Monteiro, George, ed. Conversations With Elizabeth Bishop. 1996. University of Mississippi. Print.

Contents:

Conversations with Elizabeth Bishop brings together a collection of interviews and personal conversations over the course of 30 years. As well as discussing her process of writing and teaching of poetry, Bishop defends her feminist views (although she claims to have never liked the use of labels) and her thoughts on various types of poetry. While the book itself is only 224 pages, it gives us a well-rounded look at Bishop’s thought process, including her view of the geography of the imagination in relation to the writing process.

Interviews included in this work:

• US Poetry Chair Holder Tells How She Courts the Muse Sally Ellis

• Pulitzer Prize Poet Lives In Petropolis O Globo

• No Jokes In Portuguese Edward Lucie-Smith

• Elizabeth Bishop: The Poetess, the Cashew, and Micucu Leo Gilson Ribeiro

• An Interview With Elizabeth Bishop Ashley Brown

• Poet Adds to List of Interesting Things Dorothy Brant Brazier

• Now Playing: A Touch of the Poetess Tom Robbins

• Elizabeth Bishop: Conversations and Class Notes Wesley Wehr

• Ouro Preto: Springtime at the Winter Festival Visao

• Poetry as a Way of Life Regina Colonia

• Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Visits UW Eileen Farley

• Book and Author: Elizabeth Bishop Anna Quindlen

• Reading Scares Poet Bishop Jim Bross

• A Conversation with Elizabeth Bishop J. Bernlef

• A Poet Who Doesn’t Wear Her Woes Leslie Hanscom

• David W. McCullough’s Eye on Books David W McCullough

• Poetry Born of Suffering Beatriz Schiller

• A Conversation with Elizabeth Bishop George Starbuck

• Geography of the Imagination Alexandra Johnson

• Elizabeth Bishop, Observer of Poetry Joan Zyda

• Elizabeth Bishop Speaks About Her Poetry Eileen McMahon

• Women Writers in America Sheila Hale

• The Art of Poetry, XXVII: Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Spires

• Elizabeth Bishop’s Library: A Reminiscence Mildred J. Nash

• Studying with Miss Bishop Dana Gioia

Critical Reaction:

"The interview feels pretty much unedited, replicating the twists and byways a conversation can take, as if the editors were reluctant to let even the tiniest bit go. And some things couldn’t be described: “The laughter is quick, sharp, deep. No way to transcribe it.”."

On Elizabeth Bishop. 2012. Stanford University. Online. http://bookhaven.stanford.edu/2012/02/on-elizabeth-bishop-the-laughter-is-quick-sharp-deep-no-way-to-transcribe-it/