Name: The Narrow Road to the Interior: Poems
ISBN: 9780393330274

Kimiko Hahn

An expansive collection of prose-poetry works in the style of Japan's zuihitsu, or "running brush," explores the American Book Award-winning writer's identities as a family member, poet, and member of varied traditions.

The Narrow Road to the Interior: Poems

The Narrow Road to the Interior

雪 xue

kimiko hahn is my new mommy figure ;D

—there’s a lot of sharpened fear, vulnerability of the self, and unlearning in hahn’s writing that is surprising to see coming from a middle-aged grad school professor. this softness makes her seem refreshingly childlike beyond her larger identities as scholar, mother, divorcee, and wife - and i love and resonate with it as much as one can with someone decades older. she makes me feel okay with aging. and unbearably, unbearably scared for future’s grief. to be sure, amidst the growing pains still reign the tender moments with hahn and her current husband and children. i am so happy for her and filled with hope because she and him have been married for 18 years now :) in the end, her beloved zuihitsu form reveals so much of that untouched visceral subtlety in her mind. if only i could take one of her classes!

(also... dictee keeps coming up everywhere!! i think i need to read it in a class where there are discussions that help break it down 😭)

The Narrow Road to the Interior: Poems

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