Poetry is important. It's a way of taking words to the outer limits, allowing things to be expressed that cannot be expressed as well in any other word-form. I wanted very much to have a Poetry page, but it is not my focus at present and I wasn't sure where to go with it. Fortunately, my granddaughter is a splendid poet (as well as a fabulous writer in general, but poetry came first) and is willing to take on the job. She is working on some more resource reviews for this page. Meanwhile, here is what she sent to get it off the ground, including several of her own photos, some from her trip to Australia in summer of '08. It gives me great pleasure to introduce the Write 'em Cowgirls poetry editor, Candace Hanford.
Candace Hanford,
Write-em Cowgirl and Poet
Welcome, Cowgirls!
(And perhaps the tag-along boy now and then.)
Writing poetry can be anything you want it to be, anything you make it. It is one of the many outlets of literary expression out there, and probably the hardest to firmly define, so I won't pretend to, and will simply offer my thoughts and views on the subject (of course these are always growing and shifting, as yours should too!). It's a way of bringing a new, fresh perspective to any scene, object, or human condition. It's always been a place of innovation, each generation of poets building on the past, making new forms, and bringing out ideas relevant to their state of the world.
Nelly Bay In Wintertime, Magnetic Island, Queensland, Australia
I've been writing poetry since the eighth grade (five years and counting), and becoming more and more aware as the years pass how much is involved in this widely varied genre. Everything from sonnets to slam is out there now, and at times it's easy to be daunted by the caliber of creativity boiling around the world of poems and poets. All I know is I've got to keep writing, and I recommend the same to you, even when it gets hard, and even if you go weeks without writing something you want anyone else to read. Good things will happen. Trust me, I've been through a lot of empty weeks, months even.
A good strategy when you're feeling really out of the creative loop is to keep reading. Read as many poets as you can, and read all of someone. It not only is fun to read poetry, and a great way to pass the time, but if you don't know what's come before how can you make something new? That's what poetry's all about, and Ezra Pound always urged poets to "make it new."
Don't let yourself be hog-tied by preconceived notions about what poetry "should" be… Go out there, unleash yourself, let the words release and flow out onto paper or computer screen, and show the world something new!
Resources
- Writing Poems (7th Edition), by Michael Boisseau, Robert Wallace, and Randall Mann.
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This is actually a textbook from my creative writing class at University of Idaho, but I highly recommend it for anyone interested in writing poems. Its three sections—Form, Content, and Process—are filled with vital vocabulary and concepts for any poet, and many examples of past poets, ancient to modern. It encourages creativity in the exercises after every chapter, and has an appendix with anthologies and further reading about poetry. Although it is a textbook, it carries none of the size and very little of the price of a typical textbook. It's a reasonably sized paperback priced around 35 dollars on Amazon.com. Whether you've been writing for years (as I have, though I am young), or are just starting out, this book is filled with great information for you.
- The Poetry of Robert Frost: The Collected Poems, Complete and Unabridged. Edited by Edward Connery Lathem.
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He was my absolute favorite when I started writing poetry, and I've only become more appreciative of his intense talent for the craft. Of course, he did have a quilt made out of hoods he received along with his many (at least 26) honorary degrees, so he must have done something right, eh?
Pictures and Prompts for the Poet Within!
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Write about a best/new/imaginary friend! Use specific details; describe them the way you see them, not necessarily the way they appear to the rest of the world. Or on the flip side try describing them from another friend's or a stranger's point of view. |
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Do you believe in ghosts or think they're a ridiculous manifestation of over-active imagination? Tell us about it! |
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(Exercise borrowed from Writing Poems, see above.) Choose a simple object--a stone, a seed, a leaf, a wristwatch (a dime!), for example--and study it slowly and carefully with each of your five senses in turn. Don't be shy about tasting a watch or listening to a twig! Then write a sentence or two of description for each sense. Comparisons are fine. Any surprises? Might there be a poem in it?
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Help Still Needed! Cowgirl Call to Action!
