Conversation Pieces

This selection of interviews with the author of "The Potential of Poetry" represents the poet's poetic philosophy over a thirty-five year period, from 1977 to the present. The five interviews were first published in a variety of literary journals, in both printed and electronic formats. They were chosen to help readers understand the factors that have contributed to Greinke's poetic style and philosophy. The written-conversational format is entertaining yet informative, and the incisive questions of the interviewers elicit perceptive replies, showing how Eric Greinke's ideas have grown from early basic seeds into a forest of poetic and social insights. These conversations are rich with reminiscences and references to many well-known post--modern poets with whom the author has interacted at workshops and poetry readings or through correspondence or personal friendships. (i.e. Ted Berrigan, Robert Bly, Donald Hall, Allen Ginsberg) This collection adds another dimension to the ideas of one of America's most influential poets.