only way he knew how—by fishing. Since “When my wife was pregnant, I was and Gary was one mostly-finished disserhe was still too young to drive, the future writing poems about potential or pend- tation away from earning his PhD. The poet would ride his bike five miles to the ing fatherhood. But when Auden was only problem—he still hadn’t landed a Fox River, where he’d cast a few lines and born, I was in the middle of three genera- teaching job. reflect on the nature around him. After a tions, so this ‘trinity of fatherhood’ came “I went through the job ads and applied while, he began tucking a pen and paper about,” he explains, pointing to a picture to three or four dozen jobs—everything beside the bait in his tackle box. of the “trinity” at what appears to be a I had a remote chance of being competiRemembering those trips, he gives into family reunion. “I could finally see the tive for,” he recalls. One of those blind a loose smile, “There’s this quote from things I didn’t understand about father- applications happened to be for an asKate Greenstreet: ‘Making up a poem is hood from a different angle but still had sistant professor position at Belmont, a a way to share a secret without telling it.’ so many questions about what it meant.” school Gary knew only for its impressive So maybe I was trying to tell my secrets Luckily for Gary, unanswered ques- basketball program. He forgot about the about this thing I was going through. I tions translate into good poetry, espe- application, but a few months later, he was young—I was into Nirvana, I wore cially when paired with the jarring, natu- was (inopportunely) reminded of the flannel, and I had long hair—so I needed ral imagery rampant in his lines, such as opening after returning from a family vasome outlet to deal with the stressors of “My son is stronger than he weighs, / like cation to Illinois. my stepdad’s illness.” a fish / Both concave and flexed / And we “We’d driven four hours with two baFatherhood and nature would con- buy bread we know we don’t need / We bies. One needed a bottle, one needed tinue to permeate the professor’s life fly a kite down the smooth abdomen / of a nap—typical wrangling of two chiland work as he earned a BA in English a valley.” dren,” Gary begins. “The phone was ringfrom Northern Illinois, started the MFA After American Amen was published, ing, and I pick up, just thinking it’ll be program at Bowling Green State, and got the rising poet was living the literary a telemarketer that’ll piss me off. But it married. It was at Bowling Green that dream: his collection won Dream Horse was Belmont, and as soon as I hung up the roots of American Amen took shape, Press’ Orphic Prize for Poetry in 2009; the phone, I turned to my wife and said, but it took the birth of his son Auden for his daughter Jorie was born on the same ‘Where the f*ck is Belmont?!’” the book to become what it is today. day the first copies of it were shipped; A smartphone search, three rounds
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1. D 2. A 3. B 4. C
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