Staff Picks: From Aphorisms to Zorn

While there are many things to say about the philosophical weightiness of the aphorism, or about its particular wit, it is my personal feeling that the best part of an aphorism is sharing it with someone. (The form of the tweet, an aphorism made expressly for sharing, perhaps proves this point.) Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Poetry as Insurgent Art was given to me as a token from City Lights Books by someone who had just returned from San Francisco—a tangible way of sharing an experience. It is a pocket-size book of critical compasses, statements such as “A lyric poem must rise beyond sounds found in alphabet soup” and “Like a field of sunflowers, a poem should not have to be explained.” I won’t say that lengthy analysis wouldn’t bring you the same insights, but it certainly wouldn’t give you anything as enjoyable to read aloud to a companion. —Lauren Kane