In the Reactions section of the Nov/Dec 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine, I read, “Much of the advice and coaching I offer to undergraduate students who are contemplating MFA programs is to take some time to think about what they actually want out of it, to reach out to people who teach at certain programs or thoseContinue reading “The Reach of Poetry”
Tag Archives: writers
A Poem Ponders a Question
The word “question” comes up often in the Nov/Dec 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine. The editor’s note starts with a question, “What is the future of independent publishing?” He writes, “That was the question I asked the eight industry leaders whose answer-essays are featured in this issue’s special section. It was, of course, a rhetorical question. .Continue reading “A Poem Ponders a Question”
Poetry’s Power of Perspective & a Pantoum
In The Literary Life section of the Sept/Oct 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine, Steve Almond wrote an article called “Manuals for Living: What Our Favorite Novels Teach Us About Ourselves. He says he rereads Stoner (assoc link) by John Williams (1965) “an alarming percentage of his time.” In the article he writes, “And so I read theContinue reading “Poetry’s Power of Perspective & a Pantoum”
Poetry as Ordinary Observations of Opposites
After yesterday’s discussion of novelty, the word “ordinary” stood out to me in the Sept/Oct 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine. In The Literary Life section article “Historical Fiction: The Pleasures and Perils of Writing About Other Eras” by Christina Baker Kline and Lisa Gornick. Kline mentions a New Yorker piece in which Jill Lepore writes, “Fiction canContinue reading “Poetry as Ordinary Observations of Opposites”
Poems as Novelty Detectors
In the Editor’s Note of the July/August 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine, Kevin Latimer wrote, “. . . it made me appreciate how easily the human ear can block out background noise. (It’s a built in function of the brain, specifically the “novelty detector” neurons, which store information about patterns of sound and stop firing if aContinue reading “Poems as Novelty Detectors”
Poetry’s Music
Music was mentioned several times in the July/August 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine. In the Note from the editor, he writes, “So when you’re having that engaging conversation in a crowded restaurant, the babel of other voices, the music, the clatter all recede into the background. . . . In the poetry prompt, “Happy Babbling,” it says,Continue reading “Poetry’s Music”
Art Poetry
After my week went terribly wrong and I was feeling very down, I bought myself: (assoc. links) the Schylling Marblescope Kaleidoscope, and the The Artist Magnetic Poetry Kit, but in my haste to get it as soon as I could, I didn’t check the address, and sent it to my house instead of where IContinue reading “Art Poetry”
Poets Listen in Libraries
In another article in the News and Trends section of the May/June 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine, called “Sharing Poetry Chapbooks Online,” I discovered a fabulous resource library and place to listen to poets reading. Poets House has been digitizing rare chapbooks of the “Mimeo Revolution” a period stretching from the early 1960s through the mid-1980s whenContinue reading “Poets Listen in Libraries”
Knowing Poetry Like Kaleidoscopes
In the News and Trends section of the May/June 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine, in an article called “The Bookshop Band” about an English band called The Bookshop Band that toured America, playing book-inspired music in libraries and bookstores, I read, America is such a huge place, and when you look at it from afar without reallyContinue reading “Knowing Poetry Like Kaleidoscopes”
Poetry as a Journey
At the end of the Editor’s Note in the March/April 2019 Poets&Writers Magazine, Kevin Larimer writes, “I hope this issue provides a little inspiration, a bit of insight, and maybe even some companionship for what can feel like a long, lonely journey. Never give up.” He’s talking about the writer’s life as a journey, butContinue reading “Poetry as a Journey”
Experience Writing 