Beyond the Gates
Having traveled across the ocean to China, Ms. alike. She has appeared in numerous publications
Susan Kinsolving sits patiently in the High School such as The New York Times Book Review, The Yale
library at Keystone Academy, at home among the Review, The Washington Post, and The Paris Review.
books that line the shelves around her. As she sits She has also participated in international fellow-
on a traditional Chinese-inspired lounge chair, her ships in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Scotland.
golden hair glistens in the sun that peeks through
the floor-to-ceiling windows. Her demeanor is Ms. Kinsolving believes the virtues of poetry lie
calm as she recounts her experiences and encoun- in its ability to imbue the feeling of a relationship
ters with many members of the community during with words. To appreciate poetry in its full capacity,
her week on campus. and for the poetry to infuse in the reader a sense
Ms. Kinsolving is a collector of words and integrating and melodies in its totality, one must almost be
rhythms and melodies is at the forefront of her artis- kinetically bonded with the language used. Ms.
tic practice. The American poet spent her formative Kinsolving’s poetry has a special power to draw the
of energy and trust to appreciate the rhythms
years moving to various cities across the United States, reader in and instill the confidence that they too are
accumulating memories that would later inform capable of understanding such complex, nuanced,
much of her creative work. As a child, she developed and sensitive emotions and language.
a fond appreciation for nature, solitude, and writing.
Even mundane things possess a degree of beauty
In her youth, Ms. Kinsolving spent much of her time that can be manifested through her poetry. Her
reading and collecting words in her journals. The life’s work is emblematic of this creative philoso-
art of writing poetry takes not only practice but also phy and the repository of words she has collected
a keenness to develop a sensitivity for language, are amongst some of her greatest contributions to
expression, and beauty. Ms. Kinsolving found beauty the English language.
amongst the forests that acted as her backyard in the
Northeast, in the vast tracts of land not yet touched
Although her poems are written and performed in
by human presence. The American landscapes of her English, Ms. Kinsolving’s thoughts on translation
childhood provided fuel for her imagination and her and the meanings of words in another language
willingness to immerse herself in nature — literally are powerful testaments to her understanding of
and figuratively — manifested itself in her poetry.
the nature of words and their ebb and flow in new
and dynamic environments. As she comments, “In
Currently a Poet in Residence at The Hotchkiss translation, something is lost in the language but
School in Lakeville, Connecticut, Ms. Kinsolving something is also gained in the new language.”
took her first venture across the Atlantic to China
as a guest artist at Keystone. During this time, she During her final days on campus, Ms. Kinsolving
led creative writing workshops with students, gave delved into an intimate discussion with Keystone’s
a riveting lecture on the birth of American poetry by Marketing and Communications Department. She
dissecting the lives and works of Emily Dickinson divulged her thoughts and opinions on her artistic
and Walt Whitman, and read excerpts from her practice, and the merits and virtues of writing
works to an eager audience. poetry, and gave instructions on how to teach
poetry to eager students who are determined to
Her works "Dailies and Rushes" (1999) and "The
White Eyelash" (2003) garnered international
attention and praise from critics and publishers
form a relationship with words. The poet does not
begin the poem, but rather, in her visionary words,
“The poem begins me.”
The Keystone Magazine 100