National Poetry Month
Data Collection Experiment: Survey Says…
by Caryn Thurman on Tuesday, April 11, 2006 07:06 pmSo as I mentioned here, the results of the Poetry Foundation's mega-survey is now available on their website and offers all kinds of tasty nuggets about the American public's poetic habits and preferences. Well, while I certainly appreciate all their hard work, I think maybe a quick survey of the passers-by of LitKicks is in order.
Let's get 'er done, shall we?
1. Do you even like poetry or are you totally faking it?
2. What's the last book of poetry you've purchased (for yourself or a friend), borrowed or stolen?
3. Above all else, what most attracts you to a poem? Rhythm, rhyme, structure, the lack thereof? Is it the message that draws you in ... the metaphor, the triggering of an emotion or memory? Does size matter? Of the poem.
4. With #3 in mind, is there a certain type or style of poetry that you like most? Really, it's ok to admit that you just have a thing for senryu. Or maybe you're more of a villanelle junkie. We're not here to judge...
5. We covered everyone's favoritest poem of all time here, but beyond your wonder of wonders, what is the last/most recent poem you've read that made you say "whoa", "wow", "heck yeah" or some similar expression of amazement? Maybe it was a re-read of an old standby, a new discovery or maybe it was something you stumbled across here? Maybe it was something from a Burger King commercial?
And finally ...
6. If Walt Whitman went to Burger King, what would he order?
That's it. Take your time, be sure to fill in the bubbles completely and as always, we promise to only use your answers for our usual nefarious purposes.
Let's get 'er done, shall we?
1. Do you even like poetry or are you totally faking it?
2. What's the last book of poetry you've purchased (for yourself or a friend), borrowed or stolen?
3. Above all else, what most attracts you to a poem? Rhythm, rhyme, structure, the lack thereof? Is it the message that draws you in ... the metaphor, the triggering of an emotion or memory? Does size matter? Of the poem.
4. With #3 in mind, is there a certain type or style of poetry that you like most? Really, it's ok to admit that you just have a thing for senryu. Or maybe you're more of a villanelle junkie. We're not here to judge...
5. We covered everyone's favoritest poem of all time here, but beyond your wonder of wonders, what is the last/most recent poem you've read that made you say "whoa", "wow", "heck yeah" or some similar expression of amazement? Maybe it was a re-read of an old standby, a new discovery or maybe it was something you stumbled across here? Maybe it was something from a Burger King commercial?
And finally ...
6. If Walt Whitman went to Burger King, what would he order?
That's it. Take your time, be sure to fill in the bubbles completely and as always, we promise to only use your answers for our usual nefarious purposes.
Poetry Foundation to World: Really, People Dig Poems
by Caryn Thurman on Monday, April 10, 2006 08:41 pmThey're just not real sure which ones. As a result of a recent study, Poetry Foundation (publisher of Poetry magazine) offers up a sort of "Poetry State of the Union" and the results seem promising (14% of American adults consume poetry on a regular basis), if not just a bit vague (most couldn't readily name a favorite poem/poet or accurately recite a line of verse). The findings also identified poetry as ritualistic, celebratory and reflective ... with poetry being associated with memorization, schooling, celebrations such as weddings, cultural ties and gift-giving. The Chicago Tribune summarizes the findings, but you can read the whole 113-page study when it becomes available tomorrow on poetryfoundation.org. So carve out an hour or so and settle in to find out everything you wanted to know about what others think about poetry, but were afraid to ask.
The Four Subjects of Poetry
by Caryn Thurman on Sunday, April 9, 2006 08:18 pmNPR has a nice feature and interview with poet and critic Edward Hirsch whose Poet's Choice collection was released on April 3. Hirsch talks about making poetry accessible, relevant and interesting -- as well as challenging readers to find a truth they can identify with. He also references "the four subjects of poetry", which divides all poems into four types. I personally think there has to be at least half a dozen, but in any case I look forward to diving into this collection of Hirsch's columns and insight.
A Few Short Lines
by Caryn Thurman on Saturday, April 8, 2006 07:29 pm
In a Station of The Metro
The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.
-- Ezra Pound
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
by Caryn Thurman on Friday, April 7, 2006 08:40 pmFor many, William Wordsworth probably represents a flashback to a boring few weeks in high school English Lit. class. I know I studied every word of these well-known lines for memorization and maybe even a pop quiz. Reading Wordsworth's work today may seem a bit old-fashioned, but immersing yourself in the language and in the context of the time period is an instant one-on-one with one of the godfathers of Romanticism. Wordsworth, along with his pals Samuel Tayloer Coleridge and Robert Southey are not only poetic legends of history, but were icons in their own time as well. Together they were known as the "Lake Poets", and I kind of like to think of them as a sort of G-Unit of their day -- with Wordsworth being the 18th/19th century precursor to 50 Cent. The gang, the shoutouts, the period-specific vernacular ... and let's not forget about the complex line structure just to get that rhyme. Star-Gazers to Many Men (Wish Death) ... too much of a stretch? Maybe so ... but I think delving into poetry over a hundred years old may just end up illustrating that things aren't all that much different after all, and that the human experience, for whatever it's worth, is often best chronicled in verse.
American Life in Poetry: Tangerine
by Caryn Thurman on Thursday, April 6, 2006 06:57 pmThis Saturday is Ted Kooser Day in Ames, Iowa ... but every day is Ted Kooser day as far as I'm concerned. With that in mind, here's the latest from his series of columns that celebrates and highlights poetry's importance in everyday life. From time to time we like to share the reprinted columns here, and provide you a chance to add your comments.
American Life in Poetry: Column 054
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE
Poet Ruth L. Schwartz writes of the glimpse of possibility, of something sweeter than we already have that comes to us, grows in us. The unrealizable part of it causes bitterness; the other opens outward, the cycle complete. This is both a poem about a tangerine and about more than that.
Tangerine
It was a flower once, it was one of a billion flowers
whose perfume broke through closed car windows,
forced a blessing on their drivers.
Then what stayed behind grew swollen, as we do;
grew juice instead of tears, and small hard sour seeds,
each one bitter, as we are, and filled with possibility.
Now a hole opens up in its skin, where it was torn from the
branch; ripeness can't stop itself, breathes out;
we can't stop it either. We breathe in.
From "Dear Good Naked Morning," (c) 2005 by Ruth L. Schwartz. Reprinted by permission of the author and Autumn House Press. First printed in "Crab Orchard Review," Vol. 8, No. 2. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
American Life in Poetry: Column 054
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE
Poet Ruth L. Schwartz writes of the glimpse of possibility, of something sweeter than we already have that comes to us, grows in us. The unrealizable part of it causes bitterness; the other opens outward, the cycle complete. This is both a poem about a tangerine and about more than that.
Tangerine
It was a flower once, it was one of a billion flowers
whose perfume broke through closed car windows,
forced a blessing on their drivers.
Then what stayed behind grew swollen, as we do;
grew juice instead of tears, and small hard sour seeds,
each one bitter, as we are, and filled with possibility.
Now a hole opens up in its skin, where it was torn from the
branch; ripeness can't stop itself, breathes out;
we can't stop it either. We breathe in.
From "Dear Good Naked Morning," (c) 2005 by Ruth L. Schwartz. Reprinted by permission of the author and Autumn House Press. First printed in "Crab Orchard Review," Vol. 8, No. 2. This weekly column is supported by The Poetry Foundation, The Library of Congress, and the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This column does not accept unsolicited poetry.
There’s a Party Over Here, A Party Over There
by Caryn Thurman on Wednesday, April 5, 2006 08:34 pmEveryone loves to throw a bash, and poetry fans are no exception. Why, even Saddam's getting into the act. Here are just a few events taking place this month:
-- The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest challenges high school students to memorize and perform great poems. Up for grabs: $50,000 dollars in scholarships and school prizes. State finals are taking place throughout the month and the national finals will take place on May 16 in Washington, DC.
-- Now through April 29 New York's Poets House will be hosting their annual Showcase which highlights around 2,000 volumes of poetry published in the last year. As if that weren't enough, the Poets House is also hosting eight other events during the month of April.
--On April 20, City Lore, in conjunction with the upcoming Peoples Poetry Gathering, will present what promises to be a very unique poetry and cultural experience. From their email newsletter: "In 1998, during the recent civil war in Sierra Leone, a fire destroyed the only written copy of a village's epic poem. In 2002, City Lore commissioned finah poet and John Jay College professor Kewulay Kamara to return to his village and recreate the ancient story in song for the People's Poetry Gathering. Voices of Kings: the Dankawali Village Epic will be performed at Windows over Harlem Restaurant following a delicious African feast on Thursday, April 20, 7:00 - 9:30 pm as a prelude to the Peoples Poetry Gathering." For tickets and more information, call 212-529-1955.
-- US Poet Laureate (and my good buddy) Ted Kooser will headline I, Too, Sing America: Lawmakers Celebrate National Poetry Month in Washington, DC.
-- The Chicago Public Library will hold their 7th annual Poetry Fest on Saturday, April 30. The celebration includes workshops, lectures, readings as well as children's events.
And of course, there's always a full menu of poetic events happening every day at the Bowery Poetry Club.
These are just a few select events happening this month, but there are literally thousands of smaller gatherings, readings, celebrations and exhibits taking place across the country, from larger cities to small towns. Check your local news sources for the latest events in your area, as well as local universities, schools and libraries for special programs marking National Poetry Month. (Note: If there's an event taking place in your neighborhood, share the details here -- and if you attend, we'd love to hear about that, too.)
-- The Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest challenges high school students to memorize and perform great poems. Up for grabs: $50,000 dollars in scholarships and school prizes. State finals are taking place throughout the month and the national finals will take place on May 16 in Washington, DC.
-- Now through April 29 New York's Poets House will be hosting their annual Showcase which highlights around 2,000 volumes of poetry published in the last year. As if that weren't enough, the Poets House is also hosting eight other events during the month of April.
--On April 20, City Lore, in conjunction with the upcoming Peoples Poetry Gathering, will present what promises to be a very unique poetry and cultural experience. From their email newsletter: "In 1998, during the recent civil war in Sierra Leone, a fire destroyed the only written copy of a village's epic poem. In 2002, City Lore commissioned finah poet and John Jay College professor Kewulay Kamara to return to his village and recreate the ancient story in song for the People's Poetry Gathering. Voices of Kings: the Dankawali Village Epic will be performed at Windows over Harlem Restaurant following a delicious African feast on Thursday, April 20, 7:00 - 9:30 pm as a prelude to the Peoples Poetry Gathering." For tickets and more information, call 212-529-1955.
-- US Poet Laureate (and my good buddy) Ted Kooser will headline I, Too, Sing America: Lawmakers Celebrate National Poetry Month in Washington, DC.
-- The Chicago Public Library will hold their 7th annual Poetry Fest on Saturday, April 30. The celebration includes workshops, lectures, readings as well as children's events.
And of course, there's always a full menu of poetic events happening every day at the Bowery Poetry Club.
These are just a few select events happening this month, but there are literally thousands of smaller gatherings, readings, celebrations and exhibits taking place across the country, from larger cities to small towns. Check your local news sources for the latest events in your area, as well as local universities, schools and libraries for special programs marking National Poetry Month. (Note: If there's an event taking place in your neighborhood, share the details here -- and if you attend, we'd love to hear about that, too.)
Poetic News Bulletin
by Caryn Thurman on Tuesday, April 4, 2006 07:14 pmToday is not only Maya Angelou's birthday, it's also a day with a lot of poetry news floating about. I'm sure that Maya Angelou wouldn't mind if you browsed a few news bites along with your cake and ice cream. Here are just a few things that caught my attention:
-- Delaware's Poet Laureate Fleda Brown gives us an enjoyable take on the question National Poetry Month: What for?
-- Syrian poet and playwright Mohammed al-Maghout died on Monday at age 72. Unfortunately I'm not really familiar with his work, but plan to spend some time acquainting myself with his satire.
-- As astonishing as it may sound, Reporters Without Borders reports that seven Burmese students were arrested for for writing and publishing a pro-democracy poem.
-- Don't call it a comeback ... Even though she's no Ginsberg, Elizabeth Bishop is very much all the rage. Jessica Winter of the Village Voice offers a peek inside the one-woman show A Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop.
-- Poetry magazine is featuring 29 poems in translation during the month of April. Those same poems will be available as podcasts at poetryfoundation.org.
-- I just knew there had to be some Ginsberg in here somewhere! Jeff Simon of the Buffalo News serves up some glimpses of a few tasty poetry new releases, including a new book on Cole Porter, views into poetry by Cynthia Ozick and Edward Hirsch (separately) and a new audio collection due out on April 18: Poetry On Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work (1888-2006), which looks like it will be quite good. There's even a bit about the new Elizabeth Bishop collection.
-- But wait! There's more! Also mentioned is the release of 'Howl' Fifty Years Later - The Poem That Changed America edited by Jason Schindler is hosting an event to coincide with this new anthology on April 17th. Guests include Rick Moody and Mark Doty -- more information on this event can be found here.
That just about wore me out, so I'll stop there, but there are so many events and releases happening in honor of National Poetry Month, you don't have to look too far to find something that's just your speed. Enjoy.
-- Delaware's Poet Laureate Fleda Brown gives us an enjoyable take on the question National Poetry Month: What for?
-- Syrian poet and playwright Mohammed al-Maghout died on Monday at age 72. Unfortunately I'm not really familiar with his work, but plan to spend some time acquainting myself with his satire.
-- As astonishing as it may sound, Reporters Without Borders reports that seven Burmese students were arrested for for writing and publishing a pro-democracy poem.
-- Don't call it a comeback ... Even though she's no Ginsberg, Elizabeth Bishop is very much all the rage. Jessica Winter of the Village Voice offers a peek inside the one-woman show A Safe Harbor for Elizabeth Bishop.
-- Poetry magazine is featuring 29 poems in translation during the month of April. Those same poems will be available as podcasts at poetryfoundation.org.
-- I just knew there had to be some Ginsberg in here somewhere! Jeff Simon of the Buffalo News serves up some glimpses of a few tasty poetry new releases, including a new book on Cole Porter, views into poetry by Cynthia Ozick and Edward Hirsch (separately) and a new audio collection due out on April 18: Poetry On Record: 98 Poets Read Their Work (1888-2006), which looks like it will be quite good. There's even a bit about the new Elizabeth Bishop collection.
-- But wait! There's more! Also mentioned is the release of 'Howl' Fifty Years Later - The Poem That Changed America edited by Jason Schindler is hosting an event to coincide with this new anthology on April 17th. Guests include Rick Moody and Mark Doty -- more information on this event can be found here.
That just about wore me out, so I'll stop there, but there are so many events and releases happening in honor of National Poetry Month, you don't have to look too far to find something that's just your speed. Enjoy.
Poetry Is…
by Caryn Thurman on Monday, April 3, 2006 08:10 pmSo we're celebrating National Poetry Month, but what exactly are we celebrating? What is poetry? Merriam-Webster defines poetry as such:
1 a : metrical writing : VERSE b : the productions of a poet : POEMS
2 : writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm
3 a : something likened to poetry especially in beauty of expression b : poetic quality or aspect
If you like your definitions a bit more random, you can see what Google thinks of poetry. I personally like Carl Sandburg's take on it, "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." Scholars, poets and readers have debated the true definition of poetry for ages, but it may just be that poetry is different things to different people. Whatever poetry is may ultimately be up for grabs, but here's how just a few writers have thought about it ...
"Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth." Samuel Johnson
"Poetry is nothing but healthy speech." Henry David Thoreau
"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary." Kahlil Gibran
"Poetry is life distilled." Gwendolyn Brooks
"Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable. Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted." Percy Shelley
"Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation's tears in shoulder blades." Boris Pasternak
"Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat." Robert Frost
"Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words." Edgar Allan Poe
"Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful." Rita Dove
"Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words." Paul Engle
"Poetry is as precise as geometry." Gustave Flaubert
"Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads." Marianne Moore
"Poetry is an orphan of silence. The words never quite equal the experience behind them." Charles Simic
"...poetry is an evasion of the real job of writing prose." Sylvia Plath
"Poetry is nobody's business except the poet's, and everybody else can fuck off." Philip Larkin
"Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul." Henrik Ibsen
"Poetry is the art of substantiating shadows, and of lending existence to nothing." Edmund Burke
"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality." T.S. Eliot
"Poetry is the priest of the invisible." Wallace Stevens
"Poetry is not an opinion expressed. It is a song that rises from a bleeding wound or a smiling mouth." Kahlil Gibran
1 a : metrical writing : VERSE b : the productions of a poet : POEMS
2 : writing that formulates a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience in language chosen and arranged to create a specific emotional response through meaning, sound, and rhythm
3 a : something likened to poetry especially in beauty of expression b : poetic quality or aspect
If you like your definitions a bit more random, you can see what Google thinks of poetry. I personally like Carl Sandburg's take on it, "Poetry is the synthesis of hyacinths and biscuits." Scholars, poets and readers have debated the true definition of poetry for ages, but it may just be that poetry is different things to different people. Whatever poetry is may ultimately be up for grabs, but here's how just a few writers have thought about it ...
"Poetry is the art of uniting pleasure with truth." Samuel Johnson
"Poetry is nothing but healthy speech." Henry David Thoreau
"Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary." Kahlil Gibran
"Poetry is life distilled." Gwendolyn Brooks
"Poetry is the journal of the sea animal living on land, wanting to fly in the air. Poetry is a search for syllables to shoot at the barriers of the unknown and the unknowable. Poetry is a phantom script telling how rainbows are made and why they go away." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted." Percy Shelley
"Poetry is a rich, full-bodied whistle, cracked ice crunching in pails, the night that numbs the leaf, the duel of two nightingales, the sweet pea that has run wild, Creation's tears in shoulder blades." Boris Pasternak
"Poetry is a way of taking life by the throat." Robert Frost
"Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is the rhythmical creation of beauty in words." Edgar Allan Poe
"Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful." Rita Dove
"Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words." Paul Engle
"Poetry is as precise as geometry." Gustave Flaubert
"Poetry is an echo, asking a shadow to dance." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is the art of creating imaginary gardens with real toads." Marianne Moore
"Poetry is an orphan of silence. The words never quite equal the experience behind them." Charles Simic
"...poetry is an evasion of the real job of writing prose." Sylvia Plath
"Poetry is nobody's business except the poet's, and everybody else can fuck off." Philip Larkin
"Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through to guess about what is seen during the moment." Carl Sandburg
"Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul." Henrik Ibsen
"Poetry is the art of substantiating shadows, and of lending existence to nothing." Edmund Burke
"Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality." T.S. Eliot
"Poetry is the priest of the invisible." Wallace Stevens
"Poetry is not an opinion expressed. It is a song that rises from a bleeding wound or a smiling mouth." Kahlil Gibran
Sakura Matsuri
by Caryn Thurman on Sunday, April 2, 2006 07:14 pm
Sleeping under the trees on Yoshino mountain
The spring breeze wearing Cherry blossom petals.
---
the Spring wind
scattering blossoms
I saw it in a dream
but when I awoke the sound
was still rustling in my breast
-- Saigyo
