Natasha Trethewey and Native Guard

Reading for Thursday:
"White Lies"
and from Native Guard,
“Theories of Time and Space,” and “The Southern Crescent.”

On March 2, Middle Georgia College will host Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Natasha Trethewey.

As we begin to read her book of poetry, Native Guard, I would like for you to consider the following:

• How each poem works as a separate piece (following The Seven Areas of Poetry Analysis);
• How is setting important in each poem;
• What type of person is the speaker in each poem;
• What is the situation in each poem;
  
• How does the collection, once we are finished reading, become a cohesive story;
• How is this book about Trethewey's life and a forgotten chapter in history;
• What does each part of the book have to do with each other;
• What are the over-arching themes in the collection;
• What is the significance of the book's title?

For further preparation, read the story below and listen to the interview with Terri Gross.

In "Poet Natasha Trethewey, Hymning the Native Guard," Jon Rou writes:

Fresh Air from WHYY, July 16, 2007 · "Natasha Trethewey was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Native Guard, her most recent collection of poetry. The title refers to a regiment of African- American soldiers who fought for the Union in the Civil War.

Trethewey grew up the child of a racially mixed marriage in Mississippi. Her mother was murdered by her stepfather; these, along with the South and its singular ways, are recurring themes in her poetry.

Trethewey teaches creative writing at Emory University. Native Guard is her third collection."

Audio Interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12003278

See Trethewey read from Native Guard:
http://www.southernspaces.org/contents/2005/trethewey/1a.htm

See her homepage at Emory for further biographical information, photographs and video links to more readings: http://www.creativewriting.emory.edu/faculty/trethewey.html