Prose
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Contemplating the contingencies of the future, the essays collected here may no longer share the confidence of Walt Whitman's 'So Long!', but they nevertheless hold on to its announcement of 'a life that shall be copious, vehement, spiritual, bold.' Therefore, whether one agrees or disagrees with some of Murphy's challenging ideas, his essays offer precious mentorship and encouragement to any individuals refusing their creative spirit and existential self-promise to be crushed. |
Rich has taught academic writing (and literature) full time at all levels. He has facilitated a variety of workshops for faculty members teaching writing, and for Writing-Across-the-Curriculum faculty members. Having collaborated with faculty members as a strategy for bringing about culture change in various academic programs, and having worked with students individually and in workshop settings, he has learned how to be another supportive writer, able to offer suggestions and advice.
“Reading Capitalist Poetry” was presented at the New Directions of the Humanities Conference in London in 2017. This paper argues that literary poetry is a dead literature because it isn’t read and known by Americans. Capitalist poetry has taken its place, the poetry of the advertisement. What I am calling capitalist poetry is a multi-media, mixed genre, interactive advertisement vignette performed and re-enacted. The essay follows the birth of capitalist poetry and outlines the reasons for the demise of literary poetry. It gives two examples of capitalist poetry and how each functions and gives three examples of mainstream literary poetry and how they function. The essay then goes on to suggest that because of the under-developed skills that an educated imagination provides our society will suffer the emotional abuse of behaviorist, cyber-technicians, and government officials in their herding techniques of the future.
His critical essays have been published in The International Journal of the Humanities, The International Journal for Critical Pedagogy, Fringe, Journal of Ecocriticism, Reconfigurations: A Journal for Poetics Poetry / Literature and Culture, New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, among others.
"Carl Jung and Education," English Language Teaching and Linguistics Studies
"Thucydides, Herbert, History, Kerry: This Is Why the Classics," Zeteo
"Reading Wisdoms," Taylor & Francis Online
"The Hopkins Path to Postmodern Poetry," Taylor & Francis Online
"Focused Inquiry: First-Year Students Discovering the Modern and Postmodern," The International Journal of Critical Pedagogy
"Poetry's Evolving Ecology: Toward a Post-Symbol Landscape," The Journal of Ecocriticism
"McLuhan's Warning, Frye's Strategy, Emerson's Dream," The Journal of the Assembly for Expanded Perspectives on Learning
"Spectacle and Aporia," Reconfigurations: A Journal for Poetics & Poetry / Literature & Culture
"The Mind of Europe as Reenactment," Broadside