Dana Gioia is the author of six collections of verse, including Interrogations at Noon (2001), winner of the American Book Award, and 99 Poems: New & Selected (2016), awarded the Poets’ Prize. Gioia’s seven critical collections include Can Poetry Matter? (1992), a finalist for the National Book Critics Award. Gioia has also written six opera libretti and edited more than 20 anthologies. We asked him a few questions ahead of his visit to UCSB on October 28.
I wonder if you could tell us about your upcoming talk: “Words & Music: A Poet’s Perspective on Song”?
I wanted to talk about poetry in a different way. I felt it would be enjoyable and intriguing to explore poetry’s deep relationship to song. I’m a well-known poet, but few literary people know that for the last 30 years, I have also been collaborating with composers and musicians. I’ve written song lyrics as well as the libretti for six operas. I’ve worked with classical, jazz, and pop musicians. I wanted to share some of the things I’ve learned in these creative collaborations.