If you could travel anywhere right now, where would you go?
When he was a teenager, Robert Pinsky played tenor saxophone and piano and wanted to pursue a career as a professional musician. Now, said the three-time poet laureate, “my instrument is spoken words. I’m a non-singing vocalist.” Pinsky, 82, will bring his “poem jazz” — complete with a five-piece jazz band (including special guest percussionist Mino Cinelu) — to CitySpace at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 9. His show — part poetry, part jazz concert — coincides with the release of his latest album, “Proverbs of Limbo: PoemJazz III,” which Pinsky called “my most ambitious one yet . . . with the largest band.” The concert will benefit the Favorite Poem Project, which Pinsky, a professor at Boston University, launched in 1997 in an effort to document the role of poetry in the lives of everyday American citizens. He said that people unfamiliar with his work will be surprised by the performance experience. “If I didn’t know about this, I would be suspicious that it would be corny; that it would be some guy reading his profound thoughts while musicians accompany him,” he said. “And I hope that they’ll be surprised to find that it’s music and it’s music with a different feeling and a different meaning with each poem, just as when you go to hear any other kind of vocal music.” We caught up with the Long Branch, N.J., native, who lives in Cambridge with his wife, Ellen — with whom he has three daughters and eight grandchildren — and two cats, to talk about all things travel.
Advertisement
Either Rome, Italy, or Long Branch, New Jersey — two places I feel I am arriving somewhere interesting with every step. Both places, I am never merely on the way somewhere; it is all destination. In one, for eternal reasons, in the other, for personal reasons.
Get The Big To-Do Your guide to staying entertained, from live shows and outdoor fun to the newest in museums, movies, TV, books, dining, and more. Enter Email Sign Up
Where was the first place you traveled to after COVID restrictions were lifted?
Advertisement
That first spring I gave a commencement address at Alma College, an excellent small liberal arts college in rural Michigan. There may have been other trips, but I remember that one as just barely post-COVID, because the president of Alma, at the last minute, was quarantined because someone in his family tested positive. Someone read his remarks, and the occasion had that additional community spirit added by a mild emergency. We all conspired to make the occasion good.
Do you prefer booking trips through a travel agent or on your own?
By far the best is when someone invites you somewhere for an occasion — that commencement was an example. If you are at a literary occasion in, say, Cork or Kraków, you have a kind of temporary family as your hosts.
Robert Pinsky at a mall in Doha, the capital of Qatar. Handout
Thoughts on an “unplugged” vacation?
Not a big sacrifice for me to give up video for a number of days. But I will never give up voices and music and words — for those, the more the merrier. I confess: For me, most conversation is more interesting than most sightseeing.
Do you use all of your vacation time or leave some on the table?
One of my great efforts in life has been to escape distinctions like “vacation time” and “work time.” The most important times rise above any such difference.
Advertisement
What has been your worst vacation experience?
My mother left my father, temporarily, when I was a freshman at Rutgers [University]. She recruited me to drive her from New Jersey to Florida. It would be a vacation for me, she said. The horrible humidity, the horrible relatives we stayed with, the horrible streets and buildings of Miami Beach . . . the very word “vacation” still generates a wisp of horror for me. “Florida,” too — even before the present anti-abortion, anti-history, anti-Disney government.
Do you vacation to relax, to learn, or for the adventure of it all?
The previous question reveals to me part of my preference for the word “travel” — snob that I am — over “vacation.” Like many writers, my deepest hope for vacation is that I will get writing done, or at least conceived. Any vacation is good that becomes a setting — or an inspiration — for good work.
What book do you plan on bringing with you to read on your next vacation?
I have three first books of poetry that I’ll be soon taking with me to the Cape. And thanks to my Kindle, if I get bored, I can burrow back into “Moby-Dick” or “The Invisible Man” or “The Song of the Lark” — for maybe a scene or two, or maybe for the whole thing.
If you could travel with one famous person/celebrity, who would it be?
I’ll choose Mark Twain, the funniest traveler and the most courageous of American writers.
Advertisement
What is the best gift to give a traveler?
Some still call it a mix-tape, but whatever the technology, make the traveler a rich, weightless present of audio — maybe an artful blend of the giver’s tastes in music and the traveler’s? And OK, not all spoken word is corny — or I hope not.
What is your go-to snack for a flight or a road trip?
The kind of trail mix that does not cheat with bits of candy.
What is the coolest souvenir you’ve picked up on a vacation?
The beautiful, intricate mouth bones of an angel shark.
What is your favorite app/website for travel?
The sites of artists, musicians, and writers I admire — living and past.
What has travel taught you?
That I care about comfort. That “The Wizard of Oz” was not made by fools.
What is your best travel tip?
Make your loves — professional, personal, avocational, familial — the basis of your travel. Curiosity is good, but channel it through real connections to an itinerary.
Juliet Pennington can be reached at writeonjuliet@comcast.net.
Robert Pinsky does not mince words when it comes to trail mix or the word ‘vacation’
- Advertisment - 
Recent Comments
on Iowa State starting RB Jirehl Brock among latest college football players charged in gambling probe
on The Rev. Al Sharpton to lead protest after Florida governor’s ban of African American studies course
on Sports World Hails ‘Superwoman’ Lindsey Vonn for Her Grand Comeback Despite Career-Changing Injury
on San Mateo County Community College District sues five companies over role in ‘pay to play’ scandal
on Saipan, placid island setting for Assange’s last battle, is briefly mobbed – and bemused by the fuss
on ‘Pokémon Scarlet’ and ‘Violet’ Fan Theories Suggest Legendary Time Travel, Alternate Dimension Plot
on Joe Manchin and Tommy Tuberville introduce bill on name, image and likeness rules for college sports
on Inside the Michael Jordan ‘Air’ movie, plus why NFL, others are buying into the sports film industry
on If you’re a frequent traveler, these wrap tops from Aday will revolutionize your on-the-go wardrobe
on How Does Jack Nicklaus Travel? Exploring the Private Jets Owned by the ‘Golden Bear’ Over the Years
on Hollywood Reporter: Tom Cruise negotiated with movie studios over AI before the actors strike began
on Ford Blue Cruise: US regulators investigate fatal crashes involving hands-free driving technology
on Dozens of boats cruise the Seine in a rehearsal for the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremony on July 26
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on David and Victoria Beckham so ‘Charmed’ by Tom Cruise They Have His Photos on Display at Their Home
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on CBS Sports announces Matt Ryan will join NFL studio show. Longtime analysts Simms and Esiason depart
on Boston College vs. Army live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on Boise State vs. Air Force live stream, odds, channel, prediction, how to watch on CBS Sports Network
on Biden to tout bill’s prescription drug prices, energy provisions in pitch to Americans, aide says
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on ‘Best Intention’: Chris Kirk Has Absolute Trust in Jay Monahan and PGA Tour’s Widely Debated Model
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CBS Sports announces Matt Ryan will join NFL studio show. Longtime analysts Simms and Esiason depart
on Carlos Sainz’s Soccer Fanboy Emerges as Spaniard Shares Defining Moment With This Real Madrid Legend
on Biden: ‘At this point I’m not’ planning to visit East Palestine, Ohio, after toxic train derailment
on ‘Best Intention’: Chris Kirk Has Absolute Trust in Jay Monahan and PGA Tour’s Widely Debated Model
on Ahead of big sports weekend, dispute with Disney leaves millions of cable subscribers in the dark
on A heavy wave of Russian missile attacks pounds areas across Ukraine, killing at least 4 civilians
on 2024 Super Bowl: CBS Sports Network and CBS Sports HQ to combine for 115 hours of weeklong coverage
on 2023 NFL All-Rookie Team: CBS Sports draft expert, former GM unveil league’s best first-year players
on Army vs. Coastal Carolina live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on AL Rookie of the Year Julio Rodriguez Spreads Joy and Sportsmanship to the Youth of Loma de Cabrera
on After UFC Fallout, Conor McGregor Offers a Valuable Piece of Advice to Free Agent Francis Ngannou
on Dubai International Airport sees 41.6 million passengers in first half of year, more than in 2019
on Devout athletes find strength in their faith. But practicing it and elite sports can pose hurdles
on Despite strong Lunar New Year holiday data, consumer spending in China isn’t roaring back just yet
on Dave Portnoy: Taylor Swift’s security should ‘drag Kim Kardashian to jail’ if she attends Eras Tour
on CONCEPT ART: New Details Revealed for Disney Cruise Line Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point Destination
on “Completely Knocked Me Out”: Rob Lowe Recalls Boxing Match With Tom Cruise On 1983 Brat Pack Classic
on CBS Sports, Serie A announce new TV rights deal; Paramount+ to air over 400 Italian soccer matches
on Cam Newton’s Violent Public Incident Draws Hilarious Reaction From 3x All-Star: “Where Do I Sign Up
on Boston College vs. Army live stream, how to watch online, CBS Sports Network channel finder, odds
on Angel Reese Launches Foundation Dedicated To Empowering Women Through Sports & Financial Literacy
on A weaker dollar, skyrocketing prices and ‘record’ visitor numbers: Good luck in Europe this summer