Thursday, January 13, 2005
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Bringing Poetry Home
Last night, eight people in love with poetry met to organize a new chapter of the Missouri Poetry Society in the greater Kansas City area. The organizer, Missi Rasmussen, a poetess colleague, provided a very well themed outline for the chapter. I already belong to a state chapter from a Kansas City suburb, but I believe it is important for a community the size of Kansas City to have a chapter identified with it specifically.
Missi is all about bringing poetry to the community as much as enriching the poetry experience of each of it's members. I find this refreshing.
When I started writing this blog and selected the name Stick Poet Superhero, I wanted to be a voice in defense of the value of poetry to us all. Yes, the name is perhaps corny, but I was and am serious about defending the role and value of poetry in society today.
As a poet, it is always my hope that when I write a new poem, the voice of that poem speaks to someone out there in such a way as to give validation to what they feel. I believe this is one very important thing that poetry can do for us.
I am less concerned about which school of poetry is best. I have my preferences, but I'll allow that debate to happen elsewhere. I may wade into the water once and a while to talk about the values of one or the other, but we all come from different perspectives in life and whatever style speaks to us is less important than the fact that something actually happens when that one particular verse connects and we touch all-the-bases!
Poetry can capture the moment and freeze it for the future. It can record the ugly so that mankind will not forget where it has come from. It can recreate the exhilarating joys and triumphs of life and can speak to us about the most mundane day-to-day experiences. Poetry is relevant. It is more real then any reality TV show. It is good stuff, and it offers something for everyone.
Missi is all about bringing poetry to the community as much as enriching the poetry experience of each of it's members. I find this refreshing.
When I started writing this blog and selected the name Stick Poet Superhero, I wanted to be a voice in defense of the value of poetry to us all. Yes, the name is perhaps corny, but I was and am serious about defending the role and value of poetry in society today.
As a poet, it is always my hope that when I write a new poem, the voice of that poem speaks to someone out there in such a way as to give validation to what they feel. I believe this is one very important thing that poetry can do for us.
I am less concerned about which school of poetry is best. I have my preferences, but I'll allow that debate to happen elsewhere. I may wade into the water once and a while to talk about the values of one or the other, but we all come from different perspectives in life and whatever style speaks to us is less important than the fact that something actually happens when that one particular verse connects and we touch all-the-bases!
Poetry can capture the moment and freeze it for the future. It can record the ugly so that mankind will not forget where it has come from. It can recreate the exhilarating joys and triumphs of life and can speak to us about the most mundane day-to-day experiences. Poetry is relevant. It is more real then any reality TV show. It is good stuff, and it offers something for everyone.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Thanks for the Birthday wishes....
Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes.
I had BBQ Ribs last night in celebration. My Son called. That was cool.
Tonight I'm meeting with some other poets to form a new chapter of the Missouri State Poetry Society in the Kansas City area.
I had BBQ Ribs last night in celebration. My Son called. That was cool.
Tonight I'm meeting with some other poets to form a new chapter of the Missouri State Poetry Society in the Kansas City area.
Monday, January 10, 2005
My Birthday
Today is my birthday... a year closer to perfection!
I got a copy of Ariel Restored, a Burkowski book, another book on Plath and a couple pairs of new slacks! Yeah!
My daughter in Phoenix just called to wish me Happy Birthday... so nice to hear her voice this morning. She said as soon as all the football stuff is gone and the spring baseball stuff is out I can look for some San Francisco Giants apparel or something. (warm smile)
Saturday night I went to a reading and book signing at the Writers Place for Drew Dorsey who just released Breaking Bones With Pencil Tips. It was very well attended. It had been billed as work that Burkowski, Plath, and Ginsberg fans would find inspiration in. I guess I'd have to say that while it was enjoyable, I think comparison with those three poets is a bit of a stretch.
Sunday afternoon - Northland writers met. My awesome wife was nice enough to provide an ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday a day early with these writing friends. I read a couple new drafts of some work. There were like thirteen of us so it was well attended.
Ivy had a quote from Ginsberg over on her blog that I have to repeat here. It really struck me because birthdays always remind me of mortality and to me writing is often about trying to beat mortality. I love this quote and today was the first time I had ever seen it....
"A poem is like a radio that can broadcast continuously for thousands of years." -Allen Ginsberg
I got a copy of Ariel Restored, a Burkowski book, another book on Plath and a couple pairs of new slacks! Yeah!
My daughter in Phoenix just called to wish me Happy Birthday... so nice to hear her voice this morning. She said as soon as all the football stuff is gone and the spring baseball stuff is out I can look for some San Francisco Giants apparel or something. (warm smile)
Saturday night I went to a reading and book signing at the Writers Place for Drew Dorsey who just released Breaking Bones With Pencil Tips. It was very well attended. It had been billed as work that Burkowski, Plath, and Ginsberg fans would find inspiration in. I guess I'd have to say that while it was enjoyable, I think comparison with those three poets is a bit of a stretch.
Sunday afternoon - Northland writers met. My awesome wife was nice enough to provide an ice cream cake to celebrate my birthday a day early with these writing friends. I read a couple new drafts of some work. There were like thirteen of us so it was well attended.
Ivy had a quote from Ginsberg over on her blog that I have to repeat here. It really struck me because birthdays always remind me of mortality and to me writing is often about trying to beat mortality. I love this quote and today was the first time I had ever seen it....
"A poem is like a radio that can broadcast continuously for thousands of years." -Allen Ginsberg
Friday, January 07, 2005
The Poetry of Place
My only planned post today I made over on my other blog site: Against The Flow where I wrote on the poetry of "place". It is in the "poetics" catagory.
Wednesday, January 05, 2005
Around Poetry Blogland
Few things happening on other poetry blogs....
Check out the TSUNAMI RELIEF information on Eileen's blog.
what's wrong is the title of a new chapbook by Ivy.
Christine Hamm has a new chapbook too! Discount Heaven.
And yes... I passed 10,000 hits! Yeah!
Check out the TSUNAMI RELIEF information on Eileen's blog.
what's wrong is the title of a new chapbook by Ivy.
Christine Hamm has a new chapbook too! Discount Heaven.
And yes... I passed 10,000 hits! Yeah!
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
Hitting the 10,000 mark...
Drum-roll please...
Stickpoet is about to roll over the historic 10,000 hits mark- likely sometime tonight. An insignificant bit of trivia to some... Ok, I admit, it is exciting!
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