“Otto”: An Insight into Roethke’s Poetic Vision

On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, twenty-five people joined Friends of Theodore Roethke via Zoom for “Otto: An Insight into Roethke’s Poetic Vision with Jeff Vande Zande.”

Mr. Zande began the evening by sharing the story that connected him with the Friends of Roethke project. One day, he traveled down Gratiot Road from Midland, taking one of his children to Handley Elementary School. While passing the Roethke house, he experienced a vision of a young man on the roof of the Roethke house with a bullhorn. Mr. Zande could not shake this vision, which contributed to his writing of his novel American Poet to herald the poetry of Theodore Roethke.

Jeff Vande Zande read two works by Theodore Roethke: “Otto” and “My Papa’s Waltz.” With “Otto,” Mr. Zande stated that he believed the poem gives insight into Theodore Roethke’s poetic vision—a vision dealing with contradictions both “quiet and sometimes loud” with violence.

After reading “My Papa’s Waltz,” Mr. Zande led a robust conversation with attendees regarding the poem's interpretation. Is it violent? Is it loving? Is it “a memory or a wish for a memory?” Those in attendance discussed all of these viewpoints. Please consider joining us for future speakers and becoming part of the discourse!

Jeff Vande Zande is a writer best known for his novel American Poet, which won him the Stuart and Vernice Gross Literature Award. He is also a poet and editor of the Driftwood Review, and two of his poems were nominated twice for the Pushcart Prize in 1999. His poems and stories have appeared in magazines such as College English, Passages North, and Whistling Shade. He teaches fiction writing and film at Delta College in Michigan.