Welcome to the April edition of Blue Heron Speaks. Our featured author this month is the British poet, Edith Sitwell (1887–1964). Twice a year, I like to shine a spotlight on voices from the past. National Poetry Month is a wonderful time to ask ourselves, as writers and readers, “What can we learn from the idea makers who have come before us?” And also, “In what ways are we still asking ourselves the same questions about life and existence, today?” The way we see ourselves, our purpose, the world around us, our relationships with others—these are universal, philosophical ponderings. The artists of our time, and all other times, have always served as sage guides. We look to those who devote their lives to expression and deep reflection, to at least point us in the direction of the answers we seek. Perhaps, it is simply about the seeking itself.

Please visit the Blue Heron Speaks Featured Author page of our site to read sample poems by Edith Sitwell and to learn more about her work.

(photo credit: poets.org)

“At the time I began to write, a change in the direction, imagery and rhythms in poetry had become necessary, owing to the rhythmical flaccidity, the verbal deadness, the dead and expected patterns, of some of the poetry immediately preceding us.” (—from Edith Sitwell’s introduction to The Canticle of the Rose, Vanguard Press, 1949)

“Dame Edith always insisted that she was no eccentric: ‘It’s just that I am more alive than most people.’” (—from poetryfoundation.org)