PHOTOS
COURTESYHOTELJACKSON (2);CHENSU/GETTY IMAGES;COURTESYNIKKIGIOVANNI
POV
24
APRIL2016
AMERICANWAY
STRIKE A PROSE
You’vepickedup the
pen.Nowwhat?Tomark
the20thanniversaryof
National PoetryMonth,
we’ve recruited three top
poets tohelpyouget
yourwriteon.
GREGORYPARDLO
Winnerofthe
2015PulitzerPrizeforPoetry
“Thebiggest obstacle to
writingpoetry is our fear
that we’llmake a ‘mistake.’
Wehave tobewilling to
put somethingon the
page; thenwe can shape
andmold. Experiment
withfigurative language.
Themore specific you
make yourmetaphors and
similes, theeasier it will be
for readers to share your
experience.”
NIKKIGIOVANNI
AmericanBookAwardWinner
“Above all: You are your
first reader. If you don’t
laugh, it’s not funny. If
you don’t cry, it’s not
sad. If you don’t sort of
surprise yourself, you are
not teaching anyone else
either. And if there is any
way to remove aword
or phrase, remove it.
You can never gowrong
being lean.”
RICHFERGUSON
PushcartNominee
“Inessence, poetry is a
document of the life all
around you, andwithin
you, so carry a journal
andpen, or a smartphone
with a recordingdevice,
at all times.Observe and
record. It doesn’t have to
be fancy; it just needs to
be true to your own voice,
your ownheart. That
iswhenmerewords
becomepoetry.”
—TODDAARON JENSEN
IN1970, JIMDARWICHE
lefthisnative
Lebanontoobtainhisuniversitydegree in
America.By1977,hehadboughtaVolkswagen
WestfaliaandheadedtoYellowstoneNational
ParkoutsideofJackson,Wyoming.
Rightaway, theruggedbeautyofGrand
TetonNationalParkandtheweatheredcow-
boy facadeofJackson’sTownSquareworked
theirway intohispsyche.Darwichesettled
inJackson,married,hadtwosonsandslowly
becameoneof thetown’smost influentialciti-
zens.Hismostrecentproject is
HotelJackson
,
the first luxuryboutiquehotel inJackson in
overaquarterofacentury.
Locateddownthestreetfromthehistoric
TownSquare(whichyouenterbywalkingunder
anarchwaymadeofantlers),HotelJackson’s
earthytonesoftanandclay,coupledwith its
wood,glass,steelandstonecompositions,
seamlesslyblendwiththecowboy,salt-of-the-
earthappearanceanddispositionofthetown.
Inside,a
fireplacemadeof
locallyquarried
stonesstretches
fromfloortoceil-
ing,thenwraps
aroundawalland
crescendosinto
Figs,theirsig-
naturegourmet
restaurantfeaturing localfarewithMediter-
raneanundertones.(Takeafter-dinnerdrinks
bythefireplacewhenspousesTuckerand
KristinSmithareperforming.)Openingthis
summerwillbethehotel’soutdoorrestaurant,
TheDeck,thefirstbarbecue jointindowntown
Jackson,all intimeforthe100thanniversaryof
theNationalParkService—andforDarwiche’s
39thanniversaryasaWyomingresident.Below,
hissonoffershispicksformust-doactivitiesin
Jackson.
Hoteljackson.com
—
ADAMPITLUK
StewardsoftheOldWest
Meet thenew faceof luxury indowntownJackson,Wyoming
NIKKIGIOVANNI
DORIAN DARWICHE ’ S JACKSON, WYOMING, SUMMER HOT SPOTS
PLAY
Takeaguided fly-fishing
trip,awhitewater-raftingadventure
orasereneboat ridedown the
SnakeRiver;mountain-bikeup
CacheCreek;orhike tohidden falls
nearJennyLake.
RELAX
Head toStringLake,
whereyoucanenjoybotha
leisurelypicnicanda swim, allwith
themajesticGrandTeton
mountainsasabreathtaking
backdrop.
GOOUTONTHETOWN
Hit theworld-famousTownSquare
for shoppinganddinner, thengeta
drinkatTheDeckorhead to the
CowboyBarand sitononeof the
famous saddle stools.
