I am not a poet but a poet friend of mind recommended Annie Finch. I've taken two of her workshops this year. I HIGHLY recommend them. I have never gone so deep so fast, and she's a truly beautiful teacher and soul.
It's funny, I just today put up a poem I'd written recently, and read it in the video app. I read that part when you said the fiction and non-fiction writers should try poetry. I haven't written poetry since I was a kid and actually enjoyed it. Reading this was a God-send. Wanna hear my poem? https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/p/23?sd=pf You don't have to look at it, but it's there just in case.
I told myself I was going to write a poem a day starting in the New Year. The last time I did that, I wrote a poetic novel in ballad: ROBIN HOOD. I'm thinking, now that I'm retiring, I might have to revisit it.
Not sure what dictum of Williams she’s referring to. Perhaps “Go in fear of abstractions”? But that’s Ezra Pound, who made up an interesting list of things not to do:
I can remember my first-year English teacher on this line...
These are great links. Interesting to read of the push that was WWI. How history entwines with art. How conscious are we of being "products of our time?" Or "out of step"--what does that mean?
Although he was very influential, I think I like Williams better as a prose writer than a poet. Maybe it’s the same two or three poems of his that are always quoted, over and over until we’re sick of them. But his story, “The Use of Force,” still haunts me:
I read this last night--truly haunting. It'll stay with me. Thank you for sharing this. I'll be reading again. The adult emotions around the child are complicated and too real--the "falling in love with the savage brat".. that moment of recognizing it's all going too far, and then continuing... so terrifyingly evoked! Is there a particular moment that haunts? or the cumulative effect mostly?
I hadn’t looked at that story for many years, but reading it again made me realize I hadn’t forgotten much of it, even some of the phrases were like I had read them yesterday. And that ironic title.
Williams’ “Red Eric” (1923) from his book In the American Grain is also interesting. Not sure if it’s a story or maybe a persona poem in prose, told by Lief Ericson’s father, Eric. Could be a movie.
I find myself appreciating these days the lesser-known works of certain writers for some reason. For example, I’d rather read Orwell’s essays than his novels. And while I never had much interest in D.H. Lawrence’s novels or poems, I do like some of what he wrote in his Studies in Classic American Literature, essays on Franklin (“the first downright American”), Poe, Melville (“the greatest seer and poet of the sea”), Whitman.
He describes his life and times and the things that undoubtedly inspired the poems, for example, the years he spent tending wounded Civil War soldiers, surely the source of this poem:
Frank, thank you for these links and thoughts. I will check out tomorrow. Today has been hectic.
Decades ago, as a young writer, I stumbled over a collection of short stories by Tennessee Williams. At the time I was blown away by the humans and the emotions in them.
I'll have to check out In the American Grain, too. I do go on here, at times, about working in more than one form of writing... so this is good to see.
This is exciting. This may be my first and only resolution. (I'd like to say there are more, but one good one is plenty.) I love that quote about metaphor. I've only just recently (this morning) became awayr of that joy, so it is very happenstance to have read about it this evening
This sounds like a most wondrous book! I can relate to the loathing of poetry, at least in one way. As a small human poetry meant reading Edward Lear's limericks and the poems by Shell Silverstein, and I saw it as a small, funny story that rhymed, which I liked.
And then I went to The School in grade 10 English, where they made you stare your eyeballs out at a poem that did not rhyme and we had to follow the rules from a "How to Read a Poem" worksheet. Then we were supposed to dissect the poem for about thirty minutes to figure out what it was really about. Usually it ended up being something about some depressed grown-up, to relate to the curriculum's theme of universal doom (e.g. Romeo and Juliet, etc.)
And then I went to regular college and took some poetry writing courses there and had to unlearn everything from grade 10 about poetry, in the sense that poetry is supposed to be about playing around with words and not writing stuff to confuse people on purpose, and that was a most happy thing to discover.
Just knowing that there is a title called "What if a Much of a Witch of Word-Music" in it makes me plot to go read this book. Thank you!
So incredibly enriching, Alison. And what a beautiful blessing - I’m inkless! Always wrestling with the overpowering music-poem effect on my prose. A transcendent struggle of the lobes. Thanks for sharing.
Inkless! Yes! Thank you for reading and taking the time to write here, Adrian! Glad you enjoyed. In your "wrestle" are you taming or growing or shaping...?
I ordered it! I could not get CAD shipping from her site so got it from Amazon via UK - I am looking forward to reading it / using it with your leadership, Alison.
I am not a poet but a poet friend of mind recommended Annie Finch. I've taken two of her workshops this year. I HIGHLY recommend them. I have never gone so deep so fast, and she's a truly beautiful teacher and soul.
So good to see this, including the "not a poet" piece. Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Just posting Annie's site URL, if anyone wants to look up her workshops and more:
https://anniefinch.com/
Thanks again, Michelle!
It's funny, I just today put up a poem I'd written recently, and read it in the video app. I read that part when you said the fiction and non-fiction writers should try poetry. I haven't written poetry since I was a kid and actually enjoyed it. Reading this was a God-send. Wanna hear my poem? https://benwoestenburg.substack.com/p/23?sd=pf You don't have to look at it, but it's there just in case.
Ben! Thanks for sharing the link. Love all the song references in your work!
And that you enjoyed the poetry-creating--so good.
I told myself I was going to write a poem a day starting in the New Year. The last time I did that, I wrote a poetic novel in ballad: ROBIN HOOD. I'm thinking, now that I'm retiring, I might have to revisit it.
Not sure what dictum of Williams she’s referring to. Perhaps “Go in fear of abstractions”? But that’s Ezra Pound, who made up an interesting list of things not to do:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/articles/58900/a-few-donts-by-an-imagiste
Maybe Williams’ line “no ideas but in things”?
https://triggerfishcriticalreview.com/historical-view-of-wcwilliams-no-ideas-but-in-things-by-ed-wickliffe/
Yes, I believe the "no ideas..."
I can remember my first-year English teacher on this line...
These are great links. Interesting to read of the push that was WWI. How history entwines with art. How conscious are we of being "products of our time?" Or "out of step"--what does that mean?
Thanks for posting, Frank.
Although he was very influential, I think I like Williams better as a prose writer than a poet. Maybe it’s the same two or three poems of his that are always quoted, over and over until we’re sick of them. But his story, “The Use of Force,” still haunts me:
https://www.classicshorts.com/stories/force.html
I read this last night--truly haunting. It'll stay with me. Thank you for sharing this. I'll be reading again. The adult emotions around the child are complicated and too real--the "falling in love with the savage brat".. that moment of recognizing it's all going too far, and then continuing... so terrifyingly evoked! Is there a particular moment that haunts? or the cumulative effect mostly?
I hadn’t looked at that story for many years, but reading it again made me realize I hadn’t forgotten much of it, even some of the phrases were like I had read them yesterday. And that ironic title.
Williams’ “Red Eric” (1923) from his book In the American Grain is also interesting. Not sure if it’s a story or maybe a persona poem in prose, told by Lief Ericson’s father, Eric. Could be a movie.
I find myself appreciating these days the lesser-known works of certain writers for some reason. For example, I’d rather read Orwell’s essays than his novels. And while I never had much interest in D.H. Lawrence’s novels or poems, I do like some of what he wrote in his Studies in Classic American Literature, essays on Franklin (“the first downright American”), Poe, Melville (“the greatest seer and poet of the sea”), Whitman.
Whitman’s memoir Specimen Days is fascinating:
https://gutenberg.org/cache/epub/8813/pg8813-images.html
He describes his life and times and the things that undoubtedly inspired the poems, for example, the years he spent tending wounded Civil War soldiers, surely the source of this poem:
https://poets.org/poem/sight-camp-daybreak-gray-and-dim
And his interest in astronomy, resulting in perhaps his best short poem:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45479/when-i-heard-the-learnd-astronomer
Frank, thank you for these links and thoughts. I will check out tomorrow. Today has been hectic.
Decades ago, as a young writer, I stumbled over a collection of short stories by Tennessee Williams. At the time I was blown away by the humans and the emotions in them.
I'll have to check out In the American Grain, too. I do go on here, at times, about working in more than one form of writing... so this is good to see.
This is exciting. This may be my first and only resolution. (I'd like to say there are more, but one good one is plenty.) I love that quote about metaphor. I've only just recently (this morning) became awayr of that joy, so it is very happenstance to have read about it this evening
Yes! To "one good one." Echoing joy--
Looking forward to the discussions, Andrew.
This sounds like a most wondrous book! I can relate to the loathing of poetry, at least in one way. As a small human poetry meant reading Edward Lear's limericks and the poems by Shell Silverstein, and I saw it as a small, funny story that rhymed, which I liked.
And then I went to The School in grade 10 English, where they made you stare your eyeballs out at a poem that did not rhyme and we had to follow the rules from a "How to Read a Poem" worksheet. Then we were supposed to dissect the poem for about thirty minutes to figure out what it was really about. Usually it ended up being something about some depressed grown-up, to relate to the curriculum's theme of universal doom (e.g. Romeo and Juliet, etc.)
And then I went to regular college and took some poetry writing courses there and had to unlearn everything from grade 10 about poetry, in the sense that poetry is supposed to be about playing around with words and not writing stuff to confuse people on purpose, and that was a most happy thing to discover.
Just knowing that there is a title called "What if a Much of a Witch of Word-Music" in it makes me plot to go read this book. Thank you!
The chapter title is taken from an e. e. cummings poem:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/153876/what-if-a-much-of-a-which-of-a-wind
"How to read a poem" worksheet. Should not be a thing.
So incredibly enriching, Alison. And what a beautiful blessing - I’m inkless! Always wrestling with the overpowering music-poem effect on my prose. A transcendent struggle of the lobes. Thanks for sharing.
Inkless! Yes! Thank you for reading and taking the time to write here, Adrian! Glad you enjoyed. In your "wrestle" are you taming or growing or shaping...?
Well, I’m ambidextrous so I think what happens when I write is something like the Tango. Does that make any sense?
It does. The analogy of one art form for another does. Helps me process!
I ordered it! I could not get CAD shipping from her site so got it from Amazon via UK - I am looking forward to reading it / using it with your leadership, Alison.
Really looking forward to the discussions, Elizabeth. I appreciate your community and writing spirit!