Philip Levine: O Taste and See: Poetry in a Consumer Age

In an American literary scene where the writer’s gaze has been steadily turning inward for decades, Philip Levine’s concerns–blue-collar work, exploitation, social justice, and spirituality–are so virtuous as to be almost anachronistic. Born to Jewish immigrants in Detroit in 1928, Levine did a long apprenticeship in the Motor City’s industrial academies, and his poetry–distinguished by a rare absence of flash and by brutal, plainspoken honesty–has consistently ennobled “those who have failed.” His talk takes its title from a powerful poem by Denise Levertov. If this heroic figure in person is anything like the voice in his poetry, expect a straight shooter with plenty of relevant and resonant things to say about the current state of America.