First Blog- Tech. of Poetry

Hi poetry peers! My name is Tory Ault and I am a junior here at SLU. This past Spring I declared as a Psychology major and Sociology minor. I've always found myself to be fascinated by people and what makes them different and have had a constant desire to help people; therefore I found it only natural once I got to college to gravitate towards both academic subjects. It intrigues me to find out how society works and the different ways our brains operate. I personally suffer from ADD and depression, so learning more about how my brain psychologically works and deals with these two issues, has also been a major attraction for me to the Psychology major.
I am from Stratford, CT. Most people don't know where that is or have ever heard of it, but it is in Fairfield County, bordered by Bridgeport and Shelton, CT and ten minutes away from Fairfield, CT (which more people recognize). Stratford is a pretty average, small town and not very exciting. We have the usual teenagers who like to hangout by the 7-Eleven at night and the more elderly crowd who are the only ones present at our Thursday evening orchestra concerts at 7pm. We do however have a diverse community which I like. This is largely because we border Bridgeport who has a large population of Blacks and Hispanics. Therefore, going to public school all my life, I have always been surrounded by my peer's numbers being half Black or Hispanic and half White; which is pretty different than here on campus. My town is nice and a good place to grow-up as a kid, however, I can't see myself there forever.
Aside from writing poems and lyrics, I enjoy playing sports. Ever since I was 3 years old, I've been involved in sports, whether it is gymnastics, softball, soccer, basketball, tennis, or track. I love being active and physical, getting the adrenaline pumping and creating those endorphins. As of right now, my main activities include working out and running, and playing tennis here at SLU. Besides sports, my interests include photography, the beach, hiking, animals and socializing with friends. I like to think I'm a very open-minded person and therefore, I am always looking for new experiences and new people to try them with.
As other people have mentioned in their blogs, I too have had both good and bad experiences with getting feedback on my work. I can think of a dozen for both sides, but I also think feedback is part of the process and is not something I necessarily allow to get to me. Over the years I have certainly had my fair share of teachers tell me that I need to work on my writing skills, with changing tenses or organization of the paper, ect. These are things that I consider and always check now as I write, and am actually grateful for the constructive criticism because I know my writing is never perfect and I am always looking to improve.
To be honest I have read a number of poems over the years, in and out of school. However, there are not many specific poets that I have come across that have stood out to me, it's sad I know. The names that do come to mind are Whitman, Angelou, Frost and Cummings. Most of the poems I have actually read by these poets, however, I must admit that some of the poems I enjoy from them are actually quoted in movies I've seen, like Whitman and Cummings. As mentioned by another peer, one of my favorites from Cummings is "Carry your with me", read in the movie, In Her Shoes, which also reminds me of my relationship with my sister.
I think one of the most important parts for me, in considering good poetry, is whether or not it captivates me. Poetry for me is a release and an escape; therefore I like reading poetry that allows me to feel what the writer is feeling or see what he/she is describing. Good poetry is poetry that touches my heart and soul and something that I could read over and over, and still get the same goosebumps or emotions as I did the first time reading it.
I'm hoping to learn how to write poetry that doesn't necessarily rhyme but is still captivating and meaningful. I'm also hoping to learn from this calss, how to write outside of my emotions, maybe more about my surroundings, other people or the world. When I write I feel I am stuck in one dimension or category, and I would like to learn and be challenged to think outside the box and learn the different techniques of poetry.
- Tory