“Slow Lightning,” a poetry collection by Associate Professor of English Eduardo C. Corral, has been included on the Best American Poetry of the 21st Century (So Far) by The Atlantic.
Poet Daniel Halpern and Atlantic contributing editor Walt Hunter compiled the list, considering titles submitted by more than 450 people, including poets, fiction writers, publishers, editors, and Atlantic readers. Halpern and Hunter focused on poetry that’s been the most “consequential” since the turn of the century.
In describing Corral’s 2012 collection, the editors noted his “painterly eye,” the way he blended English and Spanish, and his use of humor and pathos. “The result is a collection that tells no tidy stories, dropping readers instead into a swirling, shadowy dream world,” they wrote.
Corral is honored that “Slow Lightning” has been acknowledged for its influence on the wider landscape of American poetry. At the same time, he views the collection through the lens of an educator, reflecting on his role mentoring poets in WashU’s English MFA program. “When I encounter poetry that influences me, I start by imitating it, and then I reshape the language to make it my own,” he said. “If others learn from ‘Slow Lightning,’ I hope they do the same: Take what resonates, shape it with their own voice, and jettison the rest.”
Corral believes poetry plays a vital role in the culture of every decade. “There’s the official record of events and history,” he said, “but poetry and literature offer a more complicated, richer set of perspectives beyond the language and experiences of those in power.”
