Writing Program’s Kathleen Ossip GivesThe Cold War the Verse Treatment
Kathleen Ossip (photo by Jennifer May)
In those days, we studied the difference between antenna
and aerial, commercial and ad, channel and station.
So writes Kathleen Ossip (MFA, ’00) in The Status Seakers,, a poem from her new collection The Cold War. And as those opening lines would suggest, the book looks back in time to examine the fearful and uncertain mindset of United States in the second half of the Twentieth Century.
Formally the book is wide-ranging,, writes Ossip. There are prose poems, rhymed poems, a post 9/11 poem that incorporates a spam email on how to survive a terrorist attack, even a Mad Men-esque verse play.,
Since its publication in August, The Cold War has been lauded by critics. In a sterling review in the New York Times, Dana Jennings wrote, Ms. Ossip conjures delightful and unexpected muses in this socio-poetical exploration of post-World War II America., And Publisher’s Weekly called the book a poetic powerhouse.,
Ossip is not only an alumna of The New School; she’s also an associate professor, leading undergraduate and continuing education poetry workshops. Ossip has been published in The Best American Poetry, Paris Review, Kenyon Review, American Poetry Review, and other journals, and has authored a previous collection, The Search Engine. To learn more about Ossip, visit her website.