Eileen Myles: I Must Be Living Twice

Poet, fiction writer, essayist and dramatist Eileen Myles is having something like a rebirth with her new collection of poems, I Must Be Living Twice (Ecco). Indeed, she is in the spotlight these days -- a Myles poem is the epigraph for the Lily Tomlin film Grandma, her work is used in the new season of the hit series Transparent, and she herself will appear in it. From her working class Boston roots to her life as a downtown Manhattan icon, she reveals that she always knew she would be successful. Although it is difficult to survive as a poet, she believes that poetry is becoming culturally relevant again. She encourages readers who don’t respond to poetry to keep reading poems until one ignites appreciation for the form.

Photo: Alex Pieros