"Poetry is language at its most distilled and most powerful."
~ Rita Dove
Celebrate Poetry All Month Long - make it a habit - it will become a year round passion....
Subscribe to the Poetry Month - quote of the day by e-mailing me at poetrylives@prodigy.net with the word "subscribe" in the subject line of your e-mail. This is only a one month (April) project.
Friday, April 01, 2005
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Strange But True
Someone actually googled their way to this site with the search: national something on a stick day. Which of course causes me to ask the question.... Does such a day exist?
Fairchild's Poetic Wisdom Part Two
I have promised a post concerning last Thursday’s master poetry class - conducted with B.H. Fairchild. After a bit of reflection on the experience, I am ready to externalize those thoughts here.
Fairchild’s approach began with establishing his current definitive formation of what a poem is. Prefacing that he was not trying to be restrictive he noted that his definition has been somewhat fluid over the years. Currently he defines it this way:
A poem is a verbal construction, which through an array of prosody and rhetorical devises of embodiment achieves an order of being, an ontology, radically different from other forms of discourse (with the exception of certain forms of fictional and descriptive prose)
I was most intrigued by the "order of being" and his commentary surrounding this point. It seems he views poetry as a way of "being" in the world. It is an order unlike anything else.
He took the argument of some poetry and prose have a narrowing separation and stressed that while the two do overlap, they are alike. Otherwise they would be contiguous. He noted math and physics overlap at points but they are indeed different. The same is true of biology and chemistry.
There was discussion of the interior life of the poem – the sound textures or auditory aspect of the poem which he seems to think we don’t pay enough attention to these days.
There were a series of poetry manuscripts that we as a group went over. Expressing thoughts about meaning – syntax – line breaks. I especially appreciate the approach Fairchild took to the manuscript examinations. It was not done with judgement but certainly conducted thoroughly and with an intent to bring each of us to our own assessments if the material was working or not.
I am still processing a good deal of the material nearly a week later. The combined exposure to his reading and class was most educational.
Poetry
Fairchild’s approach began with establishing his current definitive formation of what a poem is. Prefacing that he was not trying to be restrictive he noted that his definition has been somewhat fluid over the years. Currently he defines it this way:
A poem is a verbal construction, which through an array of prosody and rhetorical devises of embodiment achieves an order of being, an ontology, radically different from other forms of discourse (with the exception of certain forms of fictional and descriptive prose)
I was most intrigued by the "order of being" and his commentary surrounding this point. It seems he views poetry as a way of "being" in the world. It is an order unlike anything else.
He took the argument of some poetry and prose have a narrowing separation and stressed that while the two do overlap, they are alike. Otherwise they would be contiguous. He noted math and physics overlap at points but they are indeed different. The same is true of biology and chemistry.
There was discussion of the interior life of the poem – the sound textures or auditory aspect of the poem which he seems to think we don’t pay enough attention to these days.
There were a series of poetry manuscripts that we as a group went over. Expressing thoughts about meaning – syntax – line breaks. I especially appreciate the approach Fairchild took to the manuscript examinations. It was not done with judgement but certainly conducted thoroughly and with an intent to bring each of us to our own assessments if the material was working or not.
I am still processing a good deal of the material nearly a week later. The combined exposure to his reading and class was most educational.
Poetry
Pulitzer Prize-winning poet to perform at Drury
W.D. Snodgrass - 79 year old poet - to preform Thursday evening at Drury University's Olin Library.
Monday, March 28, 2005
Fairchild's Poetic Wisdom Part One
Following my attendancelast week at a B H. Fairchild poetry reading and a poetry class I thought I would take some time to offer my observations.
The reading was an enjoyable event from a strictly entertainment perspective. As a reader Fairchild is a well above average performer. His physical voice is easily soothing to the ears and quite palatable to the grasp of comprehension. Had I been a casual fan of poetry, I would have enjoyed the reading.
I did not however, attend the event with a casual interest. My engrossment in his presentation included everything from his work itself, to his delivery and possibility that his poetry hit a specific or definable theme. I came in to the reading with only a casual knowledge of his work. To the extent of his selections,
I appreciated that he offered a short intro to explain any particular nuances the he fell were not obvious to his readings.
I was able to see perhaps two points of interesting palpability emerge from his reading. Fairchild’s roots have remained evident in his work. It is perhaps not surprising in the contest that as Hemingway once said, "…write what you know best." Still, it is obvious that Fairchild grew up one of those individuals that seemed destined to travel through life searching. Something I can identify with, and I suppose many that connect with poetry do. It is this very search that seemed to lead or drive – (I’m not sure if he felt more pushed or pulled) away from his boyhood home of Liberal, Kansas or towards something other than that home. Still, it is clear that he wanted to experience much more that what the limits of such a rural milieu could offer. He wanted more then what this lifestyle offered. To his credit, twenty years of academia have not killed those roots, but perhaps given him a stronger basis for understanding them and communicating them.
If there is a thread that seems to run through his work and ( there is) tying it up nicely, it would be his understanding of the nature of working class men and women to want. To even seek. Yes, to hope and dream. And in the end to be able to be able cherish what they have, even in the face of larger disappointments. To find some level of happiness, even if for the moment, without sacrificing desires and putting them out, like some squashing the butt of a burning cigarette in an ash tray.
The other truth that shines through is work and his presentation is that he has not lost that touch with the common man. Not even after twenty years at Cal State. Not after all his prestigious awards and The Guggenheim, NEA, Rockefeller/Bellagio fellowships. He has been able to wear the hat of a professor all the time keeping the ball cap of a common man.
Tomorrow I will post on what I came away from the workshop with.
The reading was an enjoyable event from a strictly entertainment perspective. As a reader Fairchild is a well above average performer. His physical voice is easily soothing to the ears and quite palatable to the grasp of comprehension. Had I been a casual fan of poetry, I would have enjoyed the reading.
I did not however, attend the event with a casual interest. My engrossment in his presentation included everything from his work itself, to his delivery and possibility that his poetry hit a specific or definable theme. I came in to the reading with only a casual knowledge of his work. To the extent of his selections,
I appreciated that he offered a short intro to explain any particular nuances the he fell were not obvious to his readings.
I was able to see perhaps two points of interesting palpability emerge from his reading. Fairchild’s roots have remained evident in his work. It is perhaps not surprising in the contest that as Hemingway once said, "…write what you know best." Still, it is obvious that Fairchild grew up one of those individuals that seemed destined to travel through life searching. Something I can identify with, and I suppose many that connect with poetry do. It is this very search that seemed to lead or drive – (I’m not sure if he felt more pushed or pulled) away from his boyhood home of Liberal, Kansas or towards something other than that home. Still, it is clear that he wanted to experience much more that what the limits of such a rural milieu could offer. He wanted more then what this lifestyle offered. To his credit, twenty years of academia have not killed those roots, but perhaps given him a stronger basis for understanding them and communicating them.
If there is a thread that seems to run through his work and ( there is) tying it up nicely, it would be his understanding of the nature of working class men and women to want. To even seek. Yes, to hope and dream. And in the end to be able to be able cherish what they have, even in the face of larger disappointments. To find some level of happiness, even if for the moment, without sacrificing desires and putting them out, like some squashing the butt of a burning cigarette in an ash tray.
The other truth that shines through is work and his presentation is that he has not lost that touch with the common man. Not even after twenty years at Cal State. Not after all his prestigious awards and The Guggenheim, NEA, Rockefeller/Bellagio fellowships. He has been able to wear the hat of a professor all the time keeping the ball cap of a common man.
Tomorrow I will post on what I came away from the workshop with.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
POETRY MONTH QUOTES
As my personal commitment to the promotion of poetry during the month of April (National Poetry Month) I have set up a special e-mail address simply for the purpose of offering a daily e-mail with a poetry related quote to inspire your view of poetry throughout the day.
In order to sign up, please e-mail me at poetrylives@prodigy.net with the word "subscribe" in the subject line of your e-mail. PLEASE - do not sign up for someone other than yourself. Subscribers will be asked to confirm their request by a followup e-mail. As much as I'd like to share this with as many people as possible including those who have marginal or no present interest in poetry, it is not my intent to spam people with poetry quotes. You of course may share them with your friends and family individually that you might hope to encourage to become readers of poetry, but I wish to keep this strictly above the board. Your e-mail addresses will NOT be shared with anyone else, and the Quotes will stop at the end of April.
Happy Poetry Reading & Writing!
Michael Wells
Stick Poet
In order to sign up, please e-mail me at poetrylives@prodigy.net with the word "subscribe" in the subject line of your e-mail. PLEASE - do not sign up for someone other than yourself. Subscribers will be asked to confirm their request by a followup e-mail. As much as I'd like to share this with as many people as possible including those who have marginal or no present interest in poetry, it is not my intent to spam people with poetry quotes. You of course may share them with your friends and family individually that you might hope to encourage to become readers of poetry, but I wish to keep this strictly above the board. Your e-mail addresses will NOT be shared with anyone else, and the Quotes will stop at the end of April.
Happy Poetry Reading & Writing!
Michael Wells
Stick Poet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)