SMALL TOWN LIVING AND KNOWS A BIT ABOUT BEING IN THE
SPOTLIGHT.
SPOTLIGHT. WE HAVE FORMER INDIANA POET
LAUREATE NORBERT CRAFT.
TAKE IT AWAY.
>> THIS IS THE TITLE POEM IN MY
NEW BOOK, SONGS IN SEPIA AND
BLACK AND WHITE.
THERE WAS A HANDSOME MAN WHO
PARTED HIS HAIR DOWN THE MIDDLE,
A MAN WHO LEFT WAY TOO YOUNG.
DIED AT 33, FATHER OF SIX, THE
ELDEST ONLY 12.
THIS MAN PLAYED THE MANDOLIN,
SANG GERMAN SONGS AS A TENOR.
I SOMETIMES SEE HIM IN SEPIA,
SOMETIMES IN BLACK AND WHITE.
I SING FIRE SAGE FOR DOROTHY,
MINIATURE IRISES AND ROSES
CLIMBING A WHITE TRELLIS.
CHARLOTTE GROWING IN HIS GARDEN
AND RHUBARB STALKS AT THE EDGE.
LETTUCES IN HER COLD FRAME.
MEMORIES OF A FATHER WHO DIED
WHEN SHE WAS 6.
MEMORIES OF A MANDOLIN AND TENOR
VOICE.
VOICE. STORIES AND IRISES FOR ME, THE
GRANDSON FROM FRANK'S LATE
DAUGHTER DOROTHY.
DAUGHTER DOROTHY. SONGS IN SEPIA AND BLACK AND
WHITE.
WHITE. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING
THAT.
THAT. AND, YOU KNOW, I WAS LOOKING
THROUGH YOUR LATEST BOOK, YOUR
NEW BOOK, AND I'M READING SOME
OF THESE, AND I UNDERSTAND IT.
I ACTUALLY AM UNDERSTANDING
POETRY, AND I NEVER THOUGHT THAT
I COULD.
I COULD. >> WELL, I'M GLAD THAT'S TRUE.
I'VE ALWAYS AIMED TO WRITE AN
ACCESSIBLE POEM THAT'S CONCRETE,
THAT DEALS WITH ORDINARY,
EVERYDAY REALITIES, OFTENTIMES.
>> ALSO LOOKING THROUGH THIS IT
SEEMS LIKE YOU KIND OF GO
THROUGH HAD HISTORY, ANCESTRY,
HERITAGE.
HERITAGE. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THIS.
>> WELL, THAT'S A PRETTY DEEP
STRAIN IN MY WORK.
I STARTED TO WRITE POETRY AFTER
I MOVED AWAY FROM INDIANA TO THE
NEW YORK AREA AND STARTED TO
TRACE FAMILY HISTORY AT THE SAME
TIME AND TO STUDY GERMAN.
AND TO ME, THOSE ACTIVITIES ARE
STILL GOING ON, AND THEY'RE INHE
CAN STRICKABLE.
CAN STRICKABLE. I CAN'T DO ONE WITHOUT DOING THE
OTHER.
OTHER. SO YOU'RE RIGHT.
THAT'S A DEEP PART OF MY WORK.
>> TELL US ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR
POEM.
POEM. >> THAT'S BASED ON MY MOTHER'S
FATHER WHO DIED 24 YEARS BEFORE
I WAS BORN.
SO I NEVER KNEW HIM, AND I THINK
WE ALWAYS WANT TO HAVE WHAT WE
CAN'T HAVE, YOU KNOW.
SO I PULL PEOPLE BACK IN POEMS
AND BRING THEM BACK TO LIFE AND
TALK TO THEM OFTEN.
>> AND I ALSO NOTICED, TOO,
LOOKING THROUGH THIS, MUSIC IS A
BIG PART OF YOUR WORLD.
PHOTOGRAPHS ARE A BIG PART OF
YOUR WORLD.
YOUR WORLD. AND YOU SEEM TO BE INTEGRATING
IT ALL INTO YOUR POETRY.
>> YES, I'VE ALWAYS LOVED ART,
WHICH INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHY, AND
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED MUSIC, AND
ESPECIALLY SINCE I MOVED BACK TO
INDIANA, I'VE BEEN WORK WING WHY
MUSICIANS LIKE MONICA OF
INDIANA.
INDIANA. >> HOW DOES THAT ALL WORK
TOGETHER?
TOGETHER? >> BEAUTIFULLY.
>> BEAUTIFULLY. >> PERFECTLY.
>> PERFECTLY. EVERYBODY GAINS SOMETHING FROM
IT.
IT. I THINK THE POEMS ARE ENRICHED
AND THEN THE -- IN THE CASE OF
MONICA, AS SHE SAID, SHE DOESN'T
SING BUT GIVES SOME OF HER
COMPOSITIONS A VOICE AND LYRICS
AS IT WERE.
>> AND YOU ALSO -- NOT -- A
COUPLE YEARS AGO, YOU'RE A BIG
FAN OF BOB DYLAN.
SO YOU WERE INVOLVED IN MUSIC.
>> IN THE HOOSIER DYLAN SHOW.
>> THAT WAS THE START OF MY WORK
WICK WHY GORDON BAUM.
BUT DYLAN IS AN IMPORTANT
INFLUENCE FOR ANYBODY WHO WANTS
TO COMBINE POETRY AND MUSIC
BECAUSE HIS LYRICS ARE VERY
CLOSE TO POETRY AND HE'S A GREAT
SONGWRITER.
SONGWRITER. THAT HAS A LOT TO DO WITH MY
INTEREST IN HIM FOR CLOSE TO 50
YEARS NOW.
YEARS NOW. >> NOW, TELL US A LITTLE BIT
ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND.
YOU'RE ACTUALLY -- I DON'T KNOW
IF YOU'RE ORIGINALLY, BUT YOU
LIVED IN JASPER.
>> I WAS BORN IN JASPER AND GREW
UP IN JASPER, YES.
MY FATHER WAS FROM THE VILLAGE
OF ST. HE HENRY, AND MY MOTHER M
IRELAND.
IRELAND. THERE ARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THOSE
PLACES.
PLACES. >> THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL BOOK.
IT'S ACCESSIBLE TO ANYBODY THAT
COULD POSSIBLY WANT TO READ
POETRY AND FEEL IT, AND I'M
READING, AND I CAN RELATE TO SO
MUCH OF THIS.
YOU TALK ABOUT BEETLES HAIRCUTS.
YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT NATURE AND
WHAT --
WHAT -- >> I SPENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF HOURS ROAMING THE WOODS AND
FIELDS OF SOUTHERN INDIANA
GROWING UP.
GROWING UP. AND I DID HUNTING AND FISHING
AND BOY SCOUTING.
THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF MY
WORK.
WORK. AND I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT
PART OF LIFE.
WE NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO
OUR -- THE NATURAL WORLD.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. NOW, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO
READ ANOTHER ONE.
>> I SURE WOULD.
THIS IS CALLED "IT'S FROM A
SEQUENCE ABOUT THE GREAT
KENTUCKY WRITER WENDEL BARRY AND
IT'S CALLED "THE FAMILY FARM."
THIS IS ONE OF THE SECTIONS.
BEAN HANGS DRY AS DEAD BONES.
AN OLD TRACTOR STANDS IN THE
SHED LIKE A SAGGING WORKHORSE
PUT OUT TO PASTURE.
THE HOLLY HOCKS AND MUMS NO
LONGER COME UP STRONG.
THE SILO WEARS STAINS UP AND
DOWN ITS RIBS.
THE BARN DOOR NO LONGER CLOSES.
AND THE COON HOUNDS HAVE FALLEN
ASLEEP FOREVER BENEATH THE OLD
WALNUT TREE.
WALNUT TREE. SO THAT IS PART OF THE FAMILY
FARM AND WHAT'S HAPPENED TO IT
NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY
IN MANY WAYS.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
STOPPING BY TODAY.
WE WANT TO THANK YOU AND
APPRECIATE YOU SHARING YOUR
POETRY WITH US, AND IF YOU'D
LIKE MORE INFORMATION ON THE NEW
BOOK, PLEASE VISIT