Prosper Barter

Prosper Barter Q&A on her poem “Listening to Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man'”

Prosper Barter talks about the genesis of her poem, "Listening to Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man.'"

10 years ago | 0 Comments

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To answer this age old question we must understand the nature of chickens. There has been entirely too much focus on the road aspect and not enough on the soul of the one crossing it. Knowing chickens as I do— their pecking, their endless interest in bugs, worms and corn cobs It […]

10 years ago | 0 Comments

Prosper Barter on the value of the spoken word

Prosper Barter talks about the literary value of the spoken word and Maurice Manning's poem, "Nine."

10 years ago | 0 Comments

Noon

Each day, noon. I go out to the track and walk around the same woman is there a suburban mom like me I suppose. She walks clockwise, I walk counter. The thing is, I’m not like her I’m not— waiting for her husband, her children to get home blank faced I mean I didn’t […]

10 years ago | 0 Comments

Ancient History Lesson

First, there were floods Lots of them, and they always wrecked the crops. Everyone starved. Then there was irrigation. And fighting over water. And battles. Everyone was slain. Later, there was religion. Thousands of gods, then one god (whose?) then more battles. Everyone was converted or slain. After long periods of nothing […]

10 years ago | 0 Comments

Listening to Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”

In my brother’s apartment there is a poster of Louis Armstrong holding his trumpet and laughing sitting on the palatial steps of a hotel he wasn’t allowed to enter. My brother has finished lugging rocks for the day and sits with his eyes closed, carried away. And yes, it’s about time for him to […]

10 years ago | 0 Comments

Propser Barter grew up in Maine near Acadia National Park and spent her childhood in the woods, growing vegetables and reading books. She graduated from Bowdoin College and Emerson College with an MFA in creative writing and literature. Her poems have appeared in The Quarterly, The William and Mary Review, Sonora Review, Bowdoin Magazine, and The Lowell Pearl. After moving […]

10 years ago