Catching up with the United States Poet Laureate during National Poetry Month is a challenge, as you might imagine. But Independent writer David Starkey (Santa Barbara Poet Laureate 2009-2011) spoke to Ada Limón, the current (24th) U.S. Poet Laureate on Zoom ahead of her appearance at UCSB’s Campbell Hall on Tuesday, April 25, at 7:30 p.m. A native of Sonoma who currently lives in Lexington, Kentucky, Limón has penned many books of poetry, including Bright Dead Things, a finalist for both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award; The Carrying, winner of National Book Critics Circle Award; and, most recently, The Hurting Kind. This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
I think you’re really one of the best poets writing about the natural world right now, so it’s no surprise that your latest book, The Hurting Kind, is divided into four sections, each corresponding with one of the four seasons. Could you talk about why the flora and fauna around you are so important as subject matter for your poetry? I’m always looking at what connects us, and what binds us to the world. I feel like every time I’m feeling untethered, or like I’m somehow isolated, and I’m floating out into space, the thing that brings me back, always, is the natural world. It’s that feeling that, “Oh, right, I am not alone.” As chaotic and sometimes terrifying as humans can be, it’s also nice to be able to return to that connection when you’re feeling in fear of humanity.
Which happens all too often! Some of your nature poems remind me of those by AR Ammons and Charles Wright, where your backyard is like this whole world. It’s very easy for all of us to think of the natural world as intentional visits to national parks, or pocket parks, or whatever it is, when in reality, even in urban settings, nature is all around us. I remember very clearly living in New York City and running my fingers along this grass that was in a raised pot on my way to a temp job, and I kept thinking, “If this grass can come up and live inside this city, maybe I can, too.” So really focusing on the nature that’s around us, I think that’s super important: It helps us notice not only our connection to nature, but the fact that it’s connected to us. And it can be as simple as the weeds growing in your backyard, or the storms coming.