Adrienne Rich, "Natural Resources"
 Bibliography and Biography of Adrienne Rich: • Good biography and bibliography from the Wikipedia site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrienne_Rich
• Biography of Adrienne Rich with links to many of her poems: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/adrienne_rich
• Biography and Select Poems: http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoet.do?poetId=428
• Biography of “Adrienne Rich: Distinguished Poet, Essayist, Activist,” with other interesting resources: http://www.barclayagency.com/rich_a.html Interviews of, Articles by, and Review of Adrienne Rich: • Adrienne Rich’s letter of refusal, dated July 3, 1997, to accept the National Medal of the Arts, hotink.com, August 7, 1997: http://www.hotink.com/8797.html
• “Why I Refused the National Medal for the Arts,” by Adrienne Rich, and excerpt in hotink.com, August 7, 1997 reprint of an article originally in the Los Angeles Times: http://www.hotink.com/87b97.html
• “For the Record (poem: 1984),” Adrienne Rich in hotink.com: http://www.hotink.com/87c97.html
• “Audio Interview with Adrienne Rich,” with Don Swaim, in Wired for Books, 1987: http://www.hotink.com/87c97.html
• Listing of some poems by Rich, some with comments: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/adrienne_rich
• “A Rich Life: Adrienne Rich on poetry, politics, and personal revelation,” by Michael Klein, an interview in The Boston Phoenix, July 1999: http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/1in10/99/06/RICH.html
• “Legislators of the world: Commentary in our dark times we need poetry more than ever,” by Adrienne Rich, The Guardian Unlimited, November 18, 2006; great article: http://books.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1950812,00.html
• “Adrienne Rich: poems, quotations, comments, more information,” at poemhunter.com, 11/20/2006: http://www.poemhunter.com/adrienne-rich/resources/
• “Rich’s Life and Career,” by Deborah Pope in Modern American Poets, 1995: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/m_r/rich/bio.htm
• Poetry and Politics in Adrienne Rich (1951-1999), by Rodrigo Cabral, thesis UFSC, 29 August 2001: http://www.adriennerich.hpg.ig.com.br/
• “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,” by Adrienne Rich: http://www.terry.uga.edu/~dawndba/4500compulsoryhet.htm
• “In a world of violence, inequality and moral chaos, Adrienne Rich's voice will be neither silent nor content,” by Heidi Benson, San Francisco Chronicle, March 29, 2005: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/03/29/DDG8RBV8361.DTL
• “Poet Adrienne Rich Gets Book Award,” by Hillel Italie, AP Wire, 9/20/2006: http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/gossip/15564219.htm
• “PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide,” an ongoing online project by Paul P. Reuben, “Chapter 10: Late Twentieth Century - Adrienne Cecile Rich (1929-),” January 10, 2003: http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap10/rich.html
• “Poetry in Motion: 'Arts of the Possible: Essays and Conversations' and 'Fox: Poems 1998-2000' by Adrienne Rich,” reviewed by Carol Bere in WashingtonPost.com, November 11, 2001: http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A64900-2001Nov8
• “Arts of the Possible,” by Adrienne Rich, review by Carol Anne Douglas, in FindArticles.com, January/February 2002: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3693/is_200201/ai_n9079506
• “A Timeline for Adrienne Rich,” compiled by Erika Goodman, Milliken University, May 1999: http://www.millikin.edu/aci/crow/chronology/richbio.html
• “Adrienne Rich,” in “75 Thematic Readings,” very good analysis of Rich’s “Claiming an Education,” with questions for discussion, engaging the text, suggestions for sustained writing, etc.: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072469315/student_view0/adrienne_rich-999/_nbsp_.html
• “Adrienne Rich Station—Resources,” compiled by Rodrigo Cabral; an excellent source for resources on Rich—the best I have seen on the web: http://www.adriennerich.hpg.ig.com.br/resources.htm
• “The Road Taken: Adrienne Rich in the 1990’s,” by Carol Bere, Literary Review, Summer 2000: http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2078/is_4_43/ai_64975505
• “Rich, Adrienne (b. 1929); literary analysis of some of Rich’s poems, including “Natural Resources,” included in Loeb’s Impossible: http://www.glbtq.com/literature/rich_a,3.html
• Article that applies Rich’s wisdom contained in “Natural Resources” to church theology: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/9392/3/Legge_Inside.pdf
• “Natural resources: Tradition without orthodoxy,” by J. Rebecca Lyman, in the witness.org, July/August 2001; applies the wisdom of Rich’s “Natural Resources to theology: http://thewitness.org/archive/julyaug2001/lyman.html
• “Patriarchy: A State of War,” by Barbara Hope, in salsa.net, 1991; appeals to Rich’s “Natural Resources” for inspiration: http://www.salsa.net/peace/conv/8weekconv5-5.html
• “Credo of a Passionate Skeptic,” by Adrienne Rich, Monthly Review, essay originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times Book Review, March 11, 2001: http://www.monthlyreview.org/0601rich.htm
• “Sometimes I Wish My Eyes Hadn’t Been Opened,” by Rev. Sue Phillips, Oct. 15, 2005; sermon that was inspired in part by Rich’s “Natural Resources:” http://www.keeneuuchurch.org/sermons/sometimes_oct16_05.html
Study Questions for Adrienne Rich's "Natural Resources:" 1. How would you explain or characterize the overall attitude of the poet in this brief excerpt from her poem? How does it fit with some of the overarching themes of Loeb’s book? Feel free to quote from Rich’s poem in your response. 2. Identify a way that you, too, might "reconstitute the world" in which you live. (Taken from Loeb’s website) 3. Describe a time in your life when your heart was moved by something (some injustice—bullying perhaps, or a homeless person asking for change) you could not change. How did you feel? Did it make you want to cast your lot with those who, “perversely,” want to reconstitute the world, or did it just make you turn inward and be quiet about injustice? Please be honest and share whatever you feel comfortable sharing. 4. Rich writes that those “with no extraordinary power, /reconstitute the world.” How can this be? How can ordinary people “reconstitute” the world—think in terms of some of the overall themes of Loeb’s book. What does it mean to “reconstitute the world?” Does Rich mean your own personal “world” or does she mean the “world” at large—or both? Why does the world (including your “world”) need to be reconstituted?
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