason you didn’t! I found too many of the others way too slow and dreary.
On July 1, 2008 at 4:19 am Teddy said:
Great review! I use to like poetry when I was younger, I’m not sure why I don’t enjoy it much anymore. Hmm. Maybe this book could re-spark my interest.
I added a link of this review to The ARC Challenge site on my blog.
On July 1, 2008 at 5:48 am iliana said:
I thought this was a great book too. I love poetry and hearing it is even better.
On July 1, 2008 at 11:39 am Josette said:
John: Hi, well, I prefer slow and clear.
Anyway, I guess that’s Guilfoyle’s style of speaking. He sounds like he doesn’t want to waste time!
Teddy: How come you don’t enjoy poetry anymore? Haha! Yeah, perhaps you could try this book.
Iliana: Hi, looks like we belong in the same club! I did enjoy hearing AND reading the poems. Perfect way to relax.
On July 1, 2008 at 12:15 pm Kim said:
Josette, thanks for visiting my blog. Great review! I think you got a better copy than I did. I got a paperback ARC back in April that wasn’t completely finished (missing photos, stuff like that) and there were only a dozen or less poems on the CD. Even so, it is still a great book that I’m glad to add to my shelves.
On July 2, 2008 at 12:57 pm Josette said:
Kim: Hi! Oh, I didn’t know they’d give out different copies…I guess I was just lucky. You’re right, it’s a great book although it’s quite pricey. I’ll read it whenever I need a fix of poetry.
On July 3, 2008 at 7:57 am KittyCat said:
Wow…I forgot that we have very little exposure to poetry during schooldays. At least you have the English literature component.
Other than nursery rhymes, I only knew poetry when I took up the English lit paper in Form 6.
After that, it’s no turning back esp after I got to know Hubby’s friend who loved poetry and introduced me to more and even more!
Hmm…I feel like writing a post on poetry now! LOL
On July 4, 2008 at 12:02 pm Josette said:
KittyCat: Yeah, I guess the ministry of education wanted students to be exposed to literature as a way to improve their language. Go ahead with your poetry post! Can’t wait to read it!
On July 11, 2008 at 10:34 pm webdesign brno said:
By this he means poet write poetry for themself . Not for masses (not everytime though )
On July 12, 2008 at 9:55 am Josette said:
webdesign: That’s a good interpretation of the quote! Thanks.
On August 7, 2008 at 9:33 pm Saturday Review of Books: July 5, 2008 at Semicolon said:
[...] tripathy (Quiver)16. gautami tripathy (The Romantics)17. gautami tripathy (Tangled in Wisteria)18. Josette (The Poem I Turn To)19. Samantha (Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates)20. Samantha (The Duke & I)21. Sarah N. [...]