J.R.R. TOLKIEN is certainly not the only person to ever translate the word "middangeard" in Beowulf as "Middle-earth" -- but his word choice, obviously, is more conspicuous (and interesting) to us than it is in other editions. The recent publication of his version of the epic poem is hardly a mere tiber to his fans — that's "gift" … Continue reading Hobbitwulf
Siren’s blog
The Wright choice for poet laureate
The Library of Congress exercised superb judgment earlier this month by selecting Charles Wright to succeed Natasha Trethewey as U.S. poet laureate. There are few modern giants still standing in the world of poetry -- there's W.S. Merwin, of course, but I have a hard time identifying too many others (I welcome any and all of … Continue reading The Wright choice for poet laureate
Merwin the mighty
One of the great privileges of my life — aside from being a husband and a father, of course — was meeting W.S. Merwin. He was eager to get home to Hawaii, to his wife, to his gardens, but we talked for about an hour while he was visiting Claremont McKenna College a few years ago. … Continue reading Merwin the mighty
Nick Owchar 
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