Forgot to tell ya about the poetry for peace!!

Hey all, must have slipped my mind with all these finals but I was able to go the last poetry for peace of the semester and forgot to write about my experience! I was a bit disappointed, to be honest, that more people were not there. I guess I had always envisioned it being pretty full and a bit more participation. I haven't been able to attend one of the events yet because of my schedule but I was able to get this afternoon off. Though it was not a big crowd (actually only 7 of us, five of us being from our class!) I thought it was a nice way to spend your afternoon. Since Theo couldn't be there that afternoon we had a stand in (his name slips my mind) but he read a few of his pieces to us and kind of set the "theme" of the afternoon as home. I really liked his poems, they read like a story and very fluidly. His voice was also a very interesting balance of passion and energy as well as calmness.
After he read a few poems he encouraged us to read anything we had brought with us. I actually didn't really know it was a read aloud kind of thing, so I hadn't planned on bringing anything. However, I happened to have my computer with me and pulled up a poem I had recently written for our class. I read a poem that I thought pertained to the theme of home as it was about a moment that my mom and I shared at home together. I read it aloud, and I thought it was so fun! It was nice to just read something that I had written, just for the sake of reading it! One other person read an original poem and then a couple people read some of his poems and other published poems. I thought it turned out to be quite a nice, intimate setting which was relaxing. Though I had kind of initially wished there were more people there, it turned out to be pretty nice in the end.
One of my friends had been to the poetry for peace events in the past and also came with me on this day. She told me that the last time she went (sometime last year) it was completely packed! Some people even had to stand in the back. Some classes and departments were participating in it as part of a class and things like that so there was a lot of participation. She said it was a very interesting and exciting environment to be a part of. I thought that this was a great idea, to have different departments get involved in the process and participate. I think it would actually serve as a great fundraiser as well! Perhaps different groups on campus and different departments could get involved and read and donate proceeds to a larger organization promoting peace on some level. I think if I were to give any suggestions for how to expand the program and make it more successful in the future I would just say to promote it! Advertise it and inquire individually within departments and programs on campus. I think the event is a wonderful idea and a fun experience no matter who shows up, but there is definitely room for improvement! All in all, poetry for peace was nice and I think I will make an effort to attend more next semester!

Poetry for Peace, December 8th 2009

The last poetry for piece that took place on December 8th was in truth the first I had ever seen at SLU. Despite hearing about them first semester, I was never really informed on when they occurred, how they were run, or where they were located. Finally getting to chance to see one, even if it was in an attempt to complete the blog assignment for class was very interesting. Although, there were only around eight of us who actually came and even less of us who had poetry to read. I thought the event was an overall good attempt of bringing some more artistic expression on campus. I also thought the theme of home was a great a idea, and I loved all the varying poems read about making your way back home, finding your own home within yourself, etc. However the conversations we as group were having at the end of a very short string of readings really got me thinking.

People were talking about previous poetry slams they had gone to, the excitement and the thrill that students and other everyday poets alike put into their works trying to win over the audience and above all have fun. Inevitably the conversation turned into how Canton feels so secluded and empty and how students really need don’t leave campus for events. These conversations got me into thinking of what it would take to get that same type of poetry thrill and following here at SLU. Although I thought the poetry for peace was nice, it clearly isn’t drawing big crowds or really anyone new. My thoughts on how to make it better would be to one publicize it more, push for anyone on campus to come including faculty and staff through banners and colorful posters. But most importantly if you want a following or attention it must be made more accessible and noticeable. My idea would be to make these poetry for peace readings take place where the average student can see them and take part in them or at the very least know that they exist. Maybe try booking the Winston room, Sykes formal lounge, etc. I think if this event was more out in the open, perhaps more people would participate and then bigger events could be planned. Just my thoughts

Poetry for Peace, December 8th

That was the third Poetry for Peace event that I have been to while at SLU. They all have been pretty small, which is a pity. Last spring there was a poetry slam at Brewer Bookstore, and think events like that should maybe be held in the Student Center or integrated more into Open Mic Nights at Java and Pub 56, because really good readings and slams can be absolutely electrifying. I love hearing people read their own work, because it really gives you a better sense of how a poem is in its most organic form, the way that the poet originally heard it. At the December 8th Poetry for Peace we were talking a bit about how poetry reading really is a performance art, and in thinking about that I've come to the conclusion that that aspect of the craft is underpracticed. Dylan was saying how she feels uncomfortable reading aloud or performing her poetry, and I used to be exactly the same way. It really is all about practicing, and the more you read it out loud, the easier and more fun it gets.
With some poets, I actually like their work better alound than on the page...for instance, some free verse poems look so stiff and choppy on the page, but performed get a rhythm that doesn't come across in reading.
I want to practice performing poems, especially my own, since I don't read those aloud as often. I think poetry readings add an entirely new dimension to the art, and maybe its just St. Lawrence, but that dimension seems underrated. I also think reading aloud (judging from our workshops) helps me identify changes I want to make in my poems, helps me polish my work. Attending the Poetry for Peace readings motivates me to explore the various facets of poetry a bit more, "expand my horizons", so to speak.
Pray for snow!!

Poetry For Peace Poetry Reading Review

In the poetry for peace poetry reading today (December 8, 2009), the subject was ‘home” or returning home. The poet read some of his poems, one about children taking the bus home. In that poem, the narrator discusses how they didn’t want to go on the bus with the picture of the “deer” on it, choosing to go instead on the bus with the clown on it. The narrator ends up getting on the wrong bus because of their preference for the “clown” bus over the “deer” bus. I really liked how the author wrote his poems. He wrote in a very casual style that really made it easy to listen to. The way in which the author read his poem furthered the casual and relaxed diction of the poem. It was a very small poetry reading, with only about seven people. I had expected the reading to be in the large auditorium for some reason, and expected there to be a full line up of poets ready to read their pieces. If I had known it was going to be so small, I would brought one of my poems to read. I really like the “going home” subject as it really strikes a cord with many people. Its an interesting concept to think about because the subject of home is often dominated by images of places and scenery, but in reality it seems to me that “home” is not necessarily the physical environment but the people and memories that one associates with home. Questions about “home” and belonging are more complex than many people might imagine. If I had brought a poem with me to read, it would have been my villanelle titled I Know I’m Home When…, which discusses my perceptions of home. In my poem, I also focused on returning home, but not in a physical way. Coming home is returning to those whom you love and care about, and not necessarily the physical surroundings. One can be at “home” without actually literally being at one’s home. As long as one is near those whom they associate with home then one may even be “home” while in a new place.

Poetry Reading Event

I went to my first poetry reading event on Tuesday, December 8 at the Brush Art Gallery. There were only seven students there including myself, and a man by the name of John BerbrichI . .. He read a few pieces from his book of poetry called 'Balancing Act'. The theme of his poems was 'home'. I feel this is a great theme for writing because everyone knows how safe and reassuring their own home can be. Home gives people a sense of belonging and meaning. This is especially the case for college students who are away from their family and childhood friends for the very first time. For myself, being 3,000 miles from home, and in a different country, home is much more than a four-letter word. He had a very distinct style of writing. His poems were all free verse, and told a vivid story. I had no trouble following along with his thoughts as he read his pieces aloud to us. Story telling is definitely a gift. To be able to captivate an audience with only words and a voice is an impressive skill. I have not yet gained the confidence to read my poetry aloud to people, but a few of my peers did. Courtney Hendrick read a piece about her mother and her, which was a gorgeous poem she read with great feeling and expression. I could picture the two of them and was nostalgic about my own mother and I. I find it off that I am nervous to read my own pieces aloud, and yet I will write a song and sing it as I play the piano. I guess the reason could be because poetry is new to me, and I don't have any background music to take attention away from my voice, or the words I am saying.
The reading was a good experience and I do intend to attend ml .

Reflections on this semester...

It really is amazing how time goes by so fast. I knew that eventually this hectic time, with finals and papers, would arrive, but it just got here so fast... but I must say, I have noticed how much my classmates and I have developed as poets, both through our discussions about the poems assigned and through our workshop sessions. I feel as though I have gained greater insight about the world we live in by reading a variety of works by different poets, and reading all of these poems has expanded my capacity for thought and my receptivity to what happens in the world around me. I really enjoy thinking of new things to write about every day, and this class has taught me to create even more abstract images to convey a myriad messages/commentary, or to express my emotions.

Looking back on my experience with this class, I can honestly say I am really going to miss working with my lovely workshop group. All of you hold a love for words, and looking back in retrospect, I enjoyed reading all of your work and making comments on what I liked and what I felt could be changed or improved. This, in turn, has allowed me to become more comfortable with giving others criticisms about their writing, and I do not feel shy of saying what I think about a certain piece. I really appreciate all of the comments I have received from both my workshop group and Professor Hummer. These comments are so helpful (especially for revising my poetry that I want to include in my final chapbook). Anyway, I just want to wish everyone best of luck on finals, and I hope you all find some form of relaxation as the semester concludes!

LAST CLASS?!

This is crazy!! I cannot believe the semester is almost over and that we already had our real last class. I loved our last exercise though. It was such a good ending to the semester. Playing a writing game of telephone really showed us how much we have grown as a group together. We have all gone through the process of pointing out our negatives and trying to fix them and now we finally got to do it together, even if it was just for fun. We had such a great chemistry throughout the whole class, everyone respected everyone, and that has not happened in any of my classes this year, or possibly throughout college. This whole semester has been a process in not only figuring out how to become a better writer but become a better thinker, and I really do feel like I have grown. I have become a better thinker in the fact that I take care in the little things, and try and understand why I am doing things, not just go through the motions. I feel like each day is a poem in itself and I need to cherish them and begin to find myself. I know that I will go on writing poetry, as I always have, but in a new light. I will miss all of you so much!! YAY FOR POETRY!

AH! I cannot believe how fast this time has gone by! It is absolutely nuts. I love my workshop group so much and I'm so glad I've gotten a chance to work with all of you guys and have gotten to learn from all of you. I reallly have gained a lot through this workshop experience and really hope to continue this sort of writing experience after this class. I'm a little nervous as I start to go through all of my work and begin to revise it but I've really received a ton of great and helpful feedback on what can do to improve my work which really is making my life a lot easier as I finish this assignment. If anyone wants to have like a group study thing in the library or elsewhere for that matter just to work on the chapbooks with each other I'm totally all for it. I've completely loved being a part of this class and getting to know all of you especially through your writing. It is certainly a unique experience and I would not trade it for anything. I know that my writing in poetry has really developed throughout this course and I've truly enjoyed watching the rest of you develop your skills as writers as well. I love workshops because it gives me the chance to read your work and continue to see your progress as writers and it is so cool. Can’t wait to see you all in classs! ☺

Just some thoughts

Not my last blog post, actually...I'm probably going to do some next week. Blah blah, that's because I have chronological issues.
Anyway. In one of my other courses we've been reading T.S. Eliot, and it got me thinking more about playing around with words and tones and wondering if there is really a specific formula to writing captivating poetry. With "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" and "The Hollow Men", most of the imagery is pretty bleak and depressing; the poems are flat-out depressing!! There is plenty of tension, given that the tone and general story are of futile longings for salvation in a barren surrounding, but somehow its not something that I really find appealing. Because, in "The Hollow Men", for instance, there is the image of humanity as a row of scarecrows in a barren field, covered in animal carcasses- the statement being that humanity is just countless bodies with nothing inside, no souls, just physical, empty waste in a barren purgatory. The subject is horribly depressing, and in my opinion doesn't give the reader much satisfaction. (Ironic given that Eliot tried to keep individual emotions out of his work. Hmmm.)
And YET, there is something innately appealing about his works. Maybe it is the language, or the sentence structure, or the rhyme scheme, but despite myself and despite being rather turned-off by the themes, Eliot's work appeals to me. Six magical lines from "The Hollow Men": "There, the eyes are/ Sunlight on a broken column/ There, is a tree swinging/ And voices are/ In the wind's singing/ More distant and more solemn/ Than a fading star".
I hope that I can someday incorporate such elegant language into my own work, because it seems to me that with words like that, the subject, theme, and tone of the poem don't matter. I loathe the topics of Eliot's poetry, but I like his work because of the way he discusses things.
That's what is on my mind at the moment.

Chapbook

As I am reflecting on all of the poems I have written this semester, I am realizing how both my analytical and creative skills have developed. This is the first poetry class that I have taken, as well as the first English class in university for that matter, so writing and then critiquing others in a workshop setting was all very new to me. However, I have developed an appreciation for words and the power they have. Poems can make people smile, cry, and sometimes even both in the same poem! Now when I read my own pieces, I look for ways to improve on them which I hadn't before. These include the form of the entire poem on the page, increasing tension, bringing emotion into the poem, reaching out to a large audience, avoiding the use of cliches, describing images and visual things rather than literal explanations or things that can't be seen. I can also see the impact poetry can have on many different people, from different backgrounds. I experienced a kind of release when I wrote certain poems this year, and then others, not so much. This was a great learning experience. I found that to write about something that you are very passionate about is much more enjoyable for the author and the audience. Forcing a particular subject or form never worked out as well for me.
I have also developed interests in particular poets such as Dylan Thomas. I thought that 'Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night' was amazing and very touching. It was incredibly powerful, and I would love to be able to write as powerfully as Thomas one day. I most definitely will continue to read poems by Thomas, and try to find other poets that draw me in as much as he does.

Wrapping up

Wow. I can't believe our semester is almost over and this is the last Tuesday post! I feel as if the semester as gone by pretty quickly and it was just days ago we were getting our first assignment, yet at the same time it seems like we've been together writing poems and learning for forever. I have found being in this course to be very helpful in my writing and has opened up my eyes to new styles of writing and areas that I had not yet discovered as a beginner poet. It has been a bumpy ride for me in trying to step outside my comfort zone but I especially feel that our workshops have really made a difference in how I look at writing poems and the inspiration that I received. I truly feel that our class has amazing talent in it and that everyone should continue to pursue writing poetry. I love how we've all worked together and the feedback has been amazing over the semester, from students and Professor Hummer. I truly believe that I will take away a lot from this class and continue to use what I've learned. I am also excited, as others have mentioned, to work on assignment 12 and revise some of my works, with the knowledge and feedback I've acquired. Thanks so much guys for a great semester!!

Final workshop, chapbook, and last blog post

Well, gang it’s been a crazy ride, I just wanted to take the beginning of this last blog post to thank everyone who has helped me with my growth as a poet. To my workshop group, you guys are the best it’s been an honor being able to read and help you with your great works, thanks for all the helpful advice. The same goes to Professor Hummer thank you for all your input on work. With that said I greatly look forward to these last days of workshop I know it will be a lot of fun reading and advising on what my workshop group has done for their final pieces. I also can’t wait to hear what they will have to say about my last pieces as well. Looking ahead for the last time, I can’t wait to finish assignment 12. The chapbook seems like a wonderful way to end the class by going back and actually revising the works we have had so much feedback on. Well, with that I will leave off by just saying that its been a really pleasure guys, I hope everyone has a great vacation and finals don’t beat you guys down too much. Hang in there and keep writing.

-Gary

some comments on the chapbook

I’m actually pretty excited to make a chapbook for assignment 12. It will be very interesting to look over previous work and then to revise it using the knowledge I’ve gained throughout the semester. I’ve looked at several of the first poems I wrote and I feel that I have made them substantially better while still being able to keep the overall ideas. It was also neat looking for cover art too. When you find some cover art that really fits, its very satisfying. There are some poems that I want to put in it that I also don’t really want to change very much. In my villanelle, I made some improvements to some lines but that’s about it, but I also want to use it in my chapbook. I hope that counts as a substantial revision, cause its going in there. While looking over my poetry, both the new and the old, I could definitely see improvement in organization, word choice, and line breaks, as well as overall line structure too. I think the subjects I have been writing about have become increasingly meaningful and personal as well, which was something a was afraid to do in the beginning of the year. Overall, I really feel that my work has greatly increased over this semester.

Response to the starving artist post

So, I thought I’d throw it out there for discussion what this all means. Do you guys think we live in a world that, in a sense, punishes those that are creative, and is this particularly true for poets? Is it hard to make a living from poetry because the craft has become under-appreciated in contemporary society?

Shaunie, I'm really glad you brought up this topic! This year, I've really grown to appreciate the role poetry plays in my life, and I would like to continue to expand my "creativity tunnel" and possibly get published in the future. However, I realize that the world we live in does not promote the idea that just anyone should pursue the arts. Although artists can produce a great number of works, their works may not be well received by critics or the masses. As a result, many artists and writers struggle because they do not receive high income. However, I feel that this lifestyle is something that the artist consciously acknowledges--a true artist is someone who will take a blow or make a sacrifice, all for the sake of art.

It is true that artists and writers can make a decent salary by holding some sort of job. I think it would be really ideal for someone with a creative nature to work in a place where there is an opportunity to meet a variety of people, and to get an opportunity to really listen to and observe what people say and do. This kind of opportunity can aid a writer to expand their creative horizons and understand a variety of perspectives on many issues. I think what is important for any artist to remember is this: being receptive to the change within the self and the energy in others is what yields great art.

anyone?

Is Assignment 11 anything we want??

Hey all! Hope everyone had a great break and ate lots of good food :) I wanted to reflect a little on the activity that we did near the end of class today when we discussed the importance of the first and last lines of poems. It is something that I think we have mentioned before and I think it's quite interesting. Many poets, including myself, try and drive an image or idea home with a stinger at the end, or perhaps a circular ending bring us back up to where we stared. Some artists may bring up a totally new idea at the end of their poem to stay our thoughts in other directions. Whatever the artist chooses to do however, what I have found is that you can tell a lot about a poem through just the first and last line. For example today, MacLeish ends his poem with "A poem should not mean/ But be.", Ashbery ends with "The poem is you" and O'Hara begins with "I am not a painter, I am a poet.". All of these examples bring us into what the ideas that these poets are trying to portray in their poems.

I thought it was such a fun activity to look through the index and pick out first lines/titles that we liked and link them together. It is always fun to take the ideas/words of someone else and put another meaning to them because of the way they are put together. I thought the last activity was cool too by taking the first and last line of a poem that we like and then swapping them and filling the middle with our own thoughts. It is amazing how many different variations we can come up with the same words when we put our own spin on it...that's poetry I guess!

Favorite Poem of the Week

I loved reading everyones blogs and I hope everyone had an awesome thanksgiving! I know that we have been talking about the starving artist and some other poems from Norton but I wanted to share my favorite! I really liked Why I Am Not a Painter because I could see myself writing a poem just like it. It also reminded me of when we went into the art gallery and looked at the art which was mainly composed of words. When reading the part about sardines, it reminded me of how poets start their work, just as painters may do. There is a word, or a memory, that jolts the painter or writer that makes the person interested in investing in the subject. It may be covered up by the end and compleatly be changed and on a different topic, but it just reminds me that inspiration can come from anywhere and be rapidly changing. In this poem he begins to write and write and write about this orange and in the end it ended up not even being soley about the orange itself. I know that that can also happen to me where an idea may blossom but become something entirely different. When the man in the poem went back to see his friends work, he saw the title, the main word that he ended up taking out. This also reminds me of titles and how hard they may be to come by. I know that I have issues with them but this could be a good technique; to take a word that you may have taken out, or didnt think was that important and use it as the title of work or of your poem. It may bring a different element into the picture and make the reader or viewer look at your work with a different lens.

12/1/09

First of all, Happy belated Thanksgiving everyone! And yay for the first of December and our first real snowfall! Just first commenting on Kathleen's post, I think that I agree with you on your thinking and have had similar questions, I too have no answers but they are interesting inquiries. I also wanted to quickly comment on our assignment that was due over break. I don't know about anyone else but I thought the assignment options were very interesting but for me I found it kind of challenging at the same time. I am really interested in seeing how well received my poem actually is. But onto our readings for today, I really liked the Ars Poetica and the Why I am Not a Painter poems. The Ars Poetica is one that I'm not entirely sure I grasp with understanding of how to construct but it is very different from poetry I read and therefore intrigues me. The "Why I am Not a Painter" poem really made me smile at the end. I think it well written and playful and I love looking at art and paintings and so therefore I can appreciate the topic in general. I think having art be the absence of something is an interesting way to look at things and go about creating poetry or paintings. Overall, I enjoyed all of our readings for today's class.

response to the starving artist...

Love the topic Shaunie. You bring up some good points about the starving artist but I think that my position on the subject is that this notion of the starving artist is somewhat sacred and preserves the authenticity of artists everywhere. While obviously in some ways I wish we lived in a world where art was valued above finance and all that other boring stuff I can't help but appreciate the way that the artist lifestyle is unique in the sense that it is a choice people make based solely around what they love to do. Maybe I was just being too hard on the math wizzes a second ago. I don’t really have anything against people who love math or accounting or science or anything for that matter. I guess what I’m trying to say is not that we should necessarily place a higher value you art in our world but the idea behind why and how artists make the lifestyle decisions that they do. I think it is an extremely admirable way to go. I’m kind of rambling but my conclusion is that regardless of what you love and regardless of how much money what you love can provide you with, your lifestyle choice should be based on love and not on money. That being said can we really blame people for choosing a job that makes them more money over doing something that they love if say their priority above art (just an example) is providing for their family? Or is demonstrating love based decision making more important to a blossoming family than money? I don’t really know the right answer except that this is a good question.

The Starving Artist

I’ve been thinking a lot about the point professor Hummer made last class regarding how, though it is possible for a fiction or memoir writer to make a living solely by writing, the same feat is not an option for a poet. The more that I consider the topic, the more it becomes impossible for me to decide whether or not the fact that it is hard to make money from writing should sadden me. After all, one could look at the struggle writers face as positive, especially if considering it as an indication that language – and especially poetry -- is hard for the market to turn into a commodity.

I also think it’s important to consider that this financial struggle seems to be inherent within most art forms. Yes, it is possible for a fiction writer to have a career based solely on her stories, but is it likely? When I started freelancing at my town’s local paper one of the first things my editor told me was that most of the journalists around the office were English majors in college; they wanted to write books, but realized they couldn’t realistically spend 40-hours a week writing novels and still eat. Likewise, art majors rarely fall into a life that allow them to do nothing but paint, draw and sculpt. Like many writers, they need jobs on the side in order to be able to do both what they love and to survive. This has, for a long time, been the life of an artist, and it’s been widely accepted, however regrettably.

So, I thought I’d throw it out there for discussion what this all means. Do you guys think we live in a world that, in a sense, punishes those that are creative, and is this particularly true for poets? Is it hard to make a living from poetry because the craft has become under-appreciated in contemporary society?

...ARS POETICA

I really enjoyed reading the ars poetica assigned for class today. I really enjoyed the Dylan Thomas like everyone else however my favorite was the Archibald MacLeish. To me the poem was total magic. Every turn of phrase worked so well and really got his message across in a way that I know I never would have been able to achieve. His ars poetica really embodied him as a writer, which really has inspired me as I start to write mine. I went from his ars poetica and continued to look for some of his work. While his others don’t really reach the level of “masterpiece” that I would consider his ars poetica, the poems mean more to me after having reading this first because you really can find examples of what he describes within his other poetry. While I’ve taken many other English classes that taught a lot of poetry I’ve never really come across Archibald MacLeish and so I’m really glad that I have. The best part of this poem is the last phrase:

A poem should not mean
But be.

I absolutely love this. I think this alone could be an ars poetica. Perhaps this ending is so strong because of the build up to it but I really feel like I benefitted from this as a young poet. A poem should not mean/ But be. I can’t get over how well put that is. Maybe my struggles to articulate what poetry should be are what leave me so amazed at just how eloquent and succinct this is but regardless I think that these seven words are certainly a poetic achievement and I hope that they will continue to inspire me not just as I write my ars poetica but also as I continue to revise my work.

Ars Poetica

Reading Ars Poetica poems was really quite interesting in that I feel that I could relate to an extent with some of the poets and their reasons for writing and the struggles they encounter with writing. Frank O’Hara’s Why I Am Not A Poet was very interesting in how he addressed the issue of evolving writing. When beginning a poem, I often change topics half way through a poem, but I also sometimes find my poems slowly changing into slightly different or very different subjects. I really agreed with Archibald MacLeish’s Ars Poetica in that poems should “be” their subject or meaning. In other words, a poem should express a meaning, feeling, subject, or theme in ways other than just literal expression. I find that poetry, like William Carlos Williams’ This is Just To Stay really does that, as well as his poem about the red wagon. In the poem about the wagon, I really felt like I could see the wagon and the rain drops on the red paint. This being said, its quite interesting how Archibald MacLeish would directly address poetry as a subject in his poem. In some ways, it is a bit hypocritical that he attempts to describe poetry within poetry.

Ars Poetica & My Craft or Sullen Art

Of the readings for class this Tuesday, there were two poems that stood out for me in particular. I found Archibald MacLeish’s ‘Ars Poetica’ quite interesting for several reasons. First, it was intriguing how ironic the messages are in the poem. For example, it reads ‘A poem should be wordless’ but clearly there are words in this poem. Another interesting point is how the poet believes poetry should be more implicit than explicit. Another way of saying this could be that a poem should be like a mystery for the reader to figure out, rather than an explanation or description of a certain object or thing. I agree with this idea because it makes for a more engaging read, as well as, opportunity for several opinions and interpretations depending on who the reader is.

The other poem which caught my eye was Dylan Thomas’ In ‘My Craft or Sullen Art’. I thought it was great how he expressed his feelings about who he is writing his poetry for, and who is actually reading his poetry. Although his purpose is to reach the eyes and hearts of lovers, this isn’t necessarily what happens. This brings up an interesting question that all poets think about at some point, which is “Who am I writing for?” In order to write an effective poem, it must first be aimed at a certain audience. But also, part of a poet’s work must please his or herself or the poet won’t get satisfaction out of the piece either. There is a balance between these two that is right for each poem, and is often difficult to find.

Ars Poetica

After finishing this week’s reading I must admit I’m much more intrigued with the idea of writing an Ars Poetica for our final portfolios after reading some that great poets like Dylan Thomas did. At first I simply saw an Ars Poetica as the old simple prompt “why write?” in poetry form, but looking at those done by Archibald MacLeish and Frank O'Hara I see it is much more. An Ars Poetica is an opportunity to answer through poetry the very personal questions of what is poetry to us as authors, what do we want our poetry to stand for others and ourselves. As professor hummer was getting at before break it is a chance to express what writing poetry for our audiences and for us really means. It’s much more than a simply introduction or a opener to our portfolios, it is in reality a poem that should touch upon all the major themes of our own writing and lives as well as provide a digestible context to them. Neverless while I feel like I understand the upcoming assignment a lot better I still have a lot to decide on how I plan to form my own. Specifically what themes and messages are most important to me to be relayed back to my audiences.

the abstract vs. literal

Going back to when Nathaniel Mackey visited our class, I really wanted to ask him how he balanced abstractness with literal material, however I decided not to when I realized that I found his poetry to be a bit too abstract. I really feel, that when writing poetry, there really needs to be a balance between those two. In fact, poetry itself seems to be a struggle between the two. When I write I want to make sure that what I write can be followed along with and understood, but also not too literal so it’s interesting and intriguing. Not being literal is basically not being cliché and therefore overlooked. I found that Mackey’s poems were a bit too abstract, I found that I couldn’t follow along or get a hint at what he was trying to explore, but that may just be his personal style. The poem of his that is dedicated/about Jimmy Hendrix has a mix of abstractness with literal description, but still a little too abstract. I really thought it was insightful though, when asking him about using poetry vs. prose poetry. It really makes sense that one would use prose when wanting to examine something with more specificity, whereas a poem with line breaks is less specific.

No Tell Motel

Usually I spend some time searching around before I immediately decide on a book to read, or in this case, a journal to critique. Even so, the link to online journal “No Tell Motel” -- http://www.notellmotel.org/ -- was the first was the very first on which I clicked, and I knew immediately it was the one I wanted to consider. According to the description provided about the journal, two housewives actually started “No Tell Motel” – a phenomenon I would argue isn’t very common. When most people think of artists and or poets, they think about people doing and recording extraordinary things: climbing Mount Everest, taking a road trip across the country, traveling the world in 60 days, etc. That being said, I think it’s awesome that two “average” women have decided they have something to say about the every-day lives from which they source passion.

One of the journal’s editors, Red Livingston, provides a biography that says when she’s not writing she enjoys practicing Pilates and taking care of her son. The second editor, Molly Arden, does research on erotic literature. Neither individuals claim to be extraordinary, in fact, they seem to claim the contrary, and it is this, I think, that contributes to the honesty inherent in their magazine, and the honest power the poems in it seem to hold. Although I’m not sure how experienced the two editors of “No Tell Motel” are in terms of writing, the possibility of their inexperience makes the journal even more appealing to me. Both Livingston and Arden have been published in other literary venues. Livingston, for instance, is the author of the book Your Ten Favorite Words. She also co-authored a book called Wanton Textiles. In addition, both she and Arden have contributed to “FU: An Anthology of Fuck You Poems.” Even so, however, their publications do not seem particular robust, and one is lead to believe that t hey have done a lot of self-publishing. This possibility, again, however, simply strikes me as more appealing; I love how these editors both believe they have something important to share with the public, regardless of whether or not their thoughts would be deemed so by the majority of the publishing world.

The work featured within “No Tell Motel” is mostly poetry. According to their submission guidelines, the editors accept poems of any format and style, which explains the broad range of different writing techniques present on the site. In addition, the magazine accepts submissions from any age group and about any topic. These facts testify to the playful nature the journal seems to promote. Both Livingston and Arden appear to make a real effort not take themselves so seriously that attention is taken away from their work. In other words, they aim to make the emotions conveyed in their poetry center stage, as opposed to any elite heirs they could carry. This is further emphasized by the aesthetic of the journal. The homepage is very colorful, featuring a bright pink background. Also, in clear sight at the top of the page is a black silhouetted woman holding a martini glass. This leads me to believe that the editors seek submissions by authors who have a sense of humor, yet still take their work seriously enough to follow the clear and strict submission guidelines they provide.

One of the aspects of “No Tell Hotel” I most enjoyed is its tendency to publish works that are actually part of a larger series of poems. “A History of Drowning, 1”, by Carrie Olivia Adams, for example, is part of a series of five poems – each with the same title, except the number that follows it. As might be expected, although each of these poems can stand alone, they obtain new meaning when one reads each of them and observes what they add to each other.

I believe repetition can be a powerful tool within poetry, as when a reader hears a similar line for the second time it often has a completely different effect than the first. “A History of Drowning, 1” proves this point perfectly. The very first line of the work is: “This is the moment before the sweep of shadow” -- extremely similar to the poem’s fifth line, “This is before you have forgotten which way is east.” I believe that this method of repetition causes the poem to be read as though the writer is telling her subject something – something that perhaps this muse did not initially realize about herself. In this way, as readers, we simply become the listeners who are left to take the poet’s advice. This is a tone that is continued throughout the series. Other series of poems within the journal include: “The way birds become homonyms: an aviary,” “The Adventures of a Beauty Girl,” and “Notes About His Hands,” all of which establish their tones in similar ways.

Critiquing “No Tell Motel” has inspired me to write a series of poems myself, as I have actually never before attempted such a feat. I would actually really like to try submitting a group of five or so poems to this journal. I obviously don’t have a lot of experience in writing or publication, but this journal seems the kind to understand what it is to start out with limited experience. Also, for all of the reasons I mentioned above, it seems to value every-day situations and emotions as worthwhile endeavors to explore, which at my age and place, are those which I am most prepared to record on paper. We’ll see, I suppose!

Review of The Iowa Review

I may have already posted this and just not able to find it... but as I was reading through everyone else's posts I couldn't find mine which I originally posted on Sunday, so I'm sorry if this is the second time this is posted!

I decided to write about The Iowa Review as my choice of a literary journal because of a short essay that I read from Mary Oliver’s Best American Essay’s of 2009. The essay that I read was called The Dark Art of Description by Patricia Hampl and after reading this essay I knew that The Iowa Review was the journal I wanted to focus on. The essay was fresh, smart and extremely well written and definitely the sort of essay that I would want to read more of. I googled The Iowa review and found it listed as number 18 on the list of top 50 literary magazines. On The Iowa Review’s own website much about the goals of their journal can be understood and through reading about what the journal states about itself, you can begin to understand what to expect from reading it. “Although you may find writers already familiar to you in most of our issues, you will surely find others who are not. Discovering a new and compelling writer, one we'd never heard of before but whose writing comes through to us—that still seems the magic of our work.” After reading this in their description I realized that this is the kind of literary magazine I was looking for and I was excited to get my hands on a copy. I was pleased to find that The Iowa Review is carried in ODY but you can also receive a year’s subscription if you submit a piece of work for the yearly IOWA REVIEW AWARDS, which has a $20 entrance fee. The cover of the most recent issue has a map of, you guessed it: Iowa, on the cover, which apparently is part of another poster. The journal is published seasonally and in the most recent Fall 2009 issue there are 34 entries including poetry, fiction and short essays. Many of the entries that I read I was completely satisfied with as they were nearly everything I could have hoped and expected to read however I was somewhat surprised to find that there were a few entries that I didn’t really like at all and couldn’t really understand why they would have been published over the hundreds of other entries that I’m sure were denied. I thought about this and then realized that many of the things I did actually like were probably denied from many places as well and the entries that I wasn’t quite as found of were appreciated of by the editors by reasons that I probably was not ready to appreciate and I’m truly looking forward to when I can be able to appreciate them however I’m sure that in many cases there are sometimes things that people simply like or don’t like just because of personal preference. One specially featured poem that I particularly liked was called Northern Pike which was written by Felda Brown. The poem has 38 lines and I think only three of those lines are end-stopped including the last line. The poem is about who I think is a brother figure of the speaker in the poem and about an experience that he has while fishing. Some of the turns of phrase that she uses are really great and personal and so I really enjoyed the poem. The poem is great and I recommend reading it if you can find it. I looked to see if you could find it online but I instead came upon a whole slew of other poems published by Felda Brown, which shows that she’s a pretty well written poet. I think that this is another aspect that I enjoyed from this assignment is that not only does reading a journal give you some perspective on the type of stuff that is being published today but it also introduces you to writers that you may want to look into reading more of in the future. Overall I think that The Iowa Review is a great literary journal and that anyone would be honored to be published in it!

The Poet Takes A Walk

Published by the Poetry Foundation, Poetry November 2009 (“The Poet Takes A Walk”) shall be given a fair summation. Overall it’s a modest packet of prose and poetry, a small white book with blue lettering whose cover art is a cigarette smoking dog (“The Poet Takes a Walk” by Greg Clarke). The back cover does display a quote that ties nicely into the theme of the literary journal; in the words of A. F. Moritz, “Poetry is, above ever other human endeavor, the place where person and society are not merely joined but revealed in their original unity.” At first I thought this was just a corny caption of an artist’s own work, but after putting some thought to it, perhaps there is some elicit truth to that statement. Poetry can be interpreted as an olive branch of piece, bridging the gap between written language and expression for all tribes of humanity. Scattered and variable are the poems in this bounded paper gospel; there are a wide variety of forms and themes through 165 pages of contemporary front runners. Perhaps some of the other modern poets like Nathaniel Mackey would be able to blend in to this material (or more likely stand out), but poets like William Shakespeare, even W. H. Auden would not likely find this journal to be appropriate for their material, or maybe they would considering how much money these journals would be paying them for their written material if this were their hay day. Most of these writers are new to me let alone distinguishable, with the exception of James Schuyler, I am rather unfamiliar with the works of these other poets. As a student to the art, I would be flattered to publish my work in this journal, however I am not yet certain about how a scholar might feel towards this journal, perhaps there are other journals that are more respected privately amongst contemporary poetry gurus throughout St. Lawrence and the rest of the known world. I would recommend this journal to anybody who casually reads poetry and is not in search of a specific work or author, but rather a cornucopia of modern verse and prose from some well written poets and promising ascenders. As an aspiring poet, it is hard for me to dislike a poem or dub a poem my least favorite. My favorite poem is on page 144, a piece entitled “Athens: Peripatetic Fragments” by A.E. Stallings. A poem about modern Athenian life incongruously reverberating ancient Athens; how its streets a modernized but the classical spirit is still there. I found it rather interesting because its lines were separated into short paragraphs of one or two sentences punctuated by a neat design between stanzas.

review

I chose a literary magazine called Ploughshares. It is published three times a year by Emerson College. It has a website: www.pshares.org. The website provides a "companion" to the print journal of the literary magazine and allows the audience to read selections from the current issue, along with some archives. The Ploughshares literary magazine is about two hundred pages and includes fiction, non-fiction short stories and poems. There is a range of authors and poets, along with their published experience, along with having a guest editor. This issue is done by Kathryn Harrison and this issue includes twenty works of art (poems and stories). Kathryn Harrison seems to be a very experienced and well published author and poet. She has been the author of five novels, written two memoirs, one travel memoir, a biography and a collection of personal essays. She has also been a frequent reviewer for The New York Times Book Review and her essays have appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, Vogue, O Magazine, and Salon, and a few others. I must say that reading the introduction to this issue of the Ploughshares literary magazine was enough to get me hooked. I think anyone who enjoys being captivated by a short story and having it have multiple meanings would love this issue.
Kathryn writes so eloquently and really pulls the reader and audience in. Her writing is descriptive and heart felt. In this issue the stories and poems are largely about life itself. The writings are profound and allow the reader into the writer's life and experiences. I love them all. There was one that talked about a wedding that a family was getting ready to celebrate but the true story was the experience of the Father and the loss of his brother and his Father. It was a unique take on culture and war and loss, along with celebration. These stories really let you take a glimpse into another's life, the struggles, heartache, happiness, etc. I could not tell you when reading these who was a more experienced writer and that is something that I also loved about these writings. I also greatly appreciated the diversity of non-fiction, fiction and poetry that was included in this literary magazine. I think a lot of my peers would enjoy this magazine; although in my group I can tell that most of them like abstract poems and these are more I think down my alley and maybe Sam's than the rest of the group. But just reading each piece either put a smile on my face, made my heart melt or sink, put images into my head and gave me a different perspective. I think all of these elements are key in good writing and poetry. Also, the cover was nicely done and went well with the introduction and overall meaning of the issue, along with being colorful and aesthetically pleasing. I would certainly love to get another issue and continue to read this literary magazine.

Slope, issue 26

The literary online poetry journal known as Slope includes both experimental and traditional lyric poetry that present several themes and issues. It is part of Slope Publishing Inc. which is a non-profit organization based in New Hampshire, and was started in 1999. Its publishing schedule has varied, but is usually twice a year.

The 26th issue of Slope, which I chose to read and review, is unique in comparison to other literary journals in that there is only one poet featured throughout: Heather Christle. This is effective in that the reader can build a relationship with the author and his/her writing style. The journal is organized into two sections each with sub-themes of their own. The first aspect of Christle’s poetry that I noticed was how short and to the point her writing can be. Several of her pieces consist of one line. She also likes to experiment with the formatting of her poetry, but mostly she tends to use enjambment, and to justify her poems to the width of the area given.

As for her writing style, she writes in a stream-of-consciousness that goes quickly from one point to the next, with short, simple words. One could say there is a colloquial language used. There is also a lack of punctuation, except for the occasional word capitalization at the beginning of a line. I think lacking punctuation gives purity to a piece of writing, and draws attention to what is being said, and the deeper message it may have. With regards to its diction, she doesn’t use many eloquent descriptors or adjectives in her writing. I think this forces the reader to take her writing seriously, and to listen to the ideas and topics being presented. Her tone seems to change rapidly without any warning, which surprised myself, and was unlike any other poet I had previously read. Christle also likes to take lines or words from other literary works previously published, and then build on them and add her own opinion to their meaning.

One particular piece that stood out for me was 'Two Variables'. I read it as an anti-war poem and how we, as individuals and a society, will lose ourselves during war. Its word usage is simplistic and lines are quite short which makes it read quickly. I also like how it begins with ‘if’ this were happening, then this is how it would be, but then it ends by with ‘but this didn’t happen.’ This is a unique way of reversing the usual form of writing where reality is stated first, and then explained, or thought of in a different way.

Two Variables

If we are at war
and I have a personality
I will have hidden
my personality
to protect it
I will have taped it
to the underside
of a manhole cover
I will have wrapped it
in lettuce to make it seem
unimportant or bad
It might actually be bad
or unimportant
Let's check
But look
There is nothing
taped to the underside
of this manhole cover
Therefore we are not at war
or I do not have a personality

Review of 2River View

The 2River View is an online literary journal published quarterly by 2River since 1996. The content of this journal is poetry and visual art, with a heavy emphasis on the poetry. The fact that it is an online journal has many benefit for those who wish to submit poetry. The first is that it is easily accessible to the public. The website is easy to find (2river.org), and is well organized, with all of the archived issues easily accessible. In an online publication, easy navigation is one of the most important attributes, and 2River definitely has an accessible site layout. Another benefit to the online system is that poem submissions become relatively easy. 2River requests that poems be submitted online, and that the author submit at least three works as well as a short biography. It is also a requirement that the submitted poems must not currently be published in any other journal. The 2River View itself, which is in the form of a pdf file easily opened by a link found on the "archived issues" page is well organized and aesthetically pleasing. There is not much color to the journal--the poems are left to stand as poems without being decorated by background imagery--but there are pieces of artwork placed throughout the journal which add a small amount of color as well as serve to break up what would otherwise be a continuous stream of poetry. Another opportunity for authors who choose to publish in the 2River View is the online chapbooks. For certain authors whose work is well liked by the 2River community, an online chapbook is made with a collection of their works, not necessarily works from archived 2River View issues, but from other journals as well. This chapbook can then be downloaded as a pdf file and printed by the reader.
The type of poetry found in the 2River View has a specific feel to it as well; one of direct realism. Authors whose work involves eloquent word use and flowing sentence structure would probably not have a place in this journal. The poetry published here tends to be colloquial and brief, in either a prose format or one of highly enjambed verse. There is almost a kind of stream-of-consciousness involved in the poems with little transition between thoughts, but with a distinct air of impressionism. The themes of the poems vary widely, but the style tends to be similar for all of the poems published in this journal.

Literary Review: 42opus

For my literary journal review, I chose to read the online literary journal, 42opus - http://42opus.com/ . Since the journal is published online, it is extremely accessible to most of the population, and it may strike a particular interest to writers newer to the literary scene (to gain a sense of what good published works are like). It is archived in quarterly issues, but new writing from both contemporary and classic writers is added to the site on a few times a week. There are sections of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and art, but for the reason of time constraint, I focused solely on the poetry composing the publication’s volume 9, no. 3. The layout on the page avoids a plethora of images and designs that many online publications overuse; it is very clean and simple, which reflects the publication’s commitment to quality writing that can move the minds of readers, emotionally and spiritually. The editor of the publication is Brian Leary, a poet and software programmer, who has been published in a multitude of literary journals, including Best New Poets 2009, Washington Square Review, and the New Orleans Review. Leary and the editors of specific writing departments are interested in receiving work that embodies a unique point of view; writing submitted should “negotiate, document, enliven, reshape one experience of living,” doing this with an awareness of literary history. Most of the poems published by contemporary poets are either in prose form or written in free verse. I believe that some of the poems written by poets we read from 21st Century American Poets, would fit the mold of what this publication is looking for, like Joshua Clover. Clover raises questions about society in his poetry (ex: Year Zero), and he ultimately invokes new ways to perceive and regard living in today’s modern world. Although I believe many young writers have the capability of potentially being published in a literary journal, the work accepted by this journal is mostly written by writers who are taking on the task of earning their MFA or have it already.

My favorite poem from 42opus’s volume 9, no.3 is Jess Burnquist’s Seminars in Art. The poem is written in prose form, and it is separated into three divided sections, each with its own subtitle. She begins her poem with a quotation from Vincent Van Gogh: “It is stormy and rainy, and that makes the calm inside even greater.” The three sections are titled Still Life with Orange, Line as a Narrative Factor : A Conversation With Myself, then Van Gogh, and Spontaneous Creation, Easily Achieved. In each section, Burnquist integrates memory and unique metaphors to relate her experience to color and art. My favorite section was the second section of prose (Line as a Narrative Factor: A Conversation With Myself, Then Van Gogh) because she writes about her body, revealing its imperfections and how it should be honestly portrayed in art. She ends her poem with a proclamation to Vincent Van Gogh in a dream, that “For heaven’s sake,” she is beautiful. In my opinion, it is her combination of experience and aesthetic is what makes her work truly memorable. Burnquist has had work published in Clackamas Literary Review, Natural Bridge, Hayden's Ferry Review, Locuspoint, and Oranges & Sardines. As far as a least favorite poem, I did not find one that I didn’t like. Many of the poets executed methods we have learned about in class, like enjambment and prose format, and they used these techniques to their advantage in their works.

Although I would love to attempt to submit some of my work to a publication like this one (since its mission reflects the type of publication I would like to have my work in), I don’t think my writing is developed enough to submit to 42opus. I think I have to continue discovering my voice and find new inspirations to write about, and new ways to convey emotion and critique.

A Literary Review by Dana

Mudlark: An Electronic Journal
Mudlark No. 38 (2009)
Feat. Susan Kelly-DeWitt The Limbo Suite

I have to admit that I have never actually sat down, before this weekend that is, and read a literary journal from cover to cover. I was definitely exposed to them, Readers Digest and The New Yorker were always present on our coffee table, but I was always too busy teaching my imaginary class how to draw. When looking for a literary journal, I knew I needed to choose one that was online, not only because the Health Center discouraged me from going in public, but also because the internet and digital world mark my generation. It was through a google search that I stumbled upon Mudlark: An Electronic Journal.

The 38th issue of the Mudlark features five poems by Susan Kelly-DeWitt. The first titled, “The Limbo Suite,” is a poem in 20 parts. It is a series of poems that all reflect on a nursing home, its patients, doctors, visitors, and most specifically the author’s mother. The second poem, “Nurse,” recognizes the gratitude one feels towards the person caring for the one you love. “Doll,” “Elegy,” and “July Sunset” all reflect on the author’s emotions whilst her mother fades away before her very eyes. All together, I find the collection of poems featured in Mudlark to be deeply moving. One can travel through the experience the author had after her mother’s diagnosis and consequential transfer into a nursing home and feel her confusion and sorrow.

Part of the appeal of these works lies in how relatable they are. I believe most at our age have witnessed someone they love slipping away due to some horrible disease, whether old or young. Kelly-DeWitt’s poems convey these feelings of loss in a beautiful way. She uses simple sentences to create vivid details that allow the reader to picture the unfolding scene perfectly. For instance:

§

Sunshine after weeks of torrential
rain Lola notices brakes

her usable foot
just watches

out the double glass doors
A good day

Kelly-DeWitt conveys a moment of clarity her mother is experiencing, simply by describing her acknowledgment of a sunny day after many of rain. However, contrasting these softer poems, lie jagged ones, short and simple. They are harsh and to the point. Here is an example of one:

§

Anna Philip Lu
Kao George all
vanished all

in a single week
No more

limbo for them

This poem is one chapter in the series of 20, but it marks a moment in Kelly-DeWitt’s experience that stood out to her. A moment where she realized her mother would have the same fate; that all those in the nursing home would soon disappear as well.

Every edition of Mudlark focuses on a single poet like Kelly-DeWitt. I find this beneficial to the reader for a few reasons. It allows one to develop a stronger relationship to the content of the poems and to study that author’s technique in poetry writing. In a sense, I feel I have built a relationship with Kelly-DeWitt, which is something I would not have accomplished had I read a larger literary journal with a multitude of poets and writing styles.

Review: Assignment 9

Slope Issue 25, Julie Carr. http://www.slope.org/latestissue/poetry/julie_carr.html

This issue is a compellation of poetry by Julie Carr. I have never heard of Julie Carr, but find her style very interesting and new, her writing is very contemporary. This issue is only poems, and I have not heard of this journal before, but I know that it is pretty well known. In all the issues, there is a gallery, film, commentary and criticisms. The journals main page is very contemporary; it has just numbers, some big, and some small, in black white and grey. It is visually very interesting and captures the viewer right at the start. It looks reputable and expensive, as in there was hired designers to make the page and a team to design the web page. The format is unusual, but once you click on gallery, film, or archives, it is pretty standard and easy to navigate. At the beginning of the site, there is no indication on what exactly it is, except it says, “collected issues” underneath the title SLOPE. This issue is not special, but they are added and edited all the time and they have over 25 issues so far. In this issue, it is mostly poetry, some by different artists but the one I focused on was Julie Carr’s part of this issue. Even though there are 6 or 7 other poets who are published into this issue. The poems in this journal are mostly contemporary with the artists’ own styles shining through more than traditional technique or forms of writing. I think more of the contemporary poems we have read this semester would fit it, maybe even ours, such as our form assignment or the n+7 type of poetry because it is unconventional and a new way of writing. I am not sure a Shakespearian sonnet would fit so well in with the SLOPE journal. The writers who have been published many have written books or have had their works published in other magazines or articles. My favorite poem is the Nightingale Poem because it really seems to be relatable and it has tension and it is interesting. I did not really have a least favorite poem and there is a reason; I feel as if I connect and understand contemporary poems more, and I find them interesting, each in their own way, so I did not dislike one greatly. Since I do connect with writers like the ones who write in SLOPE I think I will read it again. I would feel honored to publish my poetry in this journal and I feel like one day it may fit in really well.

Assignment 9: A Review of The Malahat Review

The literary journal The Malahat Review: Essential Poetry & Fiction, (this issues being fall 2009, 168) is a Canadian journal that has poems, fiction, and creative non-fiction. The journal is published by the University of Victoria in British Columbia. The journal itself has quite good production value, in that the cover is in color and the paper seems to be of high quality. The cover has a painting entitled Bar Girls (II), by Michael Collard Williams, which has rich and interesting colors. The publication does not have any stated goal or vision, but one can be inferred. The fact that it is a Canadian journal, which only has Canadian authors and poets, it could be said that the journal’s goal is to show Canadian themes. The journal may be trying to capture some purely Canadian feeling that Canadian readers will be able to relate to in particular. It may also be attempting to keep up Canadian literature and poetry, as advertisements in the back mention writing workshops at Canadian colleges/universities, the benefits and uniqueness of Canadian magazines, and supporting Canadian writers. I have a hard time finding any similarities between poets we read in class and those in this publication. However, Eliza Robertson’s Ships Log is somewhat reminiscent of Gabriel Gudding’s poem, "Hair." The short story looks at things in new and interesting ways while its also very imaginative and playful. There is this lack of seriousness, while not joking or trying to be funny, is quite playful in its imagery and language in general. Stephanie Yorke’s poem Busts has similarities with Matthea Harvey’s poems in Pity the Bathtub its Forced Embrace of the Human Form in that she utilizes line brakes to create double meanings as well as heavy enjambment to do the same thing while also increasing tension. There is also a certain aspect of comedy in the poem Busts at the end that is also similar. The poem discusses white statues of great Roman/Greek heroes and how elegant the sculpting and features are, but at the end it mentions, while discussing the bit of chest always showing on sculptures, that “it must be bare chest-our foremost sculptor, never accomplished coarse curls more convincing than pubic hair fastened into a cake of soap.” My favorite poem in this issue is On Reading “When You are Old,” by Jeffery Donaldson. This poem has an interesting mix abstractness, creativity, and familiarity. The meaning of the poem, which I find to be about love over time and things not quite working out as planned, to be accessible enough to vaguely get the idea but not too clear as to be unimaginative and/or cliché. I don’t think I would look at this literary journal before other ones with a more solid goal or at least more common themes/styles and subjects.

EPOCH Literary Journal Review

For my literary journal review I read the journal EPOCH vol. 51, issue 2, which is published by Cornell University in Ithaca, NY three times a year where it is also based. It’s a small literary journal that includes poems, short stories, some personal essays as well as original artwork on the cover. The journal overall carries a colorful and good looking appearance, however despite it’s clearly professionally done image, its price per issue is very cheap, merely $5 as indicated on the cover. Within the journal the first few pages make mention of the contents, contributors and editors by name, but no clear purpose of the journal was outlined or written within the issue I read. However this in its self was not a bad thing to me. Sometimes I find I enjoy magazines and journals, which simply attempt to act as the median between audience and writer rather than commentator. Of course as a reader I understand that journals like these obviously choose which poems and fictions appear within them, but after reading the issue I felt that the main purpose of this journal was simply to publish and put truly interesting tales, and poems together that demonstrate the diversity of people’s voices from our time.

As for the poetry within the journal, I found most of them to be quite enjoyable and interesting to read. As I was reading I must admit I found it hard to see any commonalities with them, but re-reading them again I managed to notice some slight similarities. For one, most of the poems carry a lot of metaphors and symbols tying to mythology, history, and ancient works. For example both “Letter of Intent to Horace from the Sabine farm” and “Beautiful Nero” reference the Roman Empire in great detail, while “Pomeii” and “Gold Rush” make historical references within their titles. My guess to why this is such a prevalent theme in this journal would be that the editors enjoy works that tie connections to our modern existence with the famous events and works of the past. My favorite poem however, hands down out of this issue would be “The Empire in the Air” by Kevin Prufer. The small poem describes a bomb on a plane as a hopeful empire which I found to be a unique and twisted paradox, since such a bomb would represent a radical act of terrorism which to many is considered the very opposite of an empire, rather a radical act against an empire done in protest and hatred. Ultimately, while I did enjoy most of these poems and fictions within this journal and while I would certainly pick up another issue I don’t think I would ever summit any of my poetry to this journal. The reason why being that most of the poems within this journal pertain to world and societal issues, while most of my poetry in contrast deals with personal issues, emotional development, and inner thoughts and conversations.

Review of Literary Journal!

While searching online and through the library for a good literary journal, I found myself more drawn to poetry journals as opposed to any other kind. And in the era of technology, I was also more drawn to online journals and magazines more than anything else. I wanted to find a journal that could be easily accessible to young, aspiring writers who enjoyed contemporary and experimental writing. I found a journal, eventually, online called Coconut Poetry Magazine which I thought was very interesting.
The online publication is edited by Bruce Covey, a writer and professor at Emory and is published four times a year. Each time the journal comes out online, the number changes. In other words, the most recent publication is called Coconut 14 because it is the magazines fourteenth publication. The edition that I read for this assignment was the most recent Coconut 14. It featured 29 authors which were listed in the table to contents of the journal. I thought the set up of the online journal was very interesting because it had illustrations and organization much like a real magazine or book however everything was through links. The title page featured the title and an illustration which you could click on to bring you to the table of contents. The table of contents simply listed the author’s names which linked you to the poems that they had published in that magazine. Each author essentially had their own page which linked the reader to the 2-5 poems that were published. At the top of each author’s page, they had their name written big (as the title) and then the coconut tree logo in different colors for each. I thought the appearance was very professional and nicely displayed. Underneath their names, the authors had their poems which varied between two and five at the most. Reading each author all together and on a web-page was very different than other journals/magazines I have seen. For one, sometimes authors poems might get spread out or intermingled with other poets in a regular journal instead of having all their poems together. Secondly, because the poem is on a web-page, there is not much restriction to the format, as their might be on an actual printed page, due to margins and such. This aspect was neat because it allowed for the authors to play around very nicely with their format which is something I noticed. On the other hand however, because the reader has to scroll down the page to follow the poem, I thought it lost some of the aesthetic importance or significance of an actual printed poem.
After reading through the poems, though I did not seem to find any linking subject matter between the pieces, I did find that I was reading quite a bit of prose poetry and also very contemporary, experimental poetry. I personally enjoyed a lot of the pieces, especially the prose poems, and thought the subject matter and formats to be very contemporary and interesting. When I read over the bios of each author, it seemed that most authors had been published or written their own books which most of the titles seemed to be very contemporary and different. There was one author whose bio read, “He is 38. He lives in Florida. Florida is a peninsula”. I thought this was pretty funny, and might have been joking at the fact that this particular author didn’t really have a publishing background, but was still published in this journal. His work in particular was very bazaar.
Overall, I thought Coconut 14 was interesting and a great resource for someone who might be interested in publishing their own work in a contemporary online poetry magazine. I think I may go back to the Coconut website to see what the latest authors are up to and see what people are coming up with. I thought it was interesting to find something that was based completely online and was very accessible to the public! Take a look! http://www.coconutpoetry.org/

I really did value what Mackey had to say, and I wish I had been able to go to his reading the other night, but crew practice got in the way. Like Courtney, one of the things I found to be most interesting was the idea of initiating a thought but never completing it. There have been times in my writing when I have intentionally left something unexplained, but I never thought about why I did that until I heard Mackey speak in class. I also had the opportunity to read some more of his work from Eroding Witness and I found that it actually clarified some of the questions I had about his other poems that we went over in class. It made me realize how connected all of his poems are and, more importantly, how much skill in writing must be required to make the poems so dependent on each other. I am more than a little tempted to visit one of my friends at UC Santa Cruz at some point and see Mackey again.
On another note, I am also looking forward to our next workshop. I don't feel as though my most recent poem is on par with the others I have written because I tried to go in a slightly different direction with it that I have in the past, so I will really value the input of my peers. See everyone tomorrow.

It was amazing to have Nathaniel Mackey come into class on Tuesday. I have been lucky this semester with having wonderful authors come into my classes and speak with us. I have listened to Steve Almond, Fracine Prose and now Mackey! wow!

Anyways, I agree with Joe about his calm, cool, and collected attitude, it was great. I really appreciated all that he had to tell us about where he has come from, how he got interested in poetry and what his own techniques in the process are. One thing that he said that really stuck with me was when he encouraged us as young writers: "Don't complete a thought. Initiate, but don't complete. What you write invites the reader to complete" (or something along those lines!)

This was really interesting to me, because it is something I often struggle with. How much is too much, or how little is too little? Is less actually more? If we don't give the reader all the details, are we being lazy as writers? It is something I have discussed in a few of my writing classes over the years and I think it is very interesting. Personally, I enjoy reading and writing pieces that do not tell me everything I have to know, but rather they force me to think. I picture it as the difference between a sappy novel (which is always good for the beach of course) and a novel that really makes you think about something you never thought of before. I was encouraged that Mackey said this and reiterated this point a few times while speaking with us. Unfortunately, I didn't get to go to his reading but I am so happy he got to come into our class!

Mack Attack

Nathanial Mackey’s presentation was inspirational. When he walked in I was alerted to a certain aura towards which I was previously unaccustomed. He seemed very calm and collected, and I think his poetry reflects that combination of traits. I forgot who it was that asked this question during class, so please do not be upset at me because my memory is ill, but Mackey was asked about his revision process. Mackey explained that he revised as he wrote, as opposed to writing out his pieces and then revising once the pieces were complete. It slows the writing process down and makes for more incomplete thoughts, a concept that grounds Mackey’s style.

I thought it was interesting how Mackey found his roots in jazz as a youngster, I feel that his genre of poetry reflects musical influence because its so smooth and flowing like smoke drifting through the air. Also, I found his take on publication to be particularly interesting. He raises in good point in that a young poet/writer must struggle a little bit first before she/he gets attention from any publications, and indeed it is the young writer’s responsibility to put themselves out there in order to get noticed. Perhaps this is the process that all writers must go though; hearing Mackey speak out about that personal experience made me less apprehensive about getting discovered myself and and encouraged me towards the possibility of publishing some of my pieces.

poetry reading

So I went to the poetry reading this past Friday at the Yoga place above the Black Bird Cafe. There were about 12 people there, all adults and largely over 30. There were four readers that night but unfortunately I couldn't stay for all four presenters. However, the first reader made enough of an impression on me and my two other friends that accompanied me that night. Sadly, I did not have a very good review for the first poet nor was it a good impression he left us with. When he first presented his topics for his poems, I was slightly intrigued and excited because they seemed to all have a lot to do with nature and his observations of his surroundings; and by title they seemed semi-interesting. However, unfortunately he lost all three of our interests and some what attention once he opened his mouth and read his 5 poems. I was very surprised to see that he very much lacked a distinct presence when he spoke and read his poetry. He didn't have any real enthusiasm or passion or emotion when he read. He also greatly lacked eye contact and interaction with the audience when presenting his poetry. He would always just read it from his paper and I was surprised that he made no real effort to memorize or even occasionally look up when he was reading. As we've learned in class, engaging the reader or audience is critical! So I was extremely surprised and disappointed when I realized his performance was lacking this.
Also, his poetry was nothing to really be desired either. None of his poems were truly captivating or interesting, nor did they have any unique style. They were more of journal entries and occasionally he would try to be abstract but it was more of a failed attempt. When I left the poetry reading I was disappointed and felt that a lot of the poems I have read in class from my peers would have been better presented than his.

Nathaniel Mackey and Such...

Hey everyone! Hope everyone is feeling better! I’m really looking forward to having Nathaniel Mackey in class today. As I was trying to read through some of hi poetry I kept finding myself coming back to similar themes and messages….not repetition necessarily but certainly a common thread throughout all of his work that kind of makes all of his work make sense and feel cohesive. After this investigating in Mackey’s work and additionally the book review assignment I’ve found myself thinking a lot about collections of poems. I’m really pretty curious about the concept of an entire compilation of poetry intentionally published together to form an interconnected and well-organized piece of work. It kind of reminds me of those pictures that are made up of a bunch of smaller pictures. While some of the individual pictures may or may not be related to each other or even to the final piece as a whole, each picture has its place and purpose in making the final picture what it is. While this is somewhat of an unrelated analogy it makes sense to me and is even more deliberate within Mackey’s work than in those kinds of pictures. His common thread extends through his individual books of poetry and weaves in and out of all of his writing and I don’t think that this is just what we’ve learned to call his “voice”. I think in his case it is far more than just a signature voice or style but rather an undertone that alone lacks meaning but in light of his other works is quite impressive and awesome.

Class and Workshoping

Hey all, first off I am sorry that everyone has been feeling badly, including myself, so excuse my cough and things tomorrow haha. I hope everyone is feeling better and ready for our guest! On that note, I was also excited to read his poems again and see that he worked with many different types of people to collaberate to create his poems. I feel like I do that, on a smaller level. I am a dancer so I take the music I listen to, and the moves, to really feel my poetry as well. I even draw inspiration from many things such as tv, the internet or even words that trigger feelings or memories. I appreciate my surroundings more when I can draw inspiration from it. I also wanted to touch on the idea of workshopping. I go both ways on this issue. I really think it is great, I love reading and hearing others feedback on my poems and I like giving my input. I think the group idea is such a positive outlet that is conducive to learning and receiving new ideas. I also am more dissapointed in myself in the fact that I wish I had some of my regular assignments in the poetry workshop. I feel like some of my stronger work is there, and not in my workshop, and I feel as if I am not always putting my best foot forward. I will try and work on this in the future.

Nathaniel Mackey, Workshops, and Poetry

Re-reading some of Nathaniels works has really been intriguing and I must admit I am looking forward to seeing him and getting hear his perspective on poetry. I found it really fascinating the way he worked with a jazz musician to come up with a musical aspect to his work and I look forward to finding out more about his rationale for doing so. On a different note like Annalise I’m really excited for workshops. I feel like with my poem for this workshop I have taken a much larger leap in structure, sound, and content then my tradition writing style and I am highly looking forward to meeting up with my group to discuss it and gauge how effective it was. In yet another random topic I found last week’s poetry to be very thought provoking and interesting, I was disappointed we didn’t get the chance to go over all of the poems. However, I felt the genuine discussion we had about the few we did was well worth the time we spent. Even as I am writing this I can’t help but think back fondly to our class discussion of W.H. Auden’s “September 1, 1939”. Personally the idea of universal love is captivating and wonderful but I have to agree with my roommate Alex that it is ultimately unattainable, that none of us can truly “love” every person it would degrade the meaning of love itself. Instead I think the best way of changing the world and caring for others is increasing the minimal care we have for people everywhere to a higher standard.

"Year Zero" Maybe a Reference to the Khmer Rouge?

There was something very familiar about the title of the poem "Year Zero" but I couldn't put my finger on it. Recently, I had learned that in the late 1970s in Cambodia, the Khmer Rouge took power with the intent of bringing the country back to "year zero." This meant wiping out all vestiges of French colonial rule, such as Western education, educated people, and anything else that seemed "non-Cambodian." This resulted in the deaths of over 1 fourth of the Cambodian population, mostly due to hard conditions in the labor camps that people were forced into and by mass executions of the educated or any middle class person. Even thought the Khmer Rouge claimed that it was erasing colonial blemishes and replacing them with traditional Cambodian ones, they actually preached egalitarianism and strict communism along with the destruction of the family, ending marriage and cutting all ties between parents and their children, so as to get complete loyalty. These developments, however, were very un-Cambodian, such as the concept of there being a "party" since Cambodia had always been ruled by a royal monarchy. In the poem "Year Zero" I saw some similarities, in that Joshua Clover mentions revolutionary people, and freedom but with flowers stuck in your ears and a corpse in your mouth. This is relevant to what happened in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge, in that Khmer Rouge claimed they were creating a better life, free from colonial rule, but in the process, managed to create one of the most horrific instances of human suffering.

Freedom of Speech

One of the assigned readings from Thursday's class caught my eye. What intrigued me in Fennelly's 'The Impossibility of Language' was the third section where several references are made to Osip Mandelstam. I thought it might be interesting to find out who this man was, and why he is a figure that other poets would bother mentioning. Before reading this poem, I had never heard of this man, nor did I know that he was a Russian poet who was arrested for nothing other than speaking his mind through his poetry. The thought of this baffles me. Mandelstam was punished for something so simple as writing what he believed. He wrote 'Stalin Epigram' in 1933, which was a poem criticizing Stalin's collectivisation and his intent to eliminate the "kulaks". Mandelstam's "counter-revolutionary" ideas resulted in his arrest, exile and assignation to correction camps for five years. Fennelly makes references to his wife Nadezhda, as she salvaged her husbands' work after he died, and wrote Hope Against Hope, which told his story. After reading about Mandelstam, it is obvious and much more clear than before why Fennelly chose to include this poet in her poem about how words are used to express oneself and how many miscommunications and misnomers arise.

Nathaniel Mackey

I have an undying love for workshops!! Well...maybe not an undying love, but definitely an appreciation. They're refreshing. Whether it is something like the Shakespeare workshop or having a speaker where we can ask questions in a smaller setting, it feels like so much more of a connection. Given that the last class I was well enough to attend (gah! sickness!) was the day of our workshop with the Shakespeare representatives, and our next class is with Nathaniel Mackey, that is what I have been thinking about. I feel like such person to person interactions allow for greater understanding than impersonal reading. If someone writes an explanation as to why they did something, it doesn't give quite as clear an image...because an audience can ask questions that the speaker or presenter did not necessarily consider, and thus the answer is considered more seriously, and an explanation is provided that the presenter might not have otherwise thought to explain. Anyway. I'm excited. And excited to be back in class. Plus, workshops coming up!! And those are always AWESOME.

I really thoroughly enjoyed the poems we had to read for today’s class. In particular, Joshua Clover’s Year Zero and W.H. Auden’s September 1, 1939 were my favorites. I feel that two poems parallel with one another in that they both discuss the flaws present in human nature—even though they were written in different time periods—mainly the way humans are cruel to one another as the world continues to evolve. Year Zero really struck home for me because the idea of losing freedom in a rapidly industrializing world is something that exists currently and will continue to only get worse as time goes on. As a poet, the idea of losing your voice in a world where artificial technology is king is frightening. I believe it is a writer’s job to alert the world to issues that plague society and ultimately rob the individual of his or her creativity and ultimately, identity. Although Auden’s poem is a reflection on Hitler’s invasion of Poland, its theme can be applied to virtually any period in history. As long as man has existed, he has been selfish and concerned with his own personal gain while ignoring the needs of others.

On another note, I’m really excited that we will be able to hear Nathaniel Mackey read next Tuesday! It’s even more exciting that he will be coming to our class to share insight about his work and hopefully, his experience as a poet. I’m really eager to learn about his process for creating work and where he finds inspiration for his work.

I would just like to comment on a few random things pertaining to the class. First, one style of poetry that I find really intriguing is taking another author's work and removing most of the words in order to change the meaning of the poem. I feel like this would be a fun exercise and could result in some unexpected thoughts. One thing I didn't really like about the examples that we saw was that there seemed to be too much omission for my taste, removing all but a few words from a fourteen-line poem. The second comment I would like to make is that I am really looking forward to Nathaniel Mackey coming to visit. I am really impressed with his diction, but I would like to hear what he has to say about his work because, as of now, it seems convoluted to me, almost unnecessarily vague. I think I read his poems well over a dozen times and was still only able to glean pieces of coherent thought. Also, one of my friends attends UC Santa Cruz, so I find myself wondering what Mr. Mackey would be like as a poetry teacher. It seems like he could have some very useful advice for our class of future poets. Overall, I am looking forward to the next few class periods.

I got a chance to work the Shakespeare performance on Friday night, and I have got to say it was awesome. Though I have seen "Romeo and Juliet" before a few times, I thought it was a wonderful rendition! There was a modern twist to it, with some contemporary songs as well. Though, like they told us in the workshop in class, they don't change the words at all, it is the expressions and interactions that they have changed for their performances. I also thought it was so interesting that the play was performed with lights on the audience. There were times when one of the actors actually came into the audience and sat next to me! They also seemed to be talking to us, and this gave the play an interesting feel.
On another note, I am excited to hear that Mackey will be coming to SLU next week and especially that he will get the chance to come into our class. Things like the Shakespeare workshop and author talks are one of the awesome things that we get to take advantage of here. I think it will be really interesting to talk to Mackey and hear what he has to share not only about some of his poems/works specifically, but also the life of a writer! Working in groups today gave us a chance to share our ideas and think of some questions for him on Tuesday. I personally have some questions about his form and the way that he chooses to display his work, and also what prompts the topics that he chooses to write about. Should be interesting, looking forward to it!

I have been trying to write a lot on my own. Using different styles to see what feels comfortable and what I can create, such as journaling, emphasizing random words from other works, listening to different kinds of music, to see what inspires me the most. I've also been going back through all of our class work and workshops before because I have really found those to be inspiring and well written by everyone. When I first signed up for this class I thought it would be more free write and handing in individual works but it has become more than that. I am surprised in a way how much the class has already opened my eyes and really challenged me. I was naive to the fact that there were so many different writing styles and how lots of them take a great deal of time to truly master. I guess it would be safe to say that this class has really broadened my view on poetry and made me analyze it more as I read it, really think about it; all it's parts and not just the words that make up the poem.

Live Theater

Following along on the theme of our last class and the Shakespeare workshop, I was the most intrigued by the question period we had at the end. I too believe that the opportunity to view live theater will fade away soon if we do not do something about it. With technology improving every day, it is so easy to lack an appreciation for theater productions that occur right before our eyes. It seems much easier to stay in your house, in your pajamas, with whatever drinks and snacks you choose, and watch whatever show you feel like on the television. However, from experience, I know that the sensation one feels after leaving a great live performance is much different, and much deeper, than after watching a movie or t.v. show. It feels as if you were actually a part of the production, and had an impact on how it turned out. This also brings up another point. That is, how although each night’s performance is from the same script, every show will turn out differently. This is unique to theatre, as a movie will be the same each time you watch it. These are some of the reasons why, as a community, we must support these types of productions when we are given the opportunity. Also, as actors or playwrights, these performances are great ones to be a part of and can be used to share one’s talents to others.