Three Talks: Metaphor and Metonymy, Meaning and Mystery, Magic and Morality

Three Talks is the first prose collection by the award-winning poet and educator Brenda Hillman. These short essays on six M’s of the art of poetry make the form accessible in a novel way, exploring words that might appear incompatible but become dancing partners in Hillman’s artistic vision: metaphor and metonymy; meaning and mystery; magic and morality.

First delivered as a series of talks at the University of Virginia, the essays maintain a casual, intimate tone. A consummate artist and technician, Hillman explores a wide array of poetic examples, focusing on method, subject matter, and inspiration to demonstrate how the skills offered by poetry have become critically important for our present moment.

Brenda Hillman, a chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2016-2022, has written, edited and co-translated more than two dozen books, most recently, In a Few Minutes Before Later. She is a Professor Emerita at St. Mary’s College of California and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Brian Teare is Associate Professor of Poetry at the University of Virginia and author of seven books of poetry, most recently Poem Bitten by a Man.