Catholic Poet Reconciles His Art With His Religion
YALE DAILY NEWS
By David Kurkovskiy
CONNECTICUT---Poet, critic and businessman Dana Gioia opened his Tuesday evening lecture in the Woolsey Hall President’s Room with a dramatic reading of a scene from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Gioia, who has also served as the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, read several poems — which were mostly his own — before beginning his discussion of the difficulties of reconciling one’s religion with creating art. “Existence is a kind of active literary creation,” Gioia said, adding that the study of literature helps humans understand their own lives as stories. Gioia explained that his identity as a Catholic helps him relate his art to his community. There is merit in returning to one’s own group with poetry, he said. “There’s a kind of conversation you can have with your own tribe that helps you clarify your ideas,” Gioia said. [link]
By David Kurkovskiy
CONNECTICUT---Poet, critic and businessman Dana Gioia opened his Tuesday evening lecture in the Woolsey Hall President’s Room with a dramatic reading of a scene from William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It.” Gioia, who has also served as the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, read several poems — which were mostly his own — before beginning his discussion of the difficulties of reconciling one’s religion with creating art. “Existence is a kind of active literary creation,” Gioia said, adding that the study of literature helps humans understand their own lives as stories. Gioia explained that his identity as a Catholic helps him relate his art to his community. There is merit in returning to one’s own group with poetry, he said. “There’s a kind of conversation you can have with your own tribe that helps you clarify your ideas,” Gioia said. [link]