Chris Hedges, Gerald Stern: The Poet in Technocratic Society (Video)
"We've lost a voice that is unafraid to speak truth to power, and that longs to do that," the award-winning poet tells Hedges.
In a discussion with Chris Hedges about contemporary poetry, award-winning poet Gerald Stern laments that “we’ve lost a voice that is unafraid to speak truth to power, and that longs to do that.”
Stern, who has written 20 books of poetry and received a National Book Award for Poetry and a Pulitzer Prize nomination, talks to the Truthdig columnist about how the digital age has affected political poetry and traces left-leaning politics in 20th-century verse from around the world.
Watch the full conversation in the video above.
— Posted by Natasha Hakimi Zapata
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Our post-literate culture has crippled us intellectually and produced a president whose babble replicates the nonsensical diatribes of the age.
Our post-literate culture has crippled us intellectually and produced a president whose babble replicates the nonsensical diatribes of the age.
The Kremlin imagined a very different narrative about Russia playing out this winter; Pierre Omidyar and Glenn Greenwald aim to reinvent journalism; meanwhile, Americans no longer want their taxes to go to paying for public higher education. These discoveries and more after the jump.
Scientists have discovered that radiation from cellphones has affected the way our brains have evolved to function; newsrooms all over the country are downsizing and becoming digital in the process; meanwhile, Germany denies Edward Snowden asylum yet again, but this time wants to find a way to question him. These discoveries and more after the jump.
It's unclear whether the North Korean dictator had singer Hyon Song-wol killed by a firing squad, or whether he ever dated her, but it wouldn't be out of character for the regime; business and journalism are becoming increasingly intertwined; meanwhile, to prevent piracy, a startup has begun to stream 3-D print designs that can be used only once. These discoveries and more after the jump.
Some members of Congress are trying to decide what determines a journalist's authenticity; NSA agents are spying on their ex-lovers; meanwhile, honey was found in Egyptian tombs, perfectly preserved. These discoveries and more after the jump.