It was with some sadness that I learned of the passing of the poet and teacher Ellen Bryant Voigt on October 23, 2025, at the age of eighty-two. She was known for her precision of language and was the author of two seminal books on craft: The Art of Syntax, a handbook renowned for its rigour and depth, and The Flexible Lyric, a collection of essays, equally admired.
I first encountered her work through The Art of Syntax and was struck by the clarity and discipline of her writing. For Voigt, syntax, lexis, the sentence and the line are instruments to be orchestrated to create the music that is poetry. Doing this well requires an attention that borders on the ascetic. I am most of the way through the book and can honestly say that, while the prose is luminously clear, the fierce intelligence and sustained focus of the writer make The Art of Syntax one of the most demanding books I have ever read; her close readings, in particular, require the reader’s full attention. But I love it.
In her essay ‘Ruthless Attention’, Voigt described the poet’s obligation to see without flinching. In the context of lyric, or personal, poetics, this seeing refers to the internal as well as the external. Whether describing a difficult scene or a troubling internal state, Voigt emphasised the importance of accuracy and honesty. In this sense, attention becomes more than a faculty of consciousness—it becomes a tool of ethical witnessing.
In my own poems, it seems I’m on the right track, but not quite there. Recent pieces such as The Ferry and the Tree, After the Storm, and Chasing Clouds in the Burrow come close to her standard, but others, such as Under the Bridge and Sodium Zone might, in Voigt’s view, be cowardly. In my defence, however, the subject matter of those last two is extremely dark and it is doubtful whether I could—or should—approach it with the unflinching directness of gaze that Voigt so valued. Besides, I only read the essay yesterday, so I can comfortably plead ignorance.
What is one to do when falling short of the standards of a hero? The only thing one can: keep trying.
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More on Ellen Bryant Voigt: The Yale Review. Books available from Graywolf Press (The Art of Syntax) and University of Georgia Press (The Flexible Lyric / Ruthless Attention)
