McNair to Hall 1976 Jan 4"},"content":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"http:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/files\/2011\/04\/WM-DH-19760104.jpg\" "\\"WM-DH-19760104\\"")
<\/a><\/td>\nJanuary 4, 1976<\/p>\n
Dear Don and Jane,<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have read the poems which I took with me after my last visit,
\nand I like them very much.\u00a0 Their language and form are so natural–
\naccessible and profound all at once.\u00a0 \u201cNames of Horses\u201d: the title
\nis wonderful, as is the subject of the poem.\u00a0 Its long, hymn-like
\nlines are most appealing, also its sad music.\u00a0 I especially like
\nthe last line–knockout, the way those \u201cnames\u201dwork (sic).\u00a0 \u201cKicking the
\nLeaves\u201d: again that conversational speaker who is all the time
\nforming a poem.\u00a0 The gesture at the center of the poem is (becomes)
\nbeautifully complex.\u00a0 The very best poems in the group are,
\nto my mind, \u201cThe Black Faced Sheep\u201d (beautiful in its composition
\nalone) and \u201cFlies\u201d.\u00a0 But then, it\u2019s an awfully strong group.\u00a0 Honestly,
\nthese are some of the best poems I\u2019ve read in a long time.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jane, you mentioned that I should send along poems for \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Don, you have me thinking about a \u201cbook-book\u201d.\u00a0 Counting up \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You both may not realize that the confidence you expressed \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thanks so much for your kind words.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yrs, Wes<\/p>\n PS- My typist made a handful of typing errors January 4, 1976: McNair to Hall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":681,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35502],"tags":[],"builder_content":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/681"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":410,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions\/410"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.colby.edu\/csc-mcnair\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nGreen<\/span> House<\/span>.\u00a0 I am sending two, neither of which should be used
\nuntil I receive word one way or the other from magazines to which
\nthey\u2019ve been sent.\u00a0 The \u201cRufus Porter\u201d poem has been sent to San<\/span> Hose
\n<\/span>Studies<\/span>, and the \u201cElinore Quelch\u201d piece, which you may remember
\nfrom my book, has been sent to The American Poetry Review<\/span>.\u00a0 I have
\nothers, but they are either about to be published or unfinished.
\nNo doubt at least one of the above mentioned will bounce.\u00a0 Please let
\nme know what you think of them (I enclose \u201cE.Q.\u201d, in the event you
\nneed to review it); I\u2019ll let you know as soon as I hear from
\nthe mags above.<\/p>\n
\npoems, I figure I have around 40 pages of text at this point,
\nand I feel that I might well have the thing written within the next
\none or two years.\u00a0 It would be a book of reminiscences, like The<\/span> Faces
\n<\/span>of<\/span> Americans<\/span>, only more varied.\u00a0 My search through available stuff
\nhas resulted in a find of four poems not included in The<\/span> Faces<\/span>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nin my poems last week saved my life.\u00a0 With scarcely anyone to talk to about
\nmy writing, I had become consumed with self-doubt.\u00a0 Now, once again,
\nI believe<\/span>\u2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\nwhich changed certain poems in that book
\nfor the worse- I will soon send you a revised copy
\nwith the \u201cSpringfield Vt\u201d poem currently in progress-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"