VINCENT FERRINI

 

Gloucester ’s great poet VINCENT FERRINI  (1913-2007) became Poet Laureate of Gloucester in 1998, capping a half-century of literary achievement in the city. Ferrini’s seven book poem Know Fish (1979-1991) uses fish and fishing as metaphors to explore and embrace all that is Gloucester. Know Fish and Charles Olson’s Maximus poems together give Gloucester its own unrivaled body of epic poetry. Ferrini and Olson were friends, and Ferrini is addressed directly in the Maximus poems. Vincent Ferrini grew up in Lynn, MA, and his notable first book No Smoke (Gloucester MA: Curious Traveler Press 1999 rpt.) depicted Lynn during the Depression. Throughout his years in Gloucester, Vincent Ferrini was vocal in civic affairs and wrote a steady stream of influential plays and books of poetry. In “Feeshamen’s Wives” from Know Fish, the musical phrasing and phonetic spelling capture the tonalities of the wives’ voices.

Hear Vincent Ferrini tell "What a Poem is Made Of" and what life is all about in "Foreknowing"

from: Know Fish (Storrs, CT: University of Connecticut Library) 1979.
courtesy: Vincent Ferrini