Brief Summary: William Heyen discusses the origination of The Swastika Poems as his confrontation of a heritage that haunted him to a point that required exploration. He speaks of the difficult process which these harsh and real poems brought him through and his need to compose "from a distance". Heyen addresses the issues that surround topics such as the Holocaust, asking the question: "Can and should they be written about?"

Work(s) Read:

• "Riddle"
• "Simple Truths"
• "Evegan Melodian"
• "The Swastika Poems" published in American Journal
• "The Jewish Children"

Art comes out of obsession

-- William Heyen

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