Abstract:
Sparked by a McKay Coppins article in The Atlantic on the former Speaker of the House
and his effect on politics in the United States, Newt Gingrich at the Zoo explores issues including
masculinity, family, and power through poems presenting various personae. Taking influence
from Louise Glück, John Berryman, James Wright, W.S. Merwin, and Walt Whitman (among
others) both formally and stylistically, the poems vary in perspective between versions of
Gingrich himself, the denizens of the zoo that he observes (engaging with the poetic tradition of
ekphrasis) and even inanimate parts of the zoo to provide a complex view of the relationship
between man and nature, the American political landscape, and masculinity through the lens of
Gingrich. Utilizing the zoo as a liminal space, the poems blur the edges between the various
speakers, taking Newt through an emotional journey that ends with Newt returning to a child-like
state. Invaluable research for this project was undertaken by way of several visits to the
Indianapolis Zoo to observe the animals and the zoo itself. This research was made possible
through the generosity of the Patricia and Anthony Martone Fund, which selected this project as
a grant recipient for the 2020-2021 school year. While intended to be a cohesive project, this
version of Newt Gingrich at the Zoo should not be considered a completed work. Instead, it
stands as a first section for a potential larger manuscript.
