Spinning Gold with Navel Lint

There's no shortage of "poet's workshop" books so, instead of buying new ones as they come out, I occasionally dip into old ones. After a few years between readings, the old becomes new, proving once again that the author of Ecclesiastes ("There is nothing new under the sun") knew of what he spoke. This week …

Wicked Good Prompts for Poems

In Massachusetts, it's considered a sign of weakness to use your turn signal switch. The question among poets, though, is this: Is it a sign of weakness to use someone else's prompts? Does it mean your own brain is a dead battery in need of a jump start? And what if a brilliant poem comes …

What? Over-Submitting?

Most writers are fond of proclaiming their devotion to the craft (ahem) of writing and by saying this explains their lack of discipline in marketing their work. Fair enough. These are two different skills, no doubt from two different hemispheres of the brain: Samarkand has a goal of submitting work to ten markets today, while …

Revisionary

Yesterday the topic of revision came up. I resisted the urge to revise that post and instead decided to add a few random addenda here. Ridiculous? Maybe. But often I go back and forth, day by day, on the question of definite vs. indefinite article. "The" becomes "a" becomes "the" becomes "a." Better yet, I …

Of Preemies and Poetry

Poet Anders Carlson-Wee once told me that he revises his poems for at least a year before he sets them loose into that sea of chance we call poetry markets. A year! When I first heard this, I marveled and considered it almost eccentrically-disciplined. Here we have a poet stoic for the ages, I thought, with …

Contrasts: Making Juxtaposition Work for You

But two days ago I sat in front of the heat vent, a habit from childhood, reading a collection of Charles Simic poems. At the time, I missed the contrast of a nostalgic pastime (the heat passing between shirt and back) and a more modern, tongue-in-cheek experience (Simic's cool, savvy verse), but now the weather …

The Messy Politics of Line Breaks

You can always tell a poetry expert (notice I didn't say "snob"). They're the ones who can go on and on about line breaks. I listen with one ear for a while, then yawn and say, "Pass the peanut butter and enjambment, would you?" Theories on line breaks in free verse poetry are just that--theories. …

Exploring Your Inner Ignorance

Advice givers (and their numbers are legion) often say, "Write what you know," as if that would never occur to us. Of course we write what we know! What they don't say is that it is also good practice to wander out of your comfort zone, to "go deep" into those dark areas we previously considered …

Both God & the Devil Are in the Details

Years ago, when I decided to dip a toe in the poetry waters, I purchased a book that has since become a favorite due to its practicality: Ted Kooser's The Poetry Home Repair Manual. I occasionally go back and flip through it anew, amazed how the old appears new again and the read appears unread again …

Fake Muses: Drugs, Alcohol, & Insomnia

I can't tell you how many people associate artistic genius with substance abuse. History, they say, proves their point. Romantic poets (e.g. Coleridge) on opium. Not-so-romantic poets (e.g. Bukowski) on booze. And writers of all stripes (e.g. Poe) on most everything, some of which land you in a Baltimore gutter for good ("Nevermore...".) For some …