Jewish Ghetto, Rome
Richard Jackson is the author of 17 books of poetry including The Heart as Framed: New and Select Poems, and 12 books of essays, interviews, translations, editions and anthologies. Winner of Guggenheim, Fulbright, NEA. NEH and Witter Bynner Fellowships and the order of Freedom from the President of Slovenia for his literary and humanitarian work during the Balkan wars; he has also edited 30 chapbooks from eastern European poets. His poems have been translated into 17 languages. Distinguished Emeritus Professor at UT-Chattanooga, he also teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts.
I’ve been reading your poem all month, which means it’s been haunting me in the best possible way. The last five lines in particular have been resonating with me, giving me a new, enlarging way of thinking about the power of words. Thank you for bringing together multiple eras of history and pointing us toward the future simultaneously.