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>>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO PRAIRIE PULSE.
JOINING ME TODAY IS TIM MURPHY.
POET AND AUTHOR I GUESS.
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT A
COUPLE OF YOUR BOOKS TODAY.
TIM, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
TO GET STARTED, TELL THE FOLKS A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR BACKGROUND.
>> I WAS BORN IN 1951 IN
HIBBING, MINNESOTA, AND MOVED TO
MOORHEAD WHEN I WAS SIX MONTHS OLD.
I GRADUATED FROM MOORHEAD HIGH,
THEN WENT OFF TO YALE, WHERE I
WAS GRADUATED AS SCHOLAR OF THE HOUSE AND POETRY.
I THEN COMMENCED A CAREER IN
BUSINESS, RELOCATING PERMANENTLY TO FARGO IN 1976.
FROM THE AGE OF 17 ON, I'VE HAD
ONE GOAL, AND THAT IS TO BECOME A MAJOR POET.
>> ONE GOAL.
WELL, YOUR POEMS COVER A LOT OF GROUND.
THEY COVER --
>> AND SHOOT A LOT OF -- >> RIGHT.
BUT HUNTING, LOSS, GRIEF, ETC.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT KIND OF
THIS AND THEN YOUR WRITING
PROCESS AND HOW THAT TRANSPIRED?
>> I'M A FORMAL POET.
I'M HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL.
THE PROTAGONIST IN ALMOST EVERY
POEM IS TIM MURPHY, AND I DON'T PULL ANY PUNCHES.
I'VE NOT HAD AN EASY LIFE
BETWEEN THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN
BELIEF AND DISBELIEF, STRUGGLES
WITH ALCOHOL, MY ***
ORIENTATION, WHICH IS GAY, AND
OF COURSE HUNTING IS JUST A COMPLETE PASSION.
IT'S THE REASON I'M IN NORTH DAKOTA.
SO AS FAR AS THE WRITING PROCESS
IS CONCERNED, I SIMPLY CATCH A TUNE.
I OVERHEAR A LIO LINE IN A SMALL
TOWN IN THE NORWEGIAN ACCENT OR
A GERMAN ACCENT, AND IT'S IN
PERFECT METER, AND THAT WILL
START ME OFF ON A POEM.
OR I THINK UP A LINE MYSELF.
I DO A LOT OF MY COMPOSITION IN
MY HEAD AT THE WHEEL OF MY FORD
ESCAPE DURING HUNTING SEASON.
>> WELL, SPEAKING OF THAT, YOU
KNOW, I GUESS FOR A LOT OF US,
HUNTER AND POET ARE NOT TWO
THINGS THAT YOU THINK OF
TOGETHER OFTEN, BUT YOU SAID YOU LOVE TO HUNT.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT ASPECT
OF YOUR LIFE AND PERSONALITY?
>> YEAH.
WELL, I HAVE A BOOK OF HUNTING
POEMS WAS IS THE SINOGENICA.
I FORGET THE AUTHOR'S NAME, BUT
IT'S THIRD CENTURY ROME.
WRITING A POEM, CONSTRUCTING A
BUSINESS PLAN OR KILLING A
PHEASANT HAVE MUCH IN COMMON.
THERE'S A SYMMETRY, AN
ORGANIZATION INVOLVED, AND --
AND THE HUNTING IS JUST GREAT RELEASE.
WHEN YOU GET INTO YOUR 60s,
LORD KNOWS YOU KNEE AS MUCH
PHYSICAL -- NEED AS MUCH
PHYSICAL EXERCISE AS YOU CAN GET, AND CHASING FEZ ABOUTS
THROUGH A KATE TAIL SLEW -- CAT
TAIL SLEW BEHIND A BLACK LAB IS
ABOUT AS STRENUOUS AN EXERCISE AS YOU CAN FIND.
>> WELL, TALK ABOUT YOUR BOOK HERE, "HUNTER'S LOG."
YOU'VE GOT IT WITH YOU.
WHICH HAS MOSTLY I GUESS
HUNTER-RELATED POEMS IN IT.
>> THIS BOOK IS DRAWN FROM THREE
OF MY PREVIOUS BOOKS.
IT IS DRAWN FROM "MORTAL STAKES AND FAINT THUNDER" AND IT'S
DRAWN FROM MY NEXT THREE BOOKS,
WHICH ARE GOING TO BE COMING OUT
IN 2013, FROM FORT MAN DAN'S
DAKOTA INSTITUTE PRESS.
SOMEBODY ONCE SUGGESTE SUGGESTEI
PUBLISH A BOOK OF HUNTING POEMS,
AND THIS IS KIND OF A JOHNNY ONE NOTEBOOK.
IT'S ALL ABOUT HUNTING WITH LAB
DOORS -- LABRADORS.
DOVE HUNTING, DUCK HUNTING,
GOOSE HUNTING, PHEASANT HUNTING.
BUT IT IS THE FIRST BOOK THAT I
HAVE PUBLISHED WHICH ENCOMPASSES
A HUGE SPAN OF TIME.
IT GOES FROM 1985 UP -- 1984 UP TO THE PRESENT.
SO IN A SENSE, IT'S A SELECTED
POEMS ON A SINGLE THEME.
NOW, AT THE TIME THAT I RECEIVED
THE SUGGESTION, I ONLY HAD ABOUT
25 PAGES, BUT BY LAST FALL I HAD
100 PAGES AND I DECIDED THAT I WOULD PURSUE IT.
>> WELL, WITH THAT SAID, HOW
ABOUT COULD YOU READ A COUPLE OF SELECTIONS FOR US FROM THE BOOK?
>> SURE.
I'D BE HAPPY TO DO THAT.
I'M GOING TO READ WHAT I REGARD
AS THE BEST POEM FROM MY FIRST
BOOK, WHICH WAS THE DEED OF GIFT
PUBLISHED BY THE STORY LINE PRESS IN 1978.
THIS BOOK -- THIS POEM IS ENTITLED "THE BLIND."
GUNNERS A DECADE DEAD, WINGING
THROUGH MY FATHER'S MIND AS HE
LIMPS OUT TO THE BLIND, BUNDLED AGAINST THE WIND.
MY SON ANCESTRAL CODE, FATHERS
AND SONS DON'T BREAK, WE EACH
CARRY A LOAD OF WHICH WE CANNOT SPEAK.
HERE WE COMMIT OUR DEAD TO THE
UNYIELDING LAND WHERE BROKEN
WINDMILLS CREEK AND STRICKEN GANDERS CRY.
FATHER, THE DOG, AND I ARE
LEARNING HOW TO DIE WITH OUR
FEET STUCK IN THE MUCK AND OUR
EYES TRAINED ON THE SKY.
THE NEXT POEM IS IN THE NEW
DOUBLE VOLUME "MORTAL STAKES AND FAINT THUNDER."
I'VE HAD FOUR BLACK LABS, ALL
HIGHLY TRAINED, AND THIS
PARTICULAR DOG PROBABLY HAD 1400
BIRDS UNDER HER BELT BECAUSE WE
DO SO MUCH DOVE HUNTING WHEN WE
FINALLY HAD TO PUT HER DOWN.
THE POEM IS DEDICATED TO DAN
TREAT, DOCTOR OF VETERINARY
MEDICINE HERE IN FARGO, WHO WAS
TAKING CARE OF ALL OF OUR ANIMALS.
AND I REFERRED TO HIM ONCE IN A
BOOK AS ST. FRANCIS OF FARGO.
SO THAT IS THE OBSCURE REFERENCE
IN THE FINAL QUATRAIN.
AND THE PROBLEM WITH BLACK LABS
IS THAT THEY ONLY LIVE 10 OR SO YEARS.
OTHER THAN THAT, THEY ARE PERFECT.
HUNTRESS, FOR DAN TREAT DVM.
HER FIRST BIRD WAS A CRIPPLED MORNING DOVE.
SHE SOMERSAULTED DOWN A DITCH,
HEAD OVER HEELS IN LOVE,
BUTTONED HER BIRD AND BOUNDED UP IN PITCH.
HER FIRST DRAKE DROPPED BEYOND THE REFUGE SIGN.
WRIGGLING UNDER THE LOWEST WIRE,
SHE SWAM A PERFECT LINE
AS THOUGH POSTING A PROOF OF HER DESIRE.
HER FIRST GOOS GAVE HER NOSE A NASTY PECK.
BATTERED BY ITS UNBROKEN WING,
SHE LEAPT TO GRAB ITS NECK AND
GROWLING DRAGGED IT BACK FOR ME TO RING.
HER FIRST LOSS WAS HER SUPERHUMAN EAR.
HAND SIGNALED ON EACH UNMARKED
RUN, SHE COULD NO LONGER HEAR
WHISTLING WIND TIPS, EVEN AT LAST THE GUN.
AT 14, SHE WAS WALKING INTO
WALLS, FOULING THE CARPET, LOSING TEETH.
FAREWELL TO MALLARD CALLS AND
DECOY SPREADS, WILD ROOSTERS ON THE HEATH.
TO ST. FINANCEIS OF FARGO --
FRANCIS OF FARGO, FELL THE CHORE.
A GENTLE THRUST TO LAUNCH HER FROM OUR SHORE.
A LAST LOOK IN HER FEARLESS EYE WAS TRUST.
>> IT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING WHEN
YOU LOSE A HUNTING PARTNER SUCH AS THAT BECAUSE THEY BECOME PART
OF THE HUNT AND PART OF THE WHOLE --
>> PART OF THE FAMILY.
>> PART OF THE FAMILY, EXACTLY, YEAH.
WHO INTRODUCED YOU TO HUNTING?
>> I WAS FOLLOWING MY FATHER IN
HIS FRIENDS OF FIELD BY THE TIME I WAS EIGHT.
>> UNDERSTAND YOU FOLLOW A
CERTAIN STYLE OF POETRY CALLED
FORMAL POETRY, GOING BACK
CENTURIES AND EVEN MAYBE ANCIENT TIMES. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS, THOUGH.
>> YEAH.
WELL, THE FIRST LYRIC POET THAT
WE KNOW BY NAME IS KING DAVID,
AND THE PSALMS ARE METRICAL POETRY.
AND IN POINT OF FACT, FREE VERSE
NONMETRICAL POETRY HAS RULE RULE
ROOST FOR ABOUT 100 YEARS.
BUT I'M SURE 98% OF THE GREAT
POETRY WRITTEN IN THE 3,200
YEARS THAT WE HAVE THE LYRIC IS FORMAL.
AND I NEVER EVEN CONSIDERED WRITING IN FREE VERSE.
SO I WRITE IN MEET AND RHYME --
METER AND RHYME, AS THE VIEWERS JUST HEARD.
>> YOU'VE ALSO KIND OF COME BACK TO CATHOLICISM OVER THE YEARS.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THIS AND SORT OF THAT RETRANSFORMATION YOU HAD.
>> YEAH.
I WAS SO PUT OFF BY THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH'S POSITION ON HOMOSEXUALITY THAT I WAS EASY
PREY FOR LEAVING THE CHURCH, AND
A BRILLIANT PHILOSOPHER,
PHILOSOPHY STUDENT AT YALE,
FRANCIS McARTHI, KIND OF
CONVERTED ME TO ATHEISM AND IN
MY 20s, 30s AND 40s I PURSUED EVERY ISM ON EARTH.
TRANSINDEPENDAL MEDITATION,
DOUGHISM, DUDISM, AND --
BUDDHISM AND NOTHING WAS WORKING FOR ME.
AND ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO, I WAS
INVOLVED IN A BUSINESS DISASTER
AMOUNTING TO 113 MILLION, AND
YOU KNOW, HOG FARMS IN SEVEN STATES.
AND I DECIDED THAT THE BEST
SOLUTION WAS TO KILL MYSELF AND
LEAVE MY LIFE INSURANCE TO TAKE CARE OF MY HEIRS.
AND AS I WAS LOADING THE GUN, I
GOT A TELEPHONE CALL AND IT WAS
FRANCIS McCARTHY, HOP I HADN'T
TALKED TO SINCE GRADUATION DAY.
HE JUST SAID, TIM, I JUST HAD A
VISION THAT YOU WERE LOADING A
DOUBLE BARREL SHOTGUN AND I
BELIEVE YOU ARE IN THE GRAVEST
SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL DANGER.
AND FRANCIS IS NO LONGER A
BRILLIANT ATHEIST FLO PHILOSOPH.
HE IS A BENEDICTINE MONK AND HE
HAS THIS VISION AND HE GOOGLED
ME AND HE CALLED QWEST AND GOT
MY PHONE NUMBER AND SPENT TWO
HOURS TALKING ME OUT OF DOING
SOMETHING REALLY STUPID.
AND AFTER THAT IT WAS PRETTY HARD NOT TO RETURN TO THE CHURCH.
>> HAVE YOU STAYED IN TOUCH WITH HIM SINCE?
>> OH YES.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND THE CHURCH HAS BEEN JUST MARVELOUS.
VERY ACCEPTING, VERY SUPPORTIVE.
I LOOK BACK ON MY 30 YEARS IN
THE DARKNESS AS A HERETIC AND I
HONESTLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW I SURVIVED.
>> WHY DO YOU LOVE WRITING ABOUT
THIS AREA AND EVEN THE RED RIVER VALLEY?
JUST BECAUSE -- WELL -- >> WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.
YOU KNOW, I WRITE A GREAT DEAL
ABOUT THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS, ABOUT
ALASKA, ABOUT THE ARCTIC, ABOUT CANADA.
I MEAN I'M A POET OF THE
AMERICAN WEST, AND WHEN I SAY
AMERICAN, I MEAN NORTH AMERICAN WEST.
>> LET'S SWITCH GEARS HERE FOR YOUR SECOND BOOK.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR BOOK OF
POEMS -- WELL, YOU SAY TWO CLIPS
REALLY IN ONE BINDING, "MORTAL
STAKES AND FAINT THUNDER."
AND ENCOMPASSES POEMS I GUESS
FOR A SEVEN-YEAR PERIOD I UNDERSTAND?
>> YEAH.
IT'S FROM 2002 TO 2009.
>> SO TELL US ABOUT THE -- THAT
BOOK AND THE POEMS.
>> WELL, "HUNTER'S LOG" IS A GUY
GANG TICK, FUN LOVE -- GIGANTIC
FUN LOVE SONG TO NORTH DAKOTA AND SOUTH DAKOTA.
"MORTAL STAKES AND FAINT THUNDER" SAN ALTOGETHER BIGGER AND MORE AMBITIOUS AND MORE DIFFICULT BOOK.
IT ADDRESSES ALCOHOLISM, BELIEF AND DISBELIEF.
IT INCLUDES MANY, MANY POEMS
FROM MY PARTNER, WHO WAS
BATTLING WITH CHRONIC
LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA AND WITH
LYMPHOMA AND WHO DIED A YEAR AG AGO.
IT'S GOT LOTS OF HUNTING POEMS
IN IT.
SO -- AND THE REASON THAT I
PUBLISHED TWO BOOKS AT ONCE IS I
COULDN'T FIND A PUBLISHER.
MY FIRST FOUR BOOKS WERE
ACCEPTED BY THE FOUR PUBLISHERS I SUBMITTED THEM, TO EVEN THOUGH
I WAS AN ABSOLUTE NOBODY AT THE BEGINNING.
BUT WHEN I BECAME A DEVOUT
CATHOLIC, AND CATHOLICISM EVEN
ENTERS INTO HUNTING POEMS THESE
DAYS, SUDDENLY THEY ALL JUST
DROPPED ME COLD.
SO THAT'S WHY IT TOOK SO LONG.
AND I WAS VERY, VERY FORTUNATE.
SOMEONE FROM THE NORTH DAKOTA
HUMANITIES FOUNDATION SICKED THE
DAKOTA INSTITUTE PRESS ON ME AND
CLAY JENKINSON, WHO IS AN
INTELLECTUAL HERO OF MINE, THE
PROPRIETOR OF THE JEFFERSON HOUR
AND I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT INTELLECTUAL IN NORTH DAKOTA
JUST SHOWED UP AT MY DOOR AND
SAID MR. MURPHY, DO YOU HAVE A MANUSCRIPT READY FOR PRESS?
AND I SAID, WELL, AS A MATTER OF
FACT, I'VE GOT MORE INVENTORY THAN FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
I'VE GOT SEVEN MANUSCRIPTS READY FOR PRESS.
AND HE SAID, WELL, I WANT THEM ALL.
AND I DOUBT IF I'LL EVER LOOK
FOR ANOTHER PUBLISHER AGAIN.
>> WELL, WITH THAT SAID, COULD
YOU READ A COUPLE OF POEMS FROM "MORTAL STAKES AND FAINT THUNDER."
>> I'D BE HAPPY TO.
HERE'S A POEM CALLED "TWO HANDS
PRAIRIE," WHICH IS REALLY A LOVE
POEM TO BOTH CANADA AND TO THE HIGH PLAINS.
THE RIVER EL RIO IN PURGATORIO
IS THE RIVER OF THE LOST SOULS
IN PURGATORY, IT'S IN SOUTHEAST
COLORADO AND MY PARTNERS AND I
LOST ABOUT 50 MILLION GROWING
PIGS ABOUT 2 MILES FROM ITS BANKS.
SO THE TITLE THAT THE SPANIARDS
GAVE IT IN THE 16th CENTURY
WAS ABSOLUTELY APPLICABLE TO US.
AND THE LISTENER HAS TO THINK OF
THIS AS THE -- AS THE HUDSON BAY
DRAINAGE AND THIS AS THE GULF OF MEXICO DRAINAGE.
THIS IS WHAT I MEAN BY TWO HANDS PRAIRIE.
I LOVE THE FACT THAT THERE'S A
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SIGN BETWEEN
JAMESTOWN AND VALLEY CITY, AND
OF COURSE THAT REFERS TO THE SHY
SHYIAN -- CHEYENNE WHICH GOES TO
THE ARCTIC AND THE JIM WHICH GOES TO THE GULF.
"TWO HANDS PRAIRIE."
DREAM OF THE GREAT PLAINS AS A
PAIR OF HANDS AND EVERY FINGER AS A LENGTHY RIVER.
SOUTH HAND POINTS NORTH WARD AND
THE NORTH HAND SOUTH.
THE HORSE CULTURE WITH ALL ITS
RIVAL BANDS ENDURED WHIRLWINDS,
BLIZZARDSES POX AND DROUGHT.
THE BOW LIES BROKEN BY A BEADED QUIVER.
RAINY RIVER, THE RED DEER AND
THE RED, SOURCE, SASKATCHEWAN
ALL FORM THE NELSON, FLOWING FOREVER NORTH.
ALL OF THEM BEND OVER A LAND
WHERE HOPEFULLY YOUNGSTERS WED
AND SEND THEIR SONS SOMEWHERE AFAR TO SOLDIER.
TWO HANDS EXTEND IN FRIENDSHIP
TOWARD A BORDER WHICH NEITHER
NATION'S ARMY.
HAND REACHING NORTH, THE ARKANSAS, OHIO, MISSOURI,
TRIBUTARIES IN THEIR DOZENS
EL RIO DE LAS ANIMOS DEDAS IN
PURGATORIO IN COLORADO AND THE
BELL BUSH FORKING INTO THE
POWDER, RIVERS LIKE MEN HAVE
MANY DISTANT COUSINS.
THE OTHER POEM IS SORT OF A
HUNTING AND FISHING POEM, BUT
IT'S PRIMARILY A DEVOTIONAL POEM
THAT DRAWS FROM AND MAKES
DELIBERATE ILLUSIONS TO SOME 103
AND SOME NUMBER 42 -- PSALM 103
AND PSALM 42.
SOUL OF THE NORTH.
OUT OF THE WILDS I PREY, BOUND
BY MY NORTHERN BIRTH TO FISH, TO
HUNT THE EARTH, AND FOLLOW MY
FORBEARERS' WAY, I MUTTER "I HAVE SINNED."
WANDER THE KNEE-HIGH GRASS,
WHISTLING INTO THE WIND.
AS CHARS WIND TO THE CLEAR
TUNDRA RIVERS THAT RUN UNDER THE
MIDNIGHT SON, AS WOLVES FOLLOW
THE DEER, DRAWN FROM FORD TO
FORD, AS GEESE, THRONG TO THE
FALLING SEA, ALL CREATURES OF
ONE ACCORD, MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR THE LORD.
>> THANK YOU, TIM.
IN A COUPLE OF THE FORWARDS IN
YOUR BOOK, YOUR FRIENDS TALK
ABOUT HOW YOUR WRITING IS
BETTER-KNOWN THROUGHOUT LITERARY CIRCLES IN THE LARGER CITIES THAN IT IS IN NORTH DAKOTA.
IT MAY BE BETTER KNOWN IN
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND THAN IT IS
IN EDINBURG, NORTH DAKOTA.
WHY IS THAT?
AND DOES THAT BOTHER YOU?
>> WELL, OF COURSE THERE ARE A
MILLION AND A HALF PEOPLE IN
EDINBURGH AND WHAT, MAYBE 150 IN EDINBURG.
I JUST HAVE NOT PROMOTED MY WORK LOCALLY.
I'VE PUBLISHED MAYBE 450 POEMS
IN THE MOST PROMINENT LITERARY
JOURNALS IN AUSTRALIA, IN
ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, AMERICA.
AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE ANY SUCH
VENUES IN NORTH DAKOTA.
HOWEVER, THE DAKOTA INSTITUTE
PRESS IS DETERMINED TO CORRECT THAT SITUATION.
>> OKAY.
AND THAT WOULDN'T SURPRISE ME WITH CLAY AND DAVID OVER THERE.
NOW, A POET, A POET ISN'T A
PROFESSION THAT WE THINK OF
AS MUCH IN THE MODERN AGE.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT POETRY THAT YOU LOVE? AND HAVE YOU BEEN ABLE TO MAKE A LIVING AT IT?
>> BY NO MEANS.
ROBERT FROST DIDN'T MAKE A LIVING AS A POET.
HE'S THE POET TO WHOM I'M MOST
OFTEN COMPARED, AND THE SITUATION HAS GOTTEN
SUBSTANTIALLY WORSE SINCE THE 1930s.
NO. I'VE MADE A LIVING AS A VENTURE
CAPITALIST, A LICENSE INSURANCE
AGENT AND A FARMER.
IN TERMS OF WHAT DREW ME TO
POETRY, MY MOTHER WAS A
SHAKESPEAREAN ACTRESS, MY FATHER A POETRY TEACHER.
THE FIRST WORDS THAT I HEARD WERE POETRY.
MY MOTHER TOOK ONE LOOK AT ME
WHEN THEY PUT ME IN HER ARMS AND
SHE RECITED A.A. MILMS "TIM THINK TIM.
" I'M GOING TO ASK YOU TO INDULGE ME AS I SAY IT.
TIMOTHY TIM HAS TWO BLUE EYES
AND TWO BLUE USE HAS TIMOTHY TIME.
WHENEVER HE CRIES THEY CRIME WITH HIM.
HE HAS TEN PINK TOES AND TEN
PINK TOES AS TIMOTHY THE IM.
THEY CREEP WITH HIM WHEREVER HE
GOES AND WHEREVER HE GOES THEY CREEP WITH HIM.
TIMOTHY TIM HAS ONE RED HEAD,
AND ONE RED HEAD HAS TIMOTHY TIM
IT SLEEPS WITH HIM IN TIMOTHY'S
BED AND IN TIMOTHY'S BED IT SLEEPS WITH HIM.
SO I MEAN THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS
GOING TO END UP BEING ANYTHING -- THE FIRST HUMAN
SPEECH I EVER HEARD.
>> THAT'S -- I WAS GOING TO SAY
THERE WAS NO WAY THAT IT WOULD EVER -- YEAH.
AND YOU TOOK THE WORDS RIGHT OUT OF MY MOUTH THERE.
SO WITH THAT SAID, THEN,
OBVIOUSLY YOU WERE INFLUENCED AT A VERY YOUNG AGE AS YOU JUST STATED THERE.
BUT THEN TALK ABOUT SOME OF YOUR
INFLUENCES AS YOU GREW UP, YOU KNOW.
TALK ABOUT MEETING ROBERT PENN
WARREN, WHO WROTE "ALL THE
KING'S MEN" WHEN YOU WERE AT YALE.
AND HOW DID THAT INFLUENCE YOU?
>> WELL, MR. WARREN DID NOT TEACH POETRY AT YALE.
HE TAUGHT THE NOVEL AND SHORT STORIES.
BUT HIS PRIMARY INTEREST WAS
ALWAYS POETRY AND HE WON TWO
PULITZER PRIZES FOR POETRY.
HE TOOK ME UNDER HIS WING THE
FIRST DAY OF MY SOPHOMORE YEAR
AND GAVE ME A THREE-YEAR ONE-ON-ONE TUTORIAL.
HE HAD ME MEMORIZE 30,000 LINES
OF POETRY FROM THE CANNON, WHICH
IS A STAGGERING AMOUNT, EVEN FOR A TEENAGER.
BECAUSE HE WANTED ME TO NEVER
MAKE A METRICAL MISTAKE.
AND IT WAS A GREAT DISCIPLINE
THAT EXPOSED ME TO HUNDREDS OF
YEARS OF POETRY AND EXPOSED ME TO MANY LANGUAGES.
MANY TERMS OF -- AND ABOUT
10,000 OF THOSE LINES WERE
YATES, WHO WAS WILLIAM BUTLER
YATES WAS KIND OF A INFLUENCE ON ME.
I WAS SO DERIVATIVE OF HIM UNTIL
I WAS 25 THAT THE EARLIEST POEM
IN THE DEED OF GIFT IS WRITTEN AT AGE 25.
OF LATTER YEARS, I WOULD SAY
THAT THE THREE POETS THAT MOST
INFLUENCE ME ARE ROBERT FROST,
THOMAS HARDY, AND KING DAVID.
>> OKAY.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST TIME
YOU SIT DOWN AND WROTE POETRY?
>> DIDN'T START WRITING UNTIL I WAS 17.
A SENIOR AT MOORHEAD HIGH.
>> OKAY.
>> I WANTED TO BE A FOLK SINGER,
AND MY GIVING UP FOLK MUSIC FOR
POETRY WAS A GREAT GAIN TO BOTH ARTS.
>> WHAT ABOUT OTHER WRITERS OR
POETS WHO YOU ADMIRE, WHO HAVE INFLUENCED YOU OVER THE YEARS?
>> IT MIGHT BE THAT THE GREATEST
POET OF THE 20th CENTURY IS BORHAIS.
AND A FRIEND OF MINE HAS DONE A
MAGNIFICENT FORMAL TRANSLATION
OF BORHAIS, WHICH IS WIDOW WON'T LET HIM PUBLISH.
IT GOES OUT OF COPYRIGHT IN 2031.
UNFORTUNATELY, BOB MEZZE IS 76.
SO -- AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL BE 80 IN 2031.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT I WILL LIVE TO SEE THE TEXT.
BUT THAT JUST STRUCK ME AS A THUNDER CLOUD.
AS I WAS COMING TO GRIPS WITH MY
OWN SEXUALITY, CONSTANTINE
COVASSE, THE GREAT POET FROM
ALEXANDRIA EGYPT SHOWED ME A WAY
NOT ONLY TO WRITE POETRY, BUT TO LIVE MY LIFE.
>> OKAY.
WE TALKED ABOUT IT BEFORE WE CAME ON THE AIR. THERE ARE SOME WONDERFUL
ILLUSTRATIONS IN YOUR BOOK. WHO DID THOSE?
>> OKAY.
ALL OF MY BOOKS -- WELL, FIVE OF
THE SEVEN BOOKS HAVE BEEN
ILLUSTRATED BY CHARLIE BECK.
OUR GREAT WOOD CUT ARTIST DOWN IN FERGIS FALLS.
CHARLIE IS 88 YEARS OLD AND
STILL PLAYING HIS A-GAME.
I'VE USED 12 ILLUSTRATIONS IN MY VARIOUS BOOKS.
EARLIER THIS MONTH, I GAVE A
READING AT THE ROARK WHERE WE
HUNG ALL 12 OF THOSE WOOD CUTS.
WHEN MY FIRST BOOK CAME OUT IN
1998 MY PUBLISHER ASKED ME WHO I
WANTED TO USE FOR THE COVER AND
I DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TO THINK.
I SAID I WANT EARLY SNOW BY CHARLIE BECK.
SO CHARLIE AND I HAVE HAD A LONG
COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIP, AND
AS I HAVE SAID IN SPEECHES,
CHARLIE SEES THE PRAIRIE AS I TRY TO HEAR IT.
>> THE SHOT THEY JUST WERE
SHOWING WAS A CANVAS BACKS WAS
ONE OF THE ILLUSTRATIONS.
>> YEAH. I USED CANVAS BACKS TO PREFACE
"FAINT THUNDER," THE SECOND BOOK
IN THIS DOUBLE VOLUME, BECAUSE
IT'S A RATHER JOYFUL BOOK AND
IT'S RATHER JOYFUL PAINTING.
ELDRIDGE HARDY, THE ILLUSTRATOR
OF "HUNTER'S LOG" IS REGARDED BY
MANY PEOPLE AS AMERICA'S
FOREMOST OUTDOOR ILLUSTRATOR.
SERIOUS CRITICS COMPARE HIM TO WINSSLOW HOMER.
AND I WAS FAMILIAR WITH HIS WORK
FROM BOYHOOD BECAUSE HE ILLUSTRATED JOSE OR GAGA'S
MAJESTIC BOOK OF ESSAYS,
MEDITATION ON HUNTING, WHICH
REALLY INFORMS MY WHOLE PHILOSOPHY AND THAT OF MY
HUNTING BUDDY, STEVE SERTAL,
EVERY TIME WE GO AFIELD.
SO WHEN UPULLED TOGETHER THE
MANUSCRIPT, I TRACKED DOWN
MR. HARDY AND I E-MAILED HIM THE
MANUSCRIPT AND I SAID THIS MAY
STRIKE YOU AS ABSURD, BUT I'D
LIKE YOU TO DO TEN PENCIL
DRAWINGS FOR A BOOK OF POETRY.
AND I FIGURED YIEFD NEVER HEAR
FROM -- I'D NEVER HEAR FROM
SOMEONE SO RICH AND FAMOUS.
AND I GOT AN E-MAIL BACK THE NEXT DAY SAYING YOUNG
MR. MURPHY, I PULLED AN ALL
NIGHTER FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE COLLEGE.
I READ YOUR BOOK TWICE AND I WOULD BE HONORED TO ILLUSTRATE IT.
AND WHEN HE SENT US THE
DRAWINGS, WE ALL JUST FLIPPED.
AND I WROTE HIM A RATHER FOLSOM
NOTE OF THANKS AND HE TOLD ME A GREAT STORY.
WHEN HE WAS A JUNIOR IN HIGH
SCHOOL THE CLASS PROJECT WAS FOR
EACH STUDENT TO COMPILE A LITTLE
ANTHOLOGY OF THEIR FAVORITE
AMERICAN POEMS AND ILLUSTRATE IT
WITH PHOTOGRAPHS CUT OUT OF LIFE
OR LOOK OR TIME MAGAZINE.
WHICH ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS DID
THAT, BUT ELDRIDGE CHOSE HIS TEN
FAVORITE FROST POEMS AND DID TEN PENCIL DRAWINGS.
AND HE SAID IT WAS -- IT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE AND HE
SAID WHEN I FINISHED HIM, I FELT
LIKE I WAS 16 YEARS OLD AGAIN.
>> WOW.
I TELL YOU, I WISH WE HAD MORE TIME. WE DON'T.
BUT IF PEOPLE WANT TO GET COPIES
OF YOUR BOOK FOR MORE INFORMATION, WHERE IS THE BEST PLAY TO GO?
>> AMAZON.
OR BETTER YET GO, TO THE
FT. MANDAN.ORG AND GO INTO THE
DAKOTA INSTITUTE PAGES.
ORDER DIRECTLY FROM THE PUBLISHER. THEY MAKE THREE TIMES AS MUCH MONEY AND IT COSTS THE SAME.
>> TIM, THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY.
>> THANKS SO MUCH.
>> WELL, THAT'S ALL WE HAVE THIS WEEK ON "PRAIRIE PULSE." AND AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR JOINING US.