This is the last special episode of Liberal Arts Voices for the fall 2010 semester featuring this year’s Penn State Laureate, poet and Professor of English and Womens’ Studies, Robin Becker. Throughout the year, Liberal Arts Voices will be collaborating with Penn State Live to cover the poems and work of Professor Becker.
In this podcast Professor Becker joins Dean Long; CLA Enrichment Coordinator and PSU English alum, Ashley Tarbet; English major Natalie Kovak; and English grad student William Woolfit to discuss Professor Becker’s poem “The Poconos.” You can read the full version of “The Poconos” on Penn State Live.
The group discusses a variety of themes in the poem including: the legacy of Native American tribes in Pennsylvania; the individual’s transition from childhood to adulthood; and notions of identity and autonomy. Professor Becker also spends some time sharing how she makes formal decisions in her poems. For instance, she talks about how the shorter lines in this poem affect its structure and the way it is read.
We invite you to respond to this poem or to the question that Professor asks at the conclusion of her poem: Do you recall a time when your desire to “fit in” competed with your desire to maintain or exhibit your individuality? If so, what choices did you make and why?
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To watch a video of Professor Becker reading this poem or to read the actual poem, visit Penn State Live.
We encourage all of our listeners to write to us with comments, questions, or suggestions at laus@la.psu.edu. We may even respond to these comments on the next episode of Liberal Arts Voices.