Before I was ever a poet, my father was writing poems about me, so it was a turning of the tables when I became a poet and started answering, speaking back to his poems in ways that I had not before.
Natasha TretheweyRead
I think often people don't realize the great diversity of Southern writing because in their minds, if you're not from the South, it can seem regional and small, and of course that's not the case at all when you start to read the work.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Southern writing is often underestimated in its diversity and richness by those from outside the region.
In this quote, Natasha Trethewey emphasizes that Southern writing encompasses a wide range of voices and styles that can be easily overlooked by those who do not understand the complexity and depth of the literature emerging from the South. She suggests that preconceived notions can limit appreciation for the expansive diversity found in the works of Southern writers, highlighting the importance of exploring this body of work with an open mind.
Themes
Southern WritingDiversityLiteratureUnderestimationVoices
In practice
Example use cases
In a lecture on American literature, one might use this quote to illustrate the rich tapestry of voices within the Southern literary tradition.
More from Natasha Trethewey
All quotes →I've been telling my students, 'Imitate, imitate.' And they say, 'Well, what if I plagiarize, or what if I'm not original? I want to be myself.' And I always tell them, 'Your self will shine through'... If you allow yourself to feel deeply and honestly, what you say won't be like anyone else.
Natasha TretheweyRead
I think that it's hard enough being an adolescent and wanting so much to fit in with your peers, your schoolmates, and to erase any sign of difference, to be part of the group. And being biracial but also being black in a predominately white school marked me as different.
Natasha TretheweyRead
'Memory.' 'Race.' 'Murder.' That's what they say about me. I am an elegiac poet. I have some historical questions, and I'm grappling with ways to make sense of history; why it still haunts us in our most intimate relationships with each other, but also in our political decisions.
Natasha TretheweyRead
For a long time, I've been interested in cultural memory and historical erasure.
Natasha TretheweyRead
Often as a poet I find that I am somewhat outside an experience I want to hold onto, consciously taking mental notes or writing them down in my journal - for fear that I will forget. It's not unlike being on a trip and taking pictures, your face behind a camera the whole time - the entire experience mediated by a lens.
Natasha TretheweyRead
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