I am from a small farming town outside of Middlebury, VT. When I say small, I mean we have a dairy, church, elementary school, and gravy yard. Every other acre is covered in farm land. I grew up on my grandparents’ farm, my family living in the house on the hill. I grew up scaling cliffs and catching salamanders. Driving into Midd-town was a special treat that happened maybe once a week. For those of you who have never been to Midd, it is slightly larger than Canton. Maybe a better comparison is Potsdam.
My main focus of study here at SLU is in the ARTS. Although I am a Fine Arts major, I have taken classes that allow other forms of creative expression. I am very interested in learning about all types of creative outlets, such as different forms of writing, acting, or even religion. I believe that taking all of these other courses and seeing how other people are using their work to represent themselves, and learning what others are passionate about allows me to better represent myself in my studio work.
I find that while I am at school I have little time to do much else, although when I am at home I am able to pursue my hobbies. I live to hike. I have climbed to the top of almost every peak in VT. In High School I played soccer and lacrosse and snowboarded almost every weekend in the winter.
Having taken so many art courses, feedback is just part of the drill. At first it was hard hearing people talk about things that they didn’t like in my pieces, but the constructive criticism is def something I have gotten used to over time. I almost feel feedback in English courses is more of a necessity in order to better a piece because as the author you tend to get stuck and forget that there are other ways your story can be told.
As sad as this is, I don’t really read that much poetry. I’ve had to read various poets over the years, but no one has stuck out to me as influential or super amazing, or disgustingly bad. When I was in 6th grade I read the book Out of the Dust and was amazed that someone wrote an entire story in the form of poems. This isn’t to say, however, that I want to write poems that can be connected chronologically into a story. I want to write poems that make the reader think about what they just read; ones that could hold separate meanings to different people depending on their personal lexicons. I think poetry needs to be something that people can relate to, or can’t relate to for that matter. It needs to be thought provoking and I want to learn the tools to do this. I want someone to read my poem and see one meaning, but then have to read it again to find another. I want my poems to be like a Monet painting: a 2 in 1.
P.S. Mana = Dana. I had my identitu stolen once so I don't give my names to internet providers and neither should you!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Not sure of an appropriate title...Blog #1!
Well, this is my very first time blogging! Who knew it would occur during sophomore year for a class at SLU. My full name is Dylan Alexandra May Cutler, but I respond best to Dylan. I am here at SLU to study all sorts of science courses in order to hopefully get in (and through!) medical school. I am planning on majoring in Neuroscience, and getting a minor in Sports Science. This is because my two passions in life are sports and helping people. Therefore, I am determined to study sports medicine and became either an athletic therapist or doctor. I love the thrill and challenge involved in competitive athletics, and can’t stand being injured and consequentially, helplessly watching from the bench. This is why I want to prevent and treat athletes who have the similar passion for their sport that I do.
My home is in the beautiful province of British Columbia, on the west coast of CANADA. I live 5 minutes from a beach on the Pacific Ocean. I love everything about the ocean. Its sound, its view, its feel, its serenity all enchants me. I live in the tourist destination city named Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island. Activities common to the area include whale watching, fishing, skiing, snowboarding, water sports, hiking, camping and sailing.
Aside from writing, I think it is clear already that my interests and hobbies revolve around sports! I love and play field hockey here at SLU. I also love ice hockey and am hopelessly devoted to the Montreal Canadiens NHL hockey team. I have been with them through thick and thin! Maybe my love for hockey is a Canadian thing, but nonetheless, no one can deny how great of a battle a good hockey game is. I ALSO enjoy playing volleyball (wish I was taller) and soccer (wish I was Mia Hamm).
I have had mostly good experiences with feedback I have received for my writing because any bad feedback I receive I take easily and with the intention to improve upon my weaknesses. My best experience was probably when I was asked to read a poem I had written to the class, however, it could also count as a bad experience as I was very embarrassed to let everyone know my true feelings about a certain someone!
My favorite poem is ‘The Road Not Taken’ by Robert Frost. I find it very inspirational and easily relatable for many people as it conveys a message about making choices in life that are right for you, and not what others may have chosen. I also am a fan of the poet and rap artist Tupac Shakur. His poetry is not the most grammatically correct, but it definitely doesn’t lack meaning or purpose. He lived a very hard life and had to deal with a lot of adversity and family heartbreak. His poetry is straight from his experiences and inner feelings, which I admire and strive to produce.
In my opinion, good poetry is well-thought out, and has a strong message (or maybe multiple messages). It has symmetry in its thoughts from the start to end, and takes more than one read to take in every line and thought expressed.
In this class, I want to expand my knowledge on the classic poetry that has already been written, as well as become more comfortable about sharing my words and feelings with other people. I feel poetry is a means of expressing oneself in a constructive way that can also touch others. I look forward to sharing and learning from all my classmates!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
First Blog Entry
Hi Everyone! My name is Kathleen Kirby and I'm a sophomore at St. Lawrence. I'm planning on being an English major. I've always really enjoyed reading and writing from a very young age and during my senior year in high school I had an amazing English teacher that really made me realize how much I love the world of literature all of which helped me realize that it was something I wanted to seriously pursue here at college and for the rest of my life.
I'm from Wethersfield, Connecticut, which is a pretty average town as towns go. While I grew up in Wethersfield my whole life I went to an all girls boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut for all four years of high school. I really had a great experience there and if given a choice there really is not anything I would change about my upbringing. I have two older brothers and a younger sister and I’m very close with all of my family. The dynamic of my family has certainly influenced my lifestyle. I’m very outgoing and really like to be active all the time. In high school I played soccer, basketball and lacrosse and while I don’t play on a team here I still stay active by going on hikes and playing pickup games with my friends here.
I really think that receiving feedback on work that you do is only as helpful as you let it be. I don’t think that there is any sincere advice that shouldn’t be taken at least once. Even if you find that it is something that you don’t like or doesn’t really work well with you, it can still prove to be a learning experience as you discover what sorts of things you do and don’t like. Receiving advice and constructive criticism from others is amongst the most helpful things you can do for yourself not just as a writer or poet but also in life in general.
As someone else already mentioned I definitely am heavily influenced by music of all sorts. I love how rhythms and words can be combined to evoke such strong feelings within people whether it be to make people want to get up and dance or even to just provoke deep thoughts. I’m excited that we will be learning a lot about contemporary poets because historically I’m most familiar with the classic poets of the past. My favorite poets include Wordsworth, Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, T.S. Eliot and John Donne. I know that covers a pretty broad range of poets and types of poetry however I love them all for different reasons. I love Wordsworth’s romanticism and I consider myself a true romantic at heart and love feeling a connection to his words. What I love about Emily Dickinson’s poetry is that it was purely written for herself and I feel as though the genuineness of her words is so unique to her poetry. I love Elizabeth Bishop and how personable her writing is. Whenever I read anything that she has written I feel like I am her only audience and she is almost confiding in me and explaining things to me in a way that she wants me to understand them. My favorite poem of hers would definitely have to be One Art. It exemplifies everything that I love about Elizabeth Bishop and the sophisticated way she maintains a sense of colloquialism in conveying her thoughts. I think good poetry is able to truly take you out of your own mind and allow you to see something from a completely separate perspective than your own. I truly enjoy feeling like I can appreciate the way someone else sees something because it allows you to feel more compassionate and less ego-centric. In this sense, good poetry can make you feel good about yourself. I’m looking forward to learning more about contemporary poetry, which is something that I really know very little about. Also, after being a part of the first class I am now truly looking forward to learning to be a better critic. Historically I’ve been taught to always look at poetry holistically and as a final product and I look forward to learning to analyze more in depth and even learn to scrutinize poetry which is something that I have very little experience doing. Can’t wait for this class to meet again! ☺
I'm from Wethersfield, Connecticut, which is a pretty average town as towns go. While I grew up in Wethersfield my whole life I went to an all girls boarding school in Simsbury, Connecticut for all four years of high school. I really had a great experience there and if given a choice there really is not anything I would change about my upbringing. I have two older brothers and a younger sister and I’m very close with all of my family. The dynamic of my family has certainly influenced my lifestyle. I’m very outgoing and really like to be active all the time. In high school I played soccer, basketball and lacrosse and while I don’t play on a team here I still stay active by going on hikes and playing pickup games with my friends here.
I really think that receiving feedback on work that you do is only as helpful as you let it be. I don’t think that there is any sincere advice that shouldn’t be taken at least once. Even if you find that it is something that you don’t like or doesn’t really work well with you, it can still prove to be a learning experience as you discover what sorts of things you do and don’t like. Receiving advice and constructive criticism from others is amongst the most helpful things you can do for yourself not just as a writer or poet but also in life in general.
As someone else already mentioned I definitely am heavily influenced by music of all sorts. I love how rhythms and words can be combined to evoke such strong feelings within people whether it be to make people want to get up and dance or even to just provoke deep thoughts. I’m excited that we will be learning a lot about contemporary poets because historically I’m most familiar with the classic poets of the past. My favorite poets include Wordsworth, Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, T.S. Eliot and John Donne. I know that covers a pretty broad range of poets and types of poetry however I love them all for different reasons. I love Wordsworth’s romanticism and I consider myself a true romantic at heart and love feeling a connection to his words. What I love about Emily Dickinson’s poetry is that it was purely written for herself and I feel as though the genuineness of her words is so unique to her poetry. I love Elizabeth Bishop and how personable her writing is. Whenever I read anything that she has written I feel like I am her only audience and she is almost confiding in me and explaining things to me in a way that she wants me to understand them. My favorite poem of hers would definitely have to be One Art. It exemplifies everything that I love about Elizabeth Bishop and the sophisticated way she maintains a sense of colloquialism in conveying her thoughts. I think good poetry is able to truly take you out of your own mind and allow you to see something from a completely separate perspective than your own. I truly enjoy feeling like I can appreciate the way someone else sees something because it allows you to feel more compassionate and less ego-centric. In this sense, good poetry can make you feel good about yourself. I’m looking forward to learning more about contemporary poetry, which is something that I really know very little about. Also, after being a part of the first class I am now truly looking forward to learning to be a better critic. Historically I’ve been taught to always look at poetry holistically and as a final product and I look forward to learning to analyze more in depth and even learn to scrutinize poetry which is something that I have very little experience doing. Can’t wait for this class to meet again! ☺
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A Few Honest Details
Hey, everyone! My name is Shaunie, but you can also call me Shaun if you like. Other than that, let's just jump into things.
My mother told me all while I was growing up that “actions speak louder than words.” She would say this whenever I apologized or told her I loved her after a bad fight, arguing that if I was truly sorry, I would change my patterns of behavior. I didn’t know at the time, but have come to realize upon growing older that this is the definition of integrity: when our actions match the sentences that fall from our lips.
It does no good to say I believe in tolerance if I myself do not get up in the morning to be tolerant – to say I value compassion if in my day-to-day routine I do not strive to be compassionate. So, yes, ironically, I am an English Writing major who was raised to believe actions are more valuable than any form of rhetoric. Why, then, am I studying writing? Why bother? Well, because the discipline is what allows me to challenge my values – my integrity. To constantly question if I am being honest, and if I really believe what I am rhapsodizing about at any given point in time. The feeling I get when I realize the words I have printed on a page are in allegiance with my soul – well, there is no better sense of peace or way to know myself. Good writing, I think, has integrity and rings true. That’s why it’s the business I’m in, and I think it’s also a big part of the reason readers are so often able to emotionally connect with verse.
And so, here is a little bit of what I can honesty about my upbringing. My hometown, Plattsburgh, is, like Canton, located in the North Country. I accredit this fact as the reason I had the kind of childhood you read about on the back of cute paperback novels. During the summertime I walked to my friends houses and rapped on their windows to get them outside. We used to go down to the Saranac River and swim in water that had no business being swum in, sneak downtown at hours of the night that probably shouldn’t have been safe, but never, that I know of, did any of us any harm – but may very well have made good gossip for the neighbors. And so, you see, as true as it is that I can’t count the number of times growing up that I have said I couldn’t wait to get away from Plattsburgh, New York, and as much as I still say it, I will always be thankful for the kind of adolescence it provided me; because of it, I definitely have some good stories to tell.
Aside from writing I enjoy long walks with no destination in mind, car rides with music blared and the windows rolled down, leisurely swimming, event planning, activism, philosophical conversations with strangers that become friends, and, of course, the journey that allows such a phenomenon to occur. I more elite language, I guess I am interested in all varieties of the human condition. People, more so than words, books, or anything else, are what I care about. We are here, in my opinion, to be kind to each other and “pay it forward.”
What I most hope to gain from taking Techniques of Poetry is to further learn how to write poems that seem to ring true and therefore prove powerful; how to use poetry as a concise way to eloquently tell a story that could otherwise be told with many more, but less potent words. Because poetry, shorter than prose, forces us to choose our language carefully, evaluating not only their denotative value, but their connotative value as well, again holding us accountable -- challenging us to be as clear as we can with language, which, though is an inherently imperfect form of communication, is the only one we have. Concision has always been a challenge for me, and my lack of skill at practicing it has always been the major criticism others apply to my writing, which has otherwise most often been called “strong.” That being said, I hope to be able to say a lot more with a lot fewer words by the end of the semester.
And last, but not least, the influences I draw from. When I think of my favorite poets I immediately think of a certain piece by Adrienne Rich, called “An Atlas from the Difficult World”, and, of one of its sections in particular:
“I know you are reading this poem as you pace beside the stove
warming milk, a crying child on your shoulder, a book in your
hand
because life is short and you too are thirsty.”
It’s difficult to articulate exactly what it is I love about those words, but I think my fondness for them has something to do a love for art and life that, to some, might at times seem self righteous, but to the artist, is interpreted purely as passion – as hunger, or thirst, and the need to fulfill it. That’s a big part of the reason I keep on writing.
Just A Little About Me...
Hi everyone! My name is Samantha Markovitz and I am a sophomore here at SLU. Don’t be shy, you can call me Sam, Sammie or ever Slammin’ Sam if you would like. I am from Los Angeles California, but I was born in Philadelphia and lived in St. Louis Missouri for 16 years, so I am not your typical “Cali Girl”. Living in L.A is how you see it on T.V; pretty blond girls, fit hunky tan men, nice cars, amazing houses and celebs walking around like normal people. It is surreal to live there after growing up in the Midwest and very humbling when I come to school up in the North Country, but I know that if I would never have moved to L.A because of my fathers job, I wouldn’t have found SLU or be the person I am today.
Ever since I was little my dad used to take our family on adventures; hiking, biking, and anything that was active. A huge part of my life is spending time outdoors and exploring. I have spent many summers exploring the country hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and white water rafting. Besides loving to spend time outdoors I like to give back and volunteer if I can get the chance to. I also love photography, laughing, and smilingJ.
I am not sure what I would like to study yet, but because of my love for the outdoors I am thinking about studying Environmental Studies. I think I would like it because it is interesting to me and in today’s world we have many problems with the environment and I would love to help out and make a difference.
For my writing career, considering I haven’t done much of it, I have gotten a bit of both negative and positive feedback. I get frustrated with myself when I get bad feedback, but I never get discouraged so I guess you could say I have never had a bad experience. Each experience is different, and it is all part of the learning process for me.
One of my favorite poets is E.E. Cummings for quite a strange reason, or it might be for some. My favorite poem is I Carry Your Heart With Me because every time I read it I think of my sister. There is a movie called In Her Shoes, which is about sisters and she reads it at her wedding and ever since then I cry every time I read it. It means so much to me, not just because it was read in the movie, but because of its content. The way he writes really speaks to me because I feel as if he is speaking directly to me. I also like Elizabeth Bishop, especially One Art, again because I can resonate with her poems.
Poetry is a great source of reflection. Poetry can also be a type of therapy, private or public. It is a good way to express your feelings and learn more about yourself or others. I hope to learn more about myself, more about my abilities as a writer and as a person. I have always used poetry to express myself and I want to push my boundaries and step outside the box to see just how far I can really grow.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Bonjour, tout le monde!
As I have grown older, I have developed such an appreciation for learning about the world I live in. Over years, I have learned to utilize my creativity in a manner in which I can express myself in this coming of age life of mine. I am planning on declaring a double major in English-Creative Writing and French. When I was younger, I developed a love affair with literature and expressing my creativity through the use of words. Reading books and novels with a careful eye gives me incredible insight into worlds much different than mine. I also like to channel my inspiration from works into my own personal writing. I also enjoy experiencing the richness of other cultures through travel and reading. Although I have never gone to France, I am captivated by the unique elegance of the French culture and language. The French language possesses a lovely soul, similar to the strong spirit built inside every French citizen. It is, in essence, beautiful. From the richness of the sounds that roll off the tip of your tongue to the unique idioms and witty phrases that are distinct to the language, the sophistication of the French has had an impact on many writers from around the world. Last year, I decided that I want to become fluent in French. I plan on studying abroad in France during autumn of junior year, but I may decide to study there for the entire year after seeing how I adjust to living in France. I hope to write a great deal about my experiences while I’m living outside America.
I am from a small suburb in Northern New Jersey, approximately 20 minutes outside New York City. In all honesty, it’s somewhat mundane to live here. There are a lot of wealthy people who like to flaunt their money, and there is so much being developed (more “improved” buildings and houses, etc.), that it is getting to a point where there is too much development. All of this can be somewhat frustrating at moments (especially if I’ve just read a work by Thoreau or something of that sort). However, there are a few treasures near the town I live in. We have some relaxing hiking trails in the Ramapo Mountain Reservation, which give me an opportunity to unwind and seclude myself from the overwhelming force of modernity. Although I enjoy the outdoors, I do love to travel into the colorful and diverse New York City from time to time. It is especially convenient since it’s only a train stop away from where I live.
Aside from writing, I thoroughly enjoy baking and cooking. I love to bake desserts, and it is really rewarding to see friends and family enjoying the food I prepare for them. I also like to snowboard during the winter, knit, read, spend time outside, and most of all, relax and talk with friends. I believe we can learn the most from those we care about the most, so I try to spend a great deal of time with those people. I’m also really interested in art history, so I love going to museums and reading on the subject.
I often received constructive criticism or some form of praise on my written works that others have read (or graded for class). I haven’t had “bad” experiences necessarily, but there have been times when I’ve felt the way I prepared my work was to the best of my abilities and something to feel proud of, only to feel crushed by hard, yet suggestive criticisms. Those incidences lead me to question my ability to write. When it comes to giving feedback to others, I can look back on my experience working on my high school’s literary magazine staff. I try to give constructive suggestions when giving feedback, but I prefer to arrange my critiques softly rather than in a blunt and super direct way.
I am highly influenced by musicians because they represent an element of wildness and liberation that I love. If I had to choose the three lyricists that I consider my favorites, I would say Jim Morrison of The Doors, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin. Their words beautifully portray the strongest emotions a human being can feel—love and pain. I also love to read e.e. cummings because of his abstract structure, and I also enjoy the British romantics, like William Wordsworth and Lord Byron. Shel Silverstein writes really playful and fun poems, and I find those great to read as well.
Good poetry is good. Why? It is interesting to read because of its imaginative imagery and ability to connect with my experiences and feelings. I feel the most inspired by a poem when I can relate to the feelings described in it. In this class, I would like to expand my creative horizons and develop more imaginative imagery than I have been using. I also hope to work on writing poetry that “fits in the box” (I’m not one who holds an affinity for using formal/specific structures when writing poetry), and eventually begin to enjoy it. I want to learn to be a better writer, one that is adept at using constructive feedback, knowledgeable about analyzing poetry, and is willing to put forth the effort to create powerful and imaginative poetry.
I am from a small suburb in Northern New Jersey, approximately 20 minutes outside New York City. In all honesty, it’s somewhat mundane to live here. There are a lot of wealthy people who like to flaunt their money, and there is so much being developed (more “improved” buildings and houses, etc.), that it is getting to a point where there is too much development. All of this can be somewhat frustrating at moments (especially if I’ve just read a work by Thoreau or something of that sort). However, there are a few treasures near the town I live in. We have some relaxing hiking trails in the Ramapo Mountain Reservation, which give me an opportunity to unwind and seclude myself from the overwhelming force of modernity. Although I enjoy the outdoors, I do love to travel into the colorful and diverse New York City from time to time. It is especially convenient since it’s only a train stop away from where I live.
Aside from writing, I thoroughly enjoy baking and cooking. I love to bake desserts, and it is really rewarding to see friends and family enjoying the food I prepare for them. I also like to snowboard during the winter, knit, read, spend time outside, and most of all, relax and talk with friends. I believe we can learn the most from those we care about the most, so I try to spend a great deal of time with those people. I’m also really interested in art history, so I love going to museums and reading on the subject.
I often received constructive criticism or some form of praise on my written works that others have read (or graded for class). I haven’t had “bad” experiences necessarily, but there have been times when I’ve felt the way I prepared my work was to the best of my abilities and something to feel proud of, only to feel crushed by hard, yet suggestive criticisms. Those incidences lead me to question my ability to write. When it comes to giving feedback to others, I can look back on my experience working on my high school’s literary magazine staff. I try to give constructive suggestions when giving feedback, but I prefer to arrange my critiques softly rather than in a blunt and super direct way.
I am highly influenced by musicians because they represent an element of wildness and liberation that I love. If I had to choose the three lyricists that I consider my favorites, I would say Jim Morrison of The Doors, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin, and Janis Joplin. Their words beautifully portray the strongest emotions a human being can feel—love and pain. I also love to read e.e. cummings because of his abstract structure, and I also enjoy the British romantics, like William Wordsworth and Lord Byron. Shel Silverstein writes really playful and fun poems, and I find those great to read as well.
Good poetry is good. Why? It is interesting to read because of its imaginative imagery and ability to connect with my experiences and feelings. I feel the most inspired by a poem when I can relate to the feelings described in it. In this class, I would like to expand my creative horizons and develop more imaginative imagery than I have been using. I also hope to work on writing poetry that “fits in the box” (I’m not one who holds an affinity for using formal/specific structures when writing poetry), and eventually begin to enjoy it. I want to learn to be a better writer, one that is adept at using constructive feedback, knowledgeable about analyzing poetry, and is willing to put forth the effort to create powerful and imaginative poetry.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Intro Blog Entry
Hello everyone,
My name is Gary Gilmond and I am sophomore here at SLU. As of right now I do not have a particular major chosen, but I am following the pre-medicine track and I am currently leaning towards becoming a Neuroscience major. I love the science classes I study for several reasons, the largest being that I am fascinated at learning the specifics of how our world works, especially the human body and mind. However, the true reason I want to become doctor is to help and work with people, which I consider my strongest passion. I am originally from the tiny town of Georgia, Vermont. It is a beautiful small town that’s very secluded and peaceful, and is a great place to just get away. My hobbies besides occasional writing would definitely be playing games, reading, listening to music, and taking long walks or drives.
When it comes to writer’s feedback I have had a lot of good and bad experiences on my work. One memory I can recall in particular was when was doing peer review exercise with a fellow student in a high school biology class, and when I told her that she could make her hypothesis a little more clear in her first paragraph, she simply stared at me then said “well your paper needs the same thing!” and scribbled all over my own paper after telling me just moments ago it sounded fine. Nevertheless, I have had my share of good feedback as well from peers, and I owe a lot of better grades to their help and support.
No doubt my favorite poet and largest influence on my poetry is Edgar Allen Poe. When it comes to poetry I must admit that I am a hopeless romantic. Well, maybe not entirely, but I do have tremendous respect for the poets of the Romantic era. What I admire most about Poe’s work is his incredible symbolism and use of diction to create such powerful and deep stories. If I had to pick a close second favorite poet it would be Robert Frost. Partly out of state pride knowing he got much his inspiration from visiting, and living in Vermont, but also for his amazing diction and imagery in his work.
What’s good about good poetry is that it makes you think, feel, see, taste, and sometimes even smell what someone else experiences. Good poetry allows you to step into someone else’s thoughts and dreams and wonder what makes them different from your own. But most importantly, good poetry leaves you with more questions than answers, and pulls you in for another read.
What I truly want to learn in this class is how to more effectively and efficiently grasp my audience in my poetry. I want to learn the different techniques of how to express my speaker’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences to my audience without losing them in a sea of abstract words (or random metaphors ).
Finally I look forward to working with all of you in the future; I hope together we can expand each other’s skills in writing poetry. I’ll see you all on Tuesday.
-Gary
My name is Gary Gilmond and I am sophomore here at SLU. As of right now I do not have a particular major chosen, but I am following the pre-medicine track and I am currently leaning towards becoming a Neuroscience major. I love the science classes I study for several reasons, the largest being that I am fascinated at learning the specifics of how our world works, especially the human body and mind. However, the true reason I want to become doctor is to help and work with people, which I consider my strongest passion. I am originally from the tiny town of Georgia, Vermont. It is a beautiful small town that’s very secluded and peaceful, and is a great place to just get away. My hobbies besides occasional writing would definitely be playing games, reading, listening to music, and taking long walks or drives.
When it comes to writer’s feedback I have had a lot of good and bad experiences on my work. One memory I can recall in particular was when was doing peer review exercise with a fellow student in a high school biology class, and when I told her that she could make her hypothesis a little more clear in her first paragraph, she simply stared at me then said “well your paper needs the same thing!” and scribbled all over my own paper after telling me just moments ago it sounded fine. Nevertheless, I have had my share of good feedback as well from peers, and I owe a lot of better grades to their help and support.
No doubt my favorite poet and largest influence on my poetry is Edgar Allen Poe. When it comes to poetry I must admit that I am a hopeless romantic. Well, maybe not entirely, but I do have tremendous respect for the poets of the Romantic era. What I admire most about Poe’s work is his incredible symbolism and use of diction to create such powerful and deep stories. If I had to pick a close second favorite poet it would be Robert Frost. Partly out of state pride knowing he got much his inspiration from visiting, and living in Vermont, but also for his amazing diction and imagery in his work.
What’s good about good poetry is that it makes you think, feel, see, taste, and sometimes even smell what someone else experiences. Good poetry allows you to step into someone else’s thoughts and dreams and wonder what makes them different from your own. But most importantly, good poetry leaves you with more questions than answers, and pulls you in for another read.
What I truly want to learn in this class is how to more effectively and efficiently grasp my audience in my poetry. I want to learn the different techniques of how to express my speaker’s thoughts, emotions, and experiences to my audience without losing them in a sea of abstract words (or random metaphors ).
Finally I look forward to working with all of you in the future; I hope together we can expand each other’s skills in writing poetry. I’ll see you all on Tuesday.
-Gary
Introduction Blog
My main academic interests are Asian Studies and Anthropology, as well as Environmental Science. I like Asian studies, China in particular, because of the long and exciting history as well as the different philosophies, religions, and cultures that reside there. Chinese history, philosophy, and literature are my primary interests. I’m from Southborough Massachusetts- about 45 minutes from Boston- which, is primarily a rural suburb. Although I live in Southborough, I attended Brookline High School, a significantly different environment than Southborough. Brookline is right near Boston and is therefore more urban and diverse. Brookline has a very diverse population, which includes international students as well as inner city students. My main hobbies are reading and Native American crafts, moccasins in particular. From what I can remember in High School, the feedback I received was pretty good, but the creative writing class I took wasn’t too demanding with poetry. I don’t feel I really gained a true grasp on the workings of poetry and expressing the ideas I had in mind. One of my favorite poets is Li Po, a Chinese poet from around 700 C.E. who has uses great imagery and expresses grand as well as more personal themes. I would like to be able to do similar things in my poetry, to be able to be creative with imagery yet to also make a discernible point. There are poems from the Han Dynasty in China that are very good as well, however, all of them are anonymous so I can’t pinpoint any poets in particular. Most of these poems are very simple, but yet in being simple they also really grasp the essence of what they’re discussing, my favorite being love poems. Matsuo Basho, a very famous Japanese writer of haikus, is also very skilled at getting to the core of a feeling or an idea in just the few lines a haiku offers. He does an excellent job at illustrating the feeling of a landscape. He selects the most important and accurate words without being clouded with unnecessary words or adjectives. I would also like to be able to get to the “essence” and feeling of situations and landscapes in my poetry. Good poetry has great imagery and adjectives that accurately express the desired impression or theme. In this class I would like to learn how to effectively express feelings and themes through creative language and poem structure. I would like to be able to learn different styles of poetry as well as their benefits and main difficulties in accurately expressing ideas and feelings. I would like to avoid cliché and overused imagery while also being able to express my ideas truthfully.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Yada Yada Yada. Lullaby and Good Night, Folks!!
I have a fairly wide range of interests. I study as much as I can, particularly: physics, astronomy, and meteorology; visual art, all sorts of theater, performing and composing music; subjects relating to psychology, anthropology, other people stuff; sports and outdoor related subjects; foreign languages- currently French, German, and Spanish (in order of my proficiency level in each); and of course, English! Obviously I don’t always have time for all of the above, so there is a good deal of shuffling involved.
I will be declaring as an English Literature major in the spring. I enjoy English because it is a complex system and so much fun to play around with. Painting my thoughts for other people is one of my favorite things. Also, finding the patterns from language to language, the formulas in the grammar and word structure, all the linguistic patterns and pronunciations, fascinates me.
I grew up and went to school in Aspen, Colorado. I know the stereotype of Aspen is a resort where just EVERYONE is wealthy…but most of the permanent residents are actually somewhere in the middle-class range, and we have a slight hippie/granola/wilderness tinge to our culture. I am a mountain girl to the core and there is little I like better than being outdoors, away from the sounds of cities and human endeavors. The high mountains, snow fields…anywhere nature is untouched, where people are one with nature rather than attempting to dominate it…that is where I feel at home. I love the Roaring Fork Valley (where Aspen is), and I have been skiing both alpine and cross-country since I was two-and-a-half years old.
My interests span quite a lot: I enjoy most athletic activities and love to sweat; love working with my hands, whether building or working in a garden or cooking; and enjoy all of the arts. One of my more unusual interests is my adoration for Indy Car racing.
Feedback can be tricky, given that we creative beings are so protective of our ideas. The best feedback, in my opinion, consists of open suggestions for improvement on things like structure. One would hope that we don’t have boring inspirations. Bad feedback comes from someone trying to criticize or make suggestions in a field they are untrained in, and underestimating the intelligence of others. I once had a middle school teacher who was convinced that the fact that he was an adult and we in his class were children made it necessary for him to talk down and condescend to us. Or, for example: when a professor with a science degree but no English degree criticizes the writing technique of a student that has had only positive feedback from English professors for their technique, that can be a bit grating.
Possibly my greatest inspiration is Robert Frost. His perspective was so unique, and so implicitly appreciative of such unconventional things that I cannot help but be awed every time I read his work. One of my favorite poems of his is My November Guest. I also enjoy Robert Herrick and John Donne, and of course, Shakespeare.
I believe with conviction in the idea that if you write with great emotion, your reader will read with great emotion. Passion attaches itself to poetry and comes out in the reading. Poetry that is implicit and chock-full of puzzles is fabulous too; I love the simple semantic games in Theodore Geisel’s and Ogden Nash’s works. Though she writes prose, J.K. Rowling is one of my favorite writers because of her ability to write in a common, simple tone while filling her books with all sorts of hidden intricacies and details- allowing readers to go through the books again and again, discovering something new each time. I am, so to speak, a "Potter-head". (I find Harry the character somewhat aggravating, despite my fondness for the series.)
I have taken creative writing classes before, and can unintentionally be a bit obstinate, having difficulty with someone else assigning me a prompt from which to write. However, I figure that one way to prove that I can write as well as I would like to think I can is by learning to write structured poetry- just to say I can. Essentially, I am taking Techniques of Poetry to absorb more knowledge from which to subconsciously draw in the future.
This is a fairly dry ‘blog post’, I know…blah, blah, blah, I think this, I think that…it will get less stiff in the future.
I will be declaring as an English Literature major in the spring. I enjoy English because it is a complex system and so much fun to play around with. Painting my thoughts for other people is one of my favorite things. Also, finding the patterns from language to language, the formulas in the grammar and word structure, all the linguistic patterns and pronunciations, fascinates me.
I grew up and went to school in Aspen, Colorado. I know the stereotype of Aspen is a resort where just EVERYONE is wealthy…but most of the permanent residents are actually somewhere in the middle-class range, and we have a slight hippie/granola/wilderness tinge to our culture. I am a mountain girl to the core and there is little I like better than being outdoors, away from the sounds of cities and human endeavors. The high mountains, snow fields…anywhere nature is untouched, where people are one with nature rather than attempting to dominate it…that is where I feel at home. I love the Roaring Fork Valley (where Aspen is), and I have been skiing both alpine and cross-country since I was two-and-a-half years old.
My interests span quite a lot: I enjoy most athletic activities and love to sweat; love working with my hands, whether building or working in a garden or cooking; and enjoy all of the arts. One of my more unusual interests is my adoration for Indy Car racing.
Feedback can be tricky, given that we creative beings are so protective of our ideas. The best feedback, in my opinion, consists of open suggestions for improvement on things like structure. One would hope that we don’t have boring inspirations. Bad feedback comes from someone trying to criticize or make suggestions in a field they are untrained in, and underestimating the intelligence of others. I once had a middle school teacher who was convinced that the fact that he was an adult and we in his class were children made it necessary for him to talk down and condescend to us. Or, for example: when a professor with a science degree but no English degree criticizes the writing technique of a student that has had only positive feedback from English professors for their technique, that can be a bit grating.
Possibly my greatest inspiration is Robert Frost. His perspective was so unique, and so implicitly appreciative of such unconventional things that I cannot help but be awed every time I read his work. One of my favorite poems of his is My November Guest. I also enjoy Robert Herrick and John Donne, and of course, Shakespeare.
I believe with conviction in the idea that if you write with great emotion, your reader will read with great emotion. Passion attaches itself to poetry and comes out in the reading. Poetry that is implicit and chock-full of puzzles is fabulous too; I love the simple semantic games in Theodore Geisel’s and Ogden Nash’s works. Though she writes prose, J.K. Rowling is one of my favorite writers because of her ability to write in a common, simple tone while filling her books with all sorts of hidden intricacies and details- allowing readers to go through the books again and again, discovering something new each time. I am, so to speak, a "Potter-head". (I find Harry the character somewhat aggravating, despite my fondness for the series.)
I have taken creative writing classes before, and can unintentionally be a bit obstinate, having difficulty with someone else assigning me a prompt from which to write. However, I figure that one way to prove that I can write as well as I would like to think I can is by learning to write structured poetry- just to say I can. Essentially, I am taking Techniques of Poetry to absorb more knowledge from which to subconsciously draw in the future.
This is a fairly dry ‘blog post’, I know…blah, blah, blah, I think this, I think that…it will get less stiff in the future.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
First Blog Entry: To be completed before class Tuesday, Sept. 1
Length: at least 450 words
• Here you are on our class blog. Log in to contribute. If it doesn’t want to let you post to the blog, email me and remind me to add you as a contributor!
• Make your first blog entry. In that entry, please spend at least 450 words answering the following questions:
• What are you studying, and why do you like it?
• Where are you from, and what’s it like there?
• Aside from writing, what are your interests and hobbies?
• Have you had good or bad experiences getting feedback on your work? What were they?
• Who are your influences? Name some poets, living or dead, whose work you admire (and try to articulate what you admire about them). A poet you detest can also be an influence--if you can articulate how you want to write differently from him.
• What’s good about good poetry?
• What do you hope to learn in this class? (Don’t be lame and say, “I want to learn to write better poems.” Be more specific than that.)
• Don't forget that you also need to bring a written response to the workshop checklist to class Tuesday--we'll be running a practice workshop on Sylvia Plath's "The Arrival of the Bee Box."
• Here you are on our class blog. Log in to contribute. If it doesn’t want to let you post to the blog, email me and remind me to add you as a contributor!
• Make your first blog entry. In that entry, please spend at least 450 words answering the following questions:
• What are you studying, and why do you like it?
• Where are you from, and what’s it like there?
• Aside from writing, what are your interests and hobbies?
• Have you had good or bad experiences getting feedback on your work? What were they?
• Who are your influences? Name some poets, living or dead, whose work you admire (and try to articulate what you admire about them). A poet you detest can also be an influence--if you can articulate how you want to write differently from him.
• What’s good about good poetry?
• What do you hope to learn in this class? (Don’t be lame and say, “I want to learn to write better poems.” Be more specific than that.)
• Don't forget that you also need to bring a written response to the workshop checklist to class Tuesday--we'll be running a practice workshop on Sylvia Plath's "The Arrival of the Bee Box."
Blogging for English 242A
You can create a new post by clicking on "new post" in the upper right-hand corner of the screen, or by clicking "new post" under Techniques of Poetry in your blogger.com dashboard. Posting your posts as posts, rather than as comments, is really better--because then people can comment on your posts!
The blog is a curious, hybrid form--somewhere between private journaling and public journalism--so it’s fitting that in this course it fulfills a couple of different functions. To a certain extent, you can treat the course blog as a kind of writing journal--a place where you make note of ideas, images, sounds, and notions that are exerting influence on your creative life, where you articulate questions you hope to write through, where early drafts of your poems first coalesce. At the same time, though, this blog is a shared space, one in which you place your ideas in dialogue with your peers’. It’s a space where you can do a kind of thinking “aloud”--where you can collaborate, brainstorm, debate, support and challenge one another. It’s an informal extension of the classroom discussion space, and a jumping-off point from which you (individually or as a group) can also get involved in the larger literary debates bouncing around the poetry blogosphere. Printing out your and others’ recent contributions to the blog and bringing them to class with you may also help you organize your thoughts and participate more meaningfully in our discussions.
Each week, please contribute 200 words to the class blog before class time on Tuesday--unless otherwise directed. For example, this week I’d like you to contribute 450 words. This week I’m asking you some questions to get your blogging started, but usually you’ll be free to write about whatever you’d like (as long as it’s related to class discussion, to your outside reading about poetic discussions, or to your creative writing life). Responding to your classmates’ posts can be a great way to avoid writer’s block and to keep the conversation rolling!
Please remember that the blog is a public forum. Don’t write anything here you’re not okay with your professors, your grandma, and your future employers reading. Broaching touchy, tense, or vexed topics is okay and even encouraged--and feel free to be completely honest--but remember to do so with respect.
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