After some searching, I stumbled upon the literary journal Field. It is published twice a year by Oberlin College, and each issue features a collection of different styles of poems from many different poets, as well as a small collection of critical essays relating to other published poems. There’s a list in the back of the book of the poet’s credentials, and almost everyone featured in the book has already produced at least one of their own books of poetry. Field is set up like a normal book – black text on normal paper white, nothing too fancy. However, the covers usually feature colorful/unique photos or pieces of art.
I took a look at the Spring 2006 edition of Field, and to say it was interesting would be an understatement. Now I don’t necessarily mean interesting as in “I must read more!” though some poems definitely fell under that category – I mean interesting as in “um… that’s pretty far out there.” Almost all of the poems are free verse, and that really lends itself to some creative (if not confusing) results from the poets. Some of the works were so “out there” that I thought they were writing in a form like N+7, but things seemed to fit just well enough that I concluded the poets were just being extremely abstract.
This really creative, somewhat abstract poetry – while difficult to comprehend sometimes – does produce some very cool lines. One of my favorites comes from Victoria Bosch Murray’s “Milking the Lion,” where one line simply states, “How do magnets reproduce?” While it is a very odd question to ask, considering magnets obviously don’t reproduce, it produces an image in your mind of thinking about something you’ve (probably) never thought about before – what would it be like if magnets did try to reproduce? Knowing that the ends push away from each other, it’s a humorous line that really stands out in her work.
My favorite poem from the issue would probably be Angela Ball’s “Singles.” Not only does it contain a cool, abstract line (“Sleep’s a jukebox in a defunct drive-in”), but it also expands on that metaphor by saying how “someone / Punches 68 and I dream suitcases. 89, / The dark-haired woman smiles, unties / A sheaf of billet doux.” I think it’s a neat, creative way to think about dreaming; what if someone really could control your dreams just by hitting a button and putting on their favorite “single” from the jukebox of your mind? I think all great works of art, written, aural, or visual have that in common, that they make you think.
A lot of the poetry in Field wasn’t quite to my liking however. As I said, most of it is abstract, and I had trouble being able to tell if there was a point to the poem, or if the poet was just going off on a tangent.
Overall, I’d say Field is worth looking into if you’re one for “out there” and abstract poems. What kept me reading was the occasional line of gold in a poem, but I didn’t enjoy too many of the poems as a whole. For that reason, I think I would personally hold off on picking up another issue, or at least consider skimming the next one for some cool lines.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The literary magazine I chose was "Poetry." The poetry foundation published the magazine and was printed by Cadmus Professional Communications whom I had never heard of before. The journal did not look like a magazine at first until I found out that the magazine is printed every month. The magazine is made up of twenty-nine poems and translations after each author's section. The cover of the book is what first attracted it to me; it is bright and colorful and had a funny picture of what seemed like a man's head. The size of the magazine is very small; it is the size of a short read (I.E. less than 100 pages) and also has a hard cover compared to other magazines but, if it were a book, it would be claimed a soft cover. After I read the magazine I wasn't able to make a connection between the cover and any of the poems. Inside the book the pages are plain and came across very book like. The overall main attraction to the magazine was the simplicity in the layout. The theme that I gathered from the magazine was that each and every poem had a sense of eeriness. Many of the poems in this journal related to a time of war or another tragic time in history. Other poems related to the bible, relics or religious figures.
Many of the poets in the magazine I found out to be very renown writers. Some of the poets were editors or still are editors, others have appeared in many literary magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times. The older poets I noticed, are authors of many novels such as Watermark, The Long Meadow, and Hurry Home Honey.
My favorite poet in the magazine happened to be Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936-2005). She was one of the greatest Hebrew woman poets of her time. Dahlia was a peace activist and awarded the Israel Prize which was cited as "a central pillar of Hebrew lyric poetry." For the first time in English (W.W. Norton, 2009) presented the full trajectory of her life in poetry.
My Favorite poem of Dahlia Ravikovitch was The Love of an Orange. The title didn't come off as grotesque and when I first read I didn't think much of it, until I read through the translation and went back to reread. The first read through I understood the poem as a man who just liked eating oranges. However, while reading the translations I understood the poem completely differently. The man that loved oranges represented a man who desired maidens. The oranges were maidens in disguise. The overall poem weaved the desires of the man and the Garden of Eden story. When I realized the poems underlying theme I noticed a densely allusive style while the author acquired an ironic modernistic tone. The theme all made sense when I understood here expressions summon up an entire universe of discourse.
After I read The love of an Orange I heavily read into each translation of every poem in the magazine. As I began to understand the underlying tones and themes of the poems, I began to enjoy them. I went back and reread all the poems I was questionable about and I couldn't find one I disliked. Overall, I would say I would go by another issue of this magazine or at least this issue!
Many of the poets in the magazine I found out to be very renown writers. Some of the poets were editors or still are editors, others have appeared in many literary magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times. The older poets I noticed, are authors of many novels such as Watermark, The Long Meadow, and Hurry Home Honey.
My favorite poet in the magazine happened to be Dahlia Ravikovitch (1936-2005). She was one of the greatest Hebrew woman poets of her time. Dahlia was a peace activist and awarded the Israel Prize which was cited as "a central pillar of Hebrew lyric poetry." For the first time in English (W.W. Norton, 2009) presented the full trajectory of her life in poetry.
My Favorite poem of Dahlia Ravikovitch was The Love of an Orange. The title didn't come off as grotesque and when I first read I didn't think much of it, until I read through the translation and went back to reread. The first read through I understood the poem as a man who just liked eating oranges. However, while reading the translations I understood the poem completely differently. The man that loved oranges represented a man who desired maidens. The oranges were maidens in disguise. The overall poem weaved the desires of the man and the Garden of Eden story. When I realized the poems underlying theme I noticed a densely allusive style while the author acquired an ironic modernistic tone. The theme all made sense when I understood here expressions summon up an entire universe of discourse.
After I read The love of an Orange I heavily read into each translation of every poem in the magazine. As I began to understand the underlying tones and themes of the poems, I began to enjoy them. I went back and reread all the poems I was questionable about and I couldn't find one I disliked. Overall, I would say I would go by another issue of this magazine or at least this issue!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Literary Mag Review
I took a look at the PNR Review based out of England. I’m not going to lie, it caught my eye because it said ‘Poetry’ on it, and it also had a picture of a bicycle (credited to Colin Still). Poetry and bikes, I can dig it.
I’ve never read a literary journal before, so I really had no idea to expect. The layout was quite simple: Editorials, news, and letters. Reports. Poems. Articles. Reviews.
The first poem I came across was The Dice Player by Mahmoud Darwish. It was an extremely long poem, but the best part about it was this stanza, which was structured very differently than the stanzas around it, which were prose and flowed well:
I’d walk/ jog/ run/ ascend/ descend/ scream/ bark/ howl/ call/ wail/ speed up/ slow down/ plummet/ lighten/ dry up/ march/ fly/ see/ not see/ stumble/ turn yellow/ green/ blue/ crack/ sob/ thirst/ tire/ starve/ get up/ run/ forget/ see/ not see/ remember/ hear/ envision/ mumble/ hallucinate/ whisper/ scream/ or not/ moan/ go mad/ get lost/ become less/ become more/ drop/ soar/ descend/ bleed/ fall unconscious/
I loved it! I really like the opposites and the repeated see/ not see lines.
Also, because this journal is international, there were a lot of translated works. I’ve always wondered about the integrity of translated works, only because it seems like some languages are so much more complex OR simple compared to English, that words could be lost or added depending on the language, and then the real poem (and its effect) could be lost. I guess we just have to trust the translator is really giving us the best literal and figurative translation.
My favorite piece in the magazine, however, were a collection of 5 poems by Ernest Farres about Cape Cod, and I really enjoy the poem Nighthawks, 1942 because it is structured like a small play between a man and a woman, and I loved that. Really, anything can be poetry if you call it poetry. The conversation was so menial, I really liked the idea that normal every day conversations could be considered artful:
Woman: We’re both very touchy
Man: yeah, I’ve picked up on it
Woman: And tense and anxious
Man: We’ve got good reason to be.
Woman: Work is a problem,
and life, more or less
the same.
Man: That’s for sure
Woman: Let’s try not to think about it.
Man: Right. It don’t matter.
Overall, I really enjoyed taking a peek into the world of the literary journal. I don’t know if I would subscribe to this one, but maybe if I found one I really enjoyed, I’d become a follower!
I’ve never read a literary journal before, so I really had no idea to expect. The layout was quite simple: Editorials, news, and letters. Reports. Poems. Articles. Reviews.
The first poem I came across was The Dice Player by Mahmoud Darwish. It was an extremely long poem, but the best part about it was this stanza, which was structured very differently than the stanzas around it, which were prose and flowed well:
I’d walk/ jog/ run/ ascend/ descend/ scream/ bark/ howl/ call/ wail/ speed up/ slow down/ plummet/ lighten/ dry up/ march/ fly/ see/ not see/ stumble/ turn yellow/ green/ blue/ crack/ sob/ thirst/ tire/ starve/ get up/ run/ forget/ see/ not see/ remember/ hear/ envision/ mumble/ hallucinate/ whisper/ scream/ or not/ moan/ go mad/ get lost/ become less/ become more/ drop/ soar/ descend/ bleed/ fall unconscious/
I loved it! I really like the opposites and the repeated see/ not see lines.
Also, because this journal is international, there were a lot of translated works. I’ve always wondered about the integrity of translated works, only because it seems like some languages are so much more complex OR simple compared to English, that words could be lost or added depending on the language, and then the real poem (and its effect) could be lost. I guess we just have to trust the translator is really giving us the best literal and figurative translation.
My favorite piece in the magazine, however, were a collection of 5 poems by Ernest Farres about Cape Cod, and I really enjoy the poem Nighthawks, 1942 because it is structured like a small play between a man and a woman, and I loved that. Really, anything can be poetry if you call it poetry. The conversation was so menial, I really liked the idea that normal every day conversations could be considered artful:
Woman: We’re both very touchy
Man: yeah, I’ve picked up on it
Woman: And tense and anxious
Man: We’ve got good reason to be.
Woman: Work is a problem,
and life, more or less
the same.
Man: That’s for sure
Woman: Let’s try not to think about it.
Man: Right. It don’t matter.
Overall, I really enjoyed taking a peek into the world of the literary journal. I don’t know if I would subscribe to this one, but maybe if I found one I really enjoyed, I’d become a follower!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Assignment 8: Review of "The Southern Review"
I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but while skimming through the literary journals in ODY, the cover of the most recent Southern Review was the first thing that caught my attention about this literary journal. The picture on the front cover features a very abstract, unusual, unidentifiable…thing, drawn in a rainbow of colors. It is actually a work called "Husky" by John J. O’Connor, an artist whose work is featured in an eight page insert in the journal along with the essays, poetry and short stories. Drawn in by the cover, I decided to check this volume (Volume 25, number 1, Winter 2009) of the journal out.
What a good decision! The Southern Review, published quarterly at Louisiana State University, is a great mixture of essays, poems, short stories, and artwork. It is a high-quality journal, with colorful artwork printed on glossy pages and literature printed on thick paper that makes you feel like you are reading your favorite novel as you are flipping through. Though the table of contents is listed in the front of the book in sections (poetry, fiction, essays, review, visual art), making it easy to find what you are looking for, the actual contents of the journal are mixed together (although they are organized by author), poems and stories all jumbled together. For me, this made the journal even more fun to read—it was spontaneous and kept me interested wondering what was going to come next.
Unlike some of the other journals that I picked up while browsing, The Southern Review does not seem to have one theme tying all of the featured works together. (River Styx is one journal that I looked at that stood out in my mind as a journal centered on a specific theme. I spent quite a bit of time reading one particular issue that was a special edition all about food! There were recipes included, along with short stories and poetry solely about food and eating! If anyone is looking for a journal to review, River Styx seemed like a good one… it’s down in the periodical section of ODY.) Back to The Southern Review, this issue of the journal is not a special edition and does not center on one specific theme. There does not seem to be an obvious mission statement about the goals or project vision of the journal, either. There is no introduction, only the table of contents and brief biographies of each featured author before the works themselves appear. Because of this, when I began reading, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
I was pleasantly surprised. The first poem in the issue actually turned out to be among my favorites. It’s called "The Chair" by Robert Cording. It is a free verse poem without rhyme about a loved one left behind after someone’s death. The poem impressively captures a feeling of loneliness and melancholy, the tone, setting and imagery of the poem echoing sadness. The Chair also develops the idea of missing someone and feeling lost in their absence, a concept that makes the poem quite easy to relate to and connect with, drawing the reader in. It was a very powerful poem to feature as the initial entry of the journal. A bit further into the journal, I found a poem entitled "Time and Time Again" by Roy Jacobstein. This poem reminded me a bit of the some of the poetry we read this week (like "Fountain" and "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner") which included some historical information as a central element. This poem was another free verse poem, one long stanza which felt complete in that it began with the lines “If you don’t write it down/ it disappears” and ended with the line “write it all down, it still disappears.” Another poem that I particularly liked was "Careful" by Erika Meitner. This poem starts with the concept of a supposedly unbreakable, durable Pyrex dish shattering and connects this later with the fragility and resilience of children, while including an array of what seem to be personal memories in the middle. The poem is arranged in unrhymed couplets, and seems to be a modern, contemporary poem.
Other poems I really liked included "My Wife and I Learn to Accept Our Clutter" by Martin Lammon (a very simple, short, yet powerful poem with a nice message about the disorganization of life), "As Mastery Gives Way into Altitude and Forgiveness" by G.C. Waldrep (a poem which depicts a plane crash in a surprisingly elegant, graceful way that is somewhat bothersome), "Cold War" by Joshua Rivken (a poem that reminds me a lot of "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner". It personifies the fighter jets and ends in an incredibly powerful line: “like Achilles/mourning the end of one world and living in the next.”), and "Moments" by Brent Pallas (a reflection on life filled with powerful imagery and concise yet creative descriptions). These poems are only some of the many poems I would like to mention and recommend here! I enjoyed most of the poems in the journal.
There were a couple of poems that I did not appreciate quite as much as some of the others. For instance, the poem "Two Spices" by John W. Evans was not one of my favorites. I felt that although the poem was quite creative and contained some mythological and historical references, there was not much for a reader to hold onto or relate to in the poem. There did not seem to be a powerful message in the incomplete sentences filled with unusual words like ‘carminative,’ ‘glumes,’ and ‘transductant,’ along with a few words here and there in another language that made up the unrhymed lines of the poem. But for the most part, I can’t complain. There were very few poems I disliked—I thought the vast majority were great!
Just as a side note, besides the poetry in this issue, the artwork and the short stories were wonderful as well. John J. O’Connor’s artwork is accompanied by a few pages explaining how and why his pieces turned out the way they did (which was REALLY interesting and made his drawings even cooler). The short stories covered a variety of topics, from a powerful story of female friendship and uncomfortable secrets in Winter Formal by Victoria Patterson to glimpses of life as a soldier and anecdotes about war and basic training in Hand-me-down War Stories by Jerry D. Mathes II.
I would HIGHLY recommend this literary journal! The biographies of the contributors reflect a wide variety of individuals, but seem to imply that many of these writers are quite experienced and somewhat distinguished writers. This may somewhat explain the high quality of the work selected and included in this journal. Overall, I think that this issue of The Southern Review would be an appropriate (and somewhat inspirational) read for anyone in our class and it would be a great journal to strive to contribute poetry to! The poetry in this issue was awesome, some serious, some lighthearted, a variety of topics and styles. I will definitely pick up another issue of this journal in the future. I really enjoyed reading it and in my opinion, this journal is 184 pages of literature well worth reading!
The journal is at ODY in print, or you can check out the website at www.lsu.edu/tsr.
Enjoy!!
What a good decision! The Southern Review, published quarterly at Louisiana State University, is a great mixture of essays, poems, short stories, and artwork. It is a high-quality journal, with colorful artwork printed on glossy pages and literature printed on thick paper that makes you feel like you are reading your favorite novel as you are flipping through. Though the table of contents is listed in the front of the book in sections (poetry, fiction, essays, review, visual art), making it easy to find what you are looking for, the actual contents of the journal are mixed together (although they are organized by author), poems and stories all jumbled together. For me, this made the journal even more fun to read—it was spontaneous and kept me interested wondering what was going to come next.
Unlike some of the other journals that I picked up while browsing, The Southern Review does not seem to have one theme tying all of the featured works together. (River Styx is one journal that I looked at that stood out in my mind as a journal centered on a specific theme. I spent quite a bit of time reading one particular issue that was a special edition all about food! There were recipes included, along with short stories and poetry solely about food and eating! If anyone is looking for a journal to review, River Styx seemed like a good one… it’s down in the periodical section of ODY.) Back to The Southern Review, this issue of the journal is not a special edition and does not center on one specific theme. There does not seem to be an obvious mission statement about the goals or project vision of the journal, either. There is no introduction, only the table of contents and brief biographies of each featured author before the works themselves appear. Because of this, when I began reading, I wasn’t really sure what to expect.
I was pleasantly surprised. The first poem in the issue actually turned out to be among my favorites. It’s called "The Chair" by Robert Cording. It is a free verse poem without rhyme about a loved one left behind after someone’s death. The poem impressively captures a feeling of loneliness and melancholy, the tone, setting and imagery of the poem echoing sadness. The Chair also develops the idea of missing someone and feeling lost in their absence, a concept that makes the poem quite easy to relate to and connect with, drawing the reader in. It was a very powerful poem to feature as the initial entry of the journal. A bit further into the journal, I found a poem entitled "Time and Time Again" by Roy Jacobstein. This poem reminded me a bit of the some of the poetry we read this week (like "Fountain" and "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner") which included some historical information as a central element. This poem was another free verse poem, one long stanza which felt complete in that it began with the lines “If you don’t write it down/ it disappears” and ended with the line “write it all down, it still disappears.” Another poem that I particularly liked was "Careful" by Erika Meitner. This poem starts with the concept of a supposedly unbreakable, durable Pyrex dish shattering and connects this later with the fragility and resilience of children, while including an array of what seem to be personal memories in the middle. The poem is arranged in unrhymed couplets, and seems to be a modern, contemporary poem.
Other poems I really liked included "My Wife and I Learn to Accept Our Clutter" by Martin Lammon (a very simple, short, yet powerful poem with a nice message about the disorganization of life), "As Mastery Gives Way into Altitude and Forgiveness" by G.C. Waldrep (a poem which depicts a plane crash in a surprisingly elegant, graceful way that is somewhat bothersome), "Cold War" by Joshua Rivken (a poem that reminds me a lot of "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner". It personifies the fighter jets and ends in an incredibly powerful line: “like Achilles/mourning the end of one world and living in the next.”), and "Moments" by Brent Pallas (a reflection on life filled with powerful imagery and concise yet creative descriptions). These poems are only some of the many poems I would like to mention and recommend here! I enjoyed most of the poems in the journal.
There were a couple of poems that I did not appreciate quite as much as some of the others. For instance, the poem "Two Spices" by John W. Evans was not one of my favorites. I felt that although the poem was quite creative and contained some mythological and historical references, there was not much for a reader to hold onto or relate to in the poem. There did not seem to be a powerful message in the incomplete sentences filled with unusual words like ‘carminative,’ ‘glumes,’ and ‘transductant,’ along with a few words here and there in another language that made up the unrhymed lines of the poem. But for the most part, I can’t complain. There were very few poems I disliked—I thought the vast majority were great!
Just as a side note, besides the poetry in this issue, the artwork and the short stories were wonderful as well. John J. O’Connor’s artwork is accompanied by a few pages explaining how and why his pieces turned out the way they did (which was REALLY interesting and made his drawings even cooler). The short stories covered a variety of topics, from a powerful story of female friendship and uncomfortable secrets in Winter Formal by Victoria Patterson to glimpses of life as a soldier and anecdotes about war and basic training in Hand-me-down War Stories by Jerry D. Mathes II.
I would HIGHLY recommend this literary journal! The biographies of the contributors reflect a wide variety of individuals, but seem to imply that many of these writers are quite experienced and somewhat distinguished writers. This may somewhat explain the high quality of the work selected and included in this journal. Overall, I think that this issue of The Southern Review would be an appropriate (and somewhat inspirational) read for anyone in our class and it would be a great journal to strive to contribute poetry to! The poetry in this issue was awesome, some serious, some lighthearted, a variety of topics and styles. I will definitely pick up another issue of this journal in the future. I really enjoyed reading it and in my opinion, this journal is 184 pages of literature well worth reading!
The journal is at ODY in print, or you can check out the website at www.lsu.edu/tsr.
Enjoy!!
Seriously, check this out, and really click on some of the poems, they are great! (THEO is on here)
Chelsea Nuffer
Assignment 8: Review of a Literary Journal
Where can a professional writer and professional facebook stalker meet to share artistic thoughts? You obviously have not heard of UpRightDown.
UpRightDown is a literary journal where every issue features a single plot, and multiple ways of telling it. Poet’s can write it, painters can paint it, singers can sing it, and even you could capture the plot in video form, whether a professor at MIT or a nanny in NYC. The plot for issue one was simple, yet could be made complex however interpreted. The plot and theme for this issue was set in a bistro where a young woman tells her three girlfriends about an affair with an American tourist. He has gone home and hasn’t called like he promised. One friend tells her to call, another says to e-mail and the third tells her to forget him. She doesn’t tell the three friends she is carrying his child. Into the bistro enters a fat American couple both with a different speech impediment. They order food. The man chokes and one of the friends performs the Heimlich maneuver on him, and saves his life. Do you think you have the creativity to spell this plot out in another way?
This issue included a fourteen second youtube video, twenty-six pieces of verse and prose poetry, six video clips, two word/image pieces, one animation piece, three of drama, three strictly image and two interactive medium pieces. This collaborative multi-media site changes every week with new additions and invites one and all of many levels and with different passions to participate by reading and/or submitting work from poems to videos and paintings. The contributors for this issue included forty-four individuals of different ages, and artistic backgrounds. For example, the brief summary of Amy Woolensack introduced her as a professional nanny and amateur Facebook stalker who lives and stalks in New York City. Avery Smith lives in Cincinnati, Ohio where she attends the School for Creative and Performing. Lastly, Nick Montfort is one of the author’s of A Palindrome Story, the longest palindrome ever written. He is an assistant professor of digital media at the MIT. These three examples prove that anyone can participate with URD, from students, to professors and professional writers, and even nannies.
The versatility and freedom of this site will capture your attention. It is a fun, colorful site that can bring out the funniest entertainment in the arts to date. Plots can be expressed with youtube videos, the most popular site of college students with procrastination issues, so you should check it out. If you wish you can even upload your most recent AIM conversation with your friend if it fits the plot, or even the cross word puzzle you found in the paper at the student center. You don’t know what artistic expression is until you check out URD.
Visit http://www.uprightdown.com to read the plot and go to the issue or even suggest a plot for a future issue!
I will be returning to this site because it is so entertaining. It will inspire me that not all poetry is serious and romantic. Jess Young, I am dedicating the above URL to you. Have fun. I am not sure if we should workshop this poetry but we should spend a day having fun with this site. I would definitely want to publish in this journal, the freedom, the fun! This was a hard choice, but here is my favorite poem in this issue on the above topic was the first poem in the first column a prose poem by Ann Buechner. I FOUND THEO’S WORK ON THIS SITE! Awesome! Also, I found a poem written about the above plot, only using words starting with B. That was neat. I also really like the AIM conversation about the plot. There is also a poem using the dictionary type form to describe the event.
Assignment 8: Review of a Literary Journal
Where can a professional writer and professional facebook stalker meet to share artistic thoughts? You obviously have not heard of UpRightDown.
UpRightDown is a literary journal where every issue features a single plot, and multiple ways of telling it. Poet’s can write it, painters can paint it, singers can sing it, and even you could capture the plot in video form, whether a professor at MIT or a nanny in NYC. The plot for issue one was simple, yet could be made complex however interpreted. The plot and theme for this issue was set in a bistro where a young woman tells her three girlfriends about an affair with an American tourist. He has gone home and hasn’t called like he promised. One friend tells her to call, another says to e-mail and the third tells her to forget him. She doesn’t tell the three friends she is carrying his child. Into the bistro enters a fat American couple both with a different speech impediment. They order food. The man chokes and one of the friends performs the Heimlich maneuver on him, and saves his life. Do you think you have the creativity to spell this plot out in another way?
This issue included a fourteen second youtube video, twenty-six pieces of verse and prose poetry, six video clips, two word/image pieces, one animation piece, three of drama, three strictly image and two interactive medium pieces. This collaborative multi-media site changes every week with new additions and invites one and all of many levels and with different passions to participate by reading and/or submitting work from poems to videos and paintings. The contributors for this issue included forty-four individuals of different ages, and artistic backgrounds. For example, the brief summary of Amy Woolensack introduced her as a professional nanny and amateur Facebook stalker who lives and stalks in New York City. Avery Smith lives in Cincinnati, Ohio where she attends the School for Creative and Performing. Lastly, Nick Montfort is one of the author’s of A Palindrome Story, the longest palindrome ever written. He is an assistant professor of digital media at the MIT. These three examples prove that anyone can participate with URD, from students, to professors and professional writers, and even nannies.
The versatility and freedom of this site will capture your attention. It is a fun, colorful site that can bring out the funniest entertainment in the arts to date. Plots can be expressed with youtube videos, the most popular site of college students with procrastination issues, so you should check it out. If you wish you can even upload your most recent AIM conversation with your friend if it fits the plot, or even the cross word puzzle you found in the paper at the student center. You don’t know what artistic expression is until you check out URD.
Visit http://www.uprightdown.com to read the plot and go to the issue or even suggest a plot for a future issue!
I will be returning to this site because it is so entertaining. It will inspire me that not all poetry is serious and romantic. Jess Young, I am dedicating the above URL to you. Have fun. I am not sure if we should workshop this poetry but we should spend a day having fun with this site. I would definitely want to publish in this journal, the freedom, the fun! This was a hard choice, but here is my favorite poem in this issue on the above topic was the first poem in the first column a prose poem by Ann Buechner. I FOUND THEO’S WORK ON THIS SITE! Awesome! Also, I found a poem written about the above plot, only using words starting with B. That was neat. I also really like the AIM conversation about the plot. There is also a poem using the dictionary type form to describe the event.
Attention: group 2
I revised my poem for Tuesday (group two). So hopefully, you can print that off again if you had already. I used the following lexical sets below to write a poem with. It was pretty hard to put together. I had to use my imagination and think of ways the four words related. My first attempt was ok, but the poem had no form. I just revised the sets of poems into further like groups. I then titled those different mini poems so the reader can understand them as mini stories. Just focus on the sounds of the words, and have fun with it. Don’t read into it too much.
Chelsea
Lexical set Examples
KIT (ship, rip, dim)
DRESS (step, ebb, hem)
TRAP (bad, cab, ham)
LOT (stop, rob, swan)
STRUT (cub, rub, hum)
FOOT (full, look, could)
BATH (staff, clasp, dance)
CLOTH (cough, long, gone)
NURSE (hurt, term, work)
FLEECE (seed, key, seize)
FACE (weight, rein, steak)
PALM (calm, bra, father)
THOUGHT (taut, hawk, broad)
GOAT (soap, soul, home)
GOOSE (who, group, few)
PRICE (ripe, tribe, aisle)
CHOICE (boy, void, coin)
MOUTH (pouch, noun, crowd)
NEAR (beer, pier, fierce)
SQUARE (care, air, wear)
START (far, sharp, farm)
NORTH (war, storm, for)
FORCE (floor, coarse, ore)
CURE (poor, tour, fury)
Chelsea
Lexical set Examples
KIT (ship, rip, dim)
DRESS (step, ebb, hem)
TRAP (bad, cab, ham)
LOT (stop, rob, swan)
STRUT (cub, rub, hum)
FOOT (full, look, could)
BATH (staff, clasp, dance)
CLOTH (cough, long, gone)
NURSE (hurt, term, work)
FLEECE (seed, key, seize)
FACE (weight, rein, steak)
PALM (calm, bra, father)
THOUGHT (taut, hawk, broad)
GOAT (soap, soul, home)
GOOSE (who, group, few)
PRICE (ripe, tribe, aisle)
CHOICE (boy, void, coin)
MOUTH (pouch, noun, crowd)
NEAR (beer, pier, fierce)
SQUARE (care, air, wear)
START (far, sharp, farm)
NORTH (war, storm, for)
FORCE (floor, coarse, ore)
CURE (poor, tour, fury)
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Today's Writing Exercise
I really liked the writing exercise that we did today. I ended up with the historical moment of "JFK's Assasination" with the character of a 20 year old janitor. I was very lucky to end up with this topic as I am and have always been interested in the JFK assasination. After some editing, I would like to share this poem with you, comments and criticism is more than welcome!
"The 20 Year Old Janitor"
As I sat outside on the park bench
I noticed there were crouds of people-
Ass ignoring me of course,
I don't look like someone they would talk to
I held my head high,
I was only twenty years old,
My life still had a future,
Their lives just had a past.
I didn't know why
All the boring people had gathered
But they all stayed far away
So we wouldn't have to talk.
Suddenly the lifeless people started cheering
For what I did not understand.
Black shiny cars began driving right past me
I was in eyelock-With the president.
As he startedback and waved
I knew he wished me well.
He believed that I still had a future,
Thats why he had chose me.
I slowly raised my hand to return his gesture,
There was a gun shot.
He layed in his seat, head back, blood surrounded,
His car rushed to the hospital,
But I knew, he believed, he believed in me.
I know it's still a little rough, but I hope you enjoy!!
"The 20 Year Old Janitor"
As I sat outside on the park bench
I noticed there were crouds of people-
Ass ignoring me of course,
I don't look like someone they would talk to
I held my head high,
I was only twenty years old,
My life still had a future,
Their lives just had a past.
I didn't know why
All the boring people had gathered
But they all stayed far away
So we wouldn't have to talk.
Suddenly the lifeless people started cheering
For what I did not understand.
Black shiny cars began driving right past me
I was in eyelock-With the president.
As he startedback and waved
I knew he wished me well.
He believed that I still had a future,
Thats why he had chose me.
I slowly raised my hand to return his gesture,
There was a gun shot.
He layed in his seat, head back, blood surrounded,
His car rushed to the hospital,
But I knew, he believed, he believed in me.
I know it's still a little rough, but I hope you enjoy!!
Assignment 7
I thought assignment 7 was more difficult than any of the previous assignments. I feel this way because it is hard for me to write a poem in any sort of style I guess. I just seem to like having my poems with no constraints or just going on and doing what I want to do. However at the same time I really enjoyed doing the assignment because it made me explore how weird our language can be. I just find it very difficult to get started on these types of poems. I worked on the n+7 poem which i found to be a very unique and interesting way to write a poem. I found it very similar to something like mad libs and that was pretty cool i thought.
The Fountain
I really liked the selections or this week's reading. I loved The Fountain. I thought it was absolutely beautiful when I read it to myself but I was actually a little bit disappointed when I listened to the audio version online. I thought that it was read almost mechanical and that a lot of the rhythm and beauty of the whole poem was lost. I haven't really been to too many poetry readings, but i really enjoyed listening to Cathy Park Hong read her own work out loud. I thought it made the poem come to life a little more, the ideas seemed just a little bit more tangible, and there was something unique about hearing the work straight from the mouth of the poet. I guess I was a little disappointed in the reading of The Fountain, because it felt a little stunted and awkward, I thought it took away more from the poem than it gained. I am no expert on reading poetry out loud, so perhaps the technique was intentional, and I am entirely off base, but I guess I just feel that a poem so powerful and moving could have been read with a deeper emotion and emphasis to really draw the listener in. I thought the audio version did not do the literary version justice.
On another note, I really enjoyed reading my workshop group's poems this week. It was interesting to see how much variety there was when the assignment had more constrains and structure than most of the previous weeks. I thought Brian used a really interesting and creative idea for his constraint and I loved Chelsea's deer! I was really impressed, that must have taken forever to make on the computer. See you all in class!
-Jenny-
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The readings this week
Firstly I just want to say that I’m really glad that we always discuss the readings in class the next day and that we don’t have to write and hand in a poetry analysis, because if that were the case I’d fail. Unless the theme is blatantly obvious, I’ve never been especially adept at analyzing texts, and the same holds true yet again for most of the poems that we’ve read for class. What I love and notice about poetry is the tone, the diction, how the poem flows and how it makes me feel. I can really admire and love a poem even without knowing exactly what it’s about.
That being said, I really liked Thursday’s poem “Fountain”. I get what it’s about mostly, but there are areas where I’m not exactly sure what the poet meant by what she wrote. For example, toward the end of the poem when she writes “And I remember how, once, enraged, she spat at me, my siblings, Your lives have been what I’ve told you they’ve been whether it was the truth or not”. I know she’s quoting her mother, but I was a little confused as to what it is the mother is trying to say there…
I also really liked Tuesday’s “Columbus”. I thought it was fun, silly yet very clever. Auden’s poem however, I wasn’t too big a fan of. I picked up on the slow quiet tone of the poem, and I could appreciate that, but I wasn’t sure what it was about exactly. It was a little too sophisticated for me at first, but after talking about it in class it makes a lot more sense now.
As for Jarrell’s poem, it was so short I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. After having just read “Fountain”, this poem immediately made me think of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement and protestors getting beaten and blasted with hoses by the police. I’m not sure if that’s the connection with the other poem, or if there even is one, but I have no other guesses on this one. It’ll be interesting to hear what people come up with in class tomorrow!
That being said, I really liked Thursday’s poem “Fountain”. I get what it’s about mostly, but there are areas where I’m not exactly sure what the poet meant by what she wrote. For example, toward the end of the poem when she writes “And I remember how, once, enraged, she spat at me, my siblings, Your lives have been what I’ve told you they’ve been whether it was the truth or not”. I know she’s quoting her mother, but I was a little confused as to what it is the mother is trying to say there…
I also really liked Tuesday’s “Columbus”. I thought it was fun, silly yet very clever. Auden’s poem however, I wasn’t too big a fan of. I picked up on the slow quiet tone of the poem, and I could appreciate that, but I wasn’t sure what it was about exactly. It was a little too sophisticated for me at first, but after talking about it in class it makes a lot more sense now.
As for Jarrell’s poem, it was so short I really wasn’t sure what to make of it. After having just read “Fountain”, this poem immediately made me think of the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement and protestors getting beaten and blasted with hoses by the police. I’m not sure if that’s the connection with the other poem, or if there even is one, but I have no other guesses on this one. It’ll be interesting to hear what people come up with in class tomorrow!
Assignment 7 and Fountain
I also enjoyed Assignment 7. I liked the freedom of being able to chose the style (not that we don't usually have freedom when it comes to choosing what to write about), but lately our poems have allowed us to decide between certain types of poem. I like this because some students may find it easier to write a certain kind of poem than others. For example, for the last workshop, only a few students in my group found it easy to write sonnets, while other struggled, so allowing students to explore a type of poem that comes easily to them is a nice luxury!
I chose to write a homolingual translation. It took me a lot longer than I thought it would take and basically I wanted to keep the story of the poem light hearted for my first attempt at a homolingual translation since it was a lot harder than I originally anticipated! I liked being able to play around with words and I made myself laugh out loud multiple times. Overall I think I finished it successfully but I know I will want to continue writing these types of poems so I can get better at it. One thing I wasn't sure about was whether when you would use for instance the word you, but change it to chew, would you use chew every time you use you in the poem? I guess I'll find out.
I really liked reading and listening to the poem, "Fountain" for tomorrow's (today's) discussion. I'm taking a History of the Civil Rights Movement class and we just learned all about the sit ins so I enjoyed the fact that this poem tied into something I learned in another class...I like when that happens. But furthermore, I read it out loud first before I heard the reading of it, and I always like doing that since no two people ever read the same poem the same way. I found that to be true when Kathy read her poem to our class even though Jess read it quite nicely before. People break at different places and breathe at different places and put greater emphasis on different words and I always like to hear the difference between how I read something and how someone else does. That's all for now though! See you in class
Assignment #7 and Tone Poems
I thought that assignment #7 was a very cool assignment and I spent a lot of time trying out different these forms. I started with the homolingual translations and had a lot of trouble with it and after a few tries I moved on to attempt the N+7 style. Initially I forgot the exact rules for the N+7 and somehow thought that I was supposed to change the last word in each line of the poem to the word 7 words down from that in the dictionary. After doing one of my entire poems in this style....which was interesting, I figured out what I was really supposed to be doing and reworked it to follow the rule. After I N+7ed my own poem I then took some traditional songs and N+7ed them as well. I really enjoyed using this form on the traditional songs and did a lot of them that I did not even end up handing in. I really liked to see that changes that using this style had on these works. When changing my own poem there were a few changes that really made me laugh and a few that made me think of other possible directions I could have taken my poem in. When I worked with the songs it was fun to see how words like home could be changed to homicide and the word word to workaholic.
In class yesterday we looked at 2 poem Columbus and Musee des Beaux Arts both of which featured a discernible tone of the author in the writing which had a large effect on the poem. Of these two poems I really liked Musee des Beaux Arts and the way that the authors voice could be heard within it. I also liked how the poem set up its ideas about human suffering and how it is human nature that it often goes unnoticed in the beginning and then finished up referencing the Bruegel featuring Icarus as a sort of case study to the point that he was trying to make. The tone Auden uses in this poem is somewhat sad but also very assured as if Auden has learned from experience that this is the way that life is and although it is sad it has to be accepted. This poem is an excellent example of how the authors tone can be an extremely important aspect of a poem.
In class yesterday we looked at 2 poem Columbus and Musee des Beaux Arts both of which featured a discernible tone of the author in the writing which had a large effect on the poem. Of these two poems I really liked Musee des Beaux Arts and the way that the authors voice could be heard within it. I also liked how the poem set up its ideas about human suffering and how it is human nature that it often goes unnoticed in the beginning and then finished up referencing the Bruegel featuring Icarus as a sort of case study to the point that he was trying to make. The tone Auden uses in this poem is somewhat sad but also very assured as if Auden has learned from experience that this is the way that life is and although it is sad it has to be accepted. This poem is an excellent example of how the authors tone can be an extremely important aspect of a poem.
different tones, styles, forms, attitudes
We have been shifting in many directions in poetry form the last few assignments. Our class as a whole has taken different directions with their work because of the flexibility in the assignments. Even with one form as a guideline we have produced very different work which proves the diversity in poetry. I am proud of our class and amazing at the work we have produced. There are some creative and talented poets in the mix. I sometimes feel inadequate. I felt like a slacker with my recent deer poem as others had very profound and beautiful poems. Although, I do like to experiment with different tones, and styles my goal for the next poem is to be serious and beautiful. (haha… that is actually funny) I may even choose to be sad.
With all of these different forms, styles, tones, and attitudes from poets it is still hard top recognize what is “good” poetry. To each his own, I guess. But, how did Nash make it into the Norton? Who is to judge poetry? Something we determined sounded as a fourth grader was published in the Norton. I have a notion that all poetry needs to be beautiful and romantic, yet I know this is not the case. I like poems that are not this way, therefore I should learn to like Nash’s poetry. It will take me a while to learn that not all poetry is romantic.
With all of these different forms, styles, tones, and attitudes from poets it is still hard top recognize what is “good” poetry. To each his own, I guess. But, how did Nash make it into the Norton? Who is to judge poetry? Something we determined sounded as a fourth grader was published in the Norton. I have a notion that all poetry needs to be beautiful and romantic, yet I know this is not the case. I like poems that are not this way, therefore I should learn to like Nash’s poetry. It will take me a while to learn that not all poetry is romantic.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thoughts on This Week's Readings...
I really enjoyed the poems we are reading this week, the ones for both Tuesday and Thursday. And although I don’t really have any deep thoughts or analysis of any one of the poems, I have some thoughts connected to each one and I figured I would share.
Firstly, I loved Columbus. We discussed in our group the type of humor used by Ogden Nash and the effect it had on the tone and our perception of the poem. I liked the long, run on lines and the fact that some of the words he rhymed were long and somewhat complicated. I also liked the effect created by the fact that the poem had a rhyme scheme, but no meter. It made it feel like a young child was writing the poem, sharing all the thoughts he possibly could in one big long run on sentence. The repetition of and, so, but and because at the beginnings of the lines accentuated this effect. It was interesting that the poem began with a somewhat clichéd beginning (Once upon a time…) and ended in a moral… Like a story book! I also like that although the poem has a somewhat juvenile tone because of these poetic elements included by Nash, it still is addressing a somewhat serious subject (the imperfections of official history) in a light, comical way. I really liked the humor and the style of this poem!
I was a little less of a fan of Musee des Beaux Arts because I felt that Auden’s tone was a bit more depressing and not quite so openly comical (although I did appreciate the more subtle comical comments and the humor that was woven more subtly into the poem). However, one aspect of this poem that especially stood out to me was the reference to Icarus. I think it is fun (and very effective) when authors play off of and reference the works of other artists and authors. I also like the use of references to mythology or biblical references… I think it adds a deeper meaning and significance to the poems. I thought this technique was very effective in this poem. It is something I might consider using in my own poetry at some point.
Now, the readings for Thursday. I really liked both of these poems and I am interested to see how we connect, compare and contrast them during our class discussion on Thursday. Both poems include an important historical context and references to historical events and happenings, which is an interesting poetic element and a concept we have not spent much time exploring as of yet. I am looking forward to our discussion to see what other elements connect these poems and what techniques we can look for as examples in these two works.
As for my thoughts on the individual poems, I really like the use of the fountain imagery in Fountain to connect all of the ideas in the poem, and to explicitly connect the beginning and the end of the poem to create a feeling of completion for the reader. It seems a bit obscure to me (I was not totally sure how the fountain was the poetic speaker’s life. This statement at the end of the poem left me curious as to what other people’s take on the message will be…), but overall, I thought it was effective. Just as one last random comment about Fountain, I like the narrative conversation that occurs between the mother and her son within the poem. It gives it a more personal effect, allowing the reader to have a firsthand look at their relationship and therefore develop a more intimate understanding of the characters. I think this is a cool effect!
Lastly, I found that The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner was an interesting poem in that it is short and compact and yet it includes a rhyme (lines 2 and 5 rhyme) and it includes a lot of historical knowledge that isn’t necessarily common knowledge to many readers (hence the long footnote…). Anyway, what I really liked about this poem and what stood out to me the most was the juxtaposition of birth and death. The poem is about war and death, yet the fighter is experiencing a birth-like experience as a gunner in the war. The imagery and description in the poem could be used to also describe an individual’s birth, but in context it is describing the end of the fighter’s life and his progress toward death as he is shot down. I think the combination of these two concepts is very powerful and makes the imagery and message of Jarrell’s poem even stronger.
I’m looking forward to our discussion on Thursday! See you all in class!!!
p.s. The poems this week (at least for group 2) were great! I really enjoyed reading all of your work! Keep it up!
Firstly, I loved Columbus. We discussed in our group the type of humor used by Ogden Nash and the effect it had on the tone and our perception of the poem. I liked the long, run on lines and the fact that some of the words he rhymed were long and somewhat complicated. I also liked the effect created by the fact that the poem had a rhyme scheme, but no meter. It made it feel like a young child was writing the poem, sharing all the thoughts he possibly could in one big long run on sentence. The repetition of and, so, but and because at the beginnings of the lines accentuated this effect. It was interesting that the poem began with a somewhat clichéd beginning (Once upon a time…) and ended in a moral… Like a story book! I also like that although the poem has a somewhat juvenile tone because of these poetic elements included by Nash, it still is addressing a somewhat serious subject (the imperfections of official history) in a light, comical way. I really liked the humor and the style of this poem!
I was a little less of a fan of Musee des Beaux Arts because I felt that Auden’s tone was a bit more depressing and not quite so openly comical (although I did appreciate the more subtle comical comments and the humor that was woven more subtly into the poem). However, one aspect of this poem that especially stood out to me was the reference to Icarus. I think it is fun (and very effective) when authors play off of and reference the works of other artists and authors. I also like the use of references to mythology or biblical references… I think it adds a deeper meaning and significance to the poems. I thought this technique was very effective in this poem. It is something I might consider using in my own poetry at some point.
Now, the readings for Thursday. I really liked both of these poems and I am interested to see how we connect, compare and contrast them during our class discussion on Thursday. Both poems include an important historical context and references to historical events and happenings, which is an interesting poetic element and a concept we have not spent much time exploring as of yet. I am looking forward to our discussion to see what other elements connect these poems and what techniques we can look for as examples in these two works.
As for my thoughts on the individual poems, I really like the use of the fountain imagery in Fountain to connect all of the ideas in the poem, and to explicitly connect the beginning and the end of the poem to create a feeling of completion for the reader. It seems a bit obscure to me (I was not totally sure how the fountain was the poetic speaker’s life. This statement at the end of the poem left me curious as to what other people’s take on the message will be…), but overall, I thought it was effective. Just as one last random comment about Fountain, I like the narrative conversation that occurs between the mother and her son within the poem. It gives it a more personal effect, allowing the reader to have a firsthand look at their relationship and therefore develop a more intimate understanding of the characters. I think this is a cool effect!
Lastly, I found that The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner was an interesting poem in that it is short and compact and yet it includes a rhyme (lines 2 and 5 rhyme) and it includes a lot of historical knowledge that isn’t necessarily common knowledge to many readers (hence the long footnote…). Anyway, what I really liked about this poem and what stood out to me the most was the juxtaposition of birth and death. The poem is about war and death, yet the fighter is experiencing a birth-like experience as a gunner in the war. The imagery and description in the poem could be used to also describe an individual’s birth, but in context it is describing the end of the fighter’s life and his progress toward death as he is shot down. I think the combination of these two concepts is very powerful and makes the imagery and message of Jarrell’s poem even stronger.
I’m looking forward to our discussion on Thursday! See you all in class!!!
p.s. The poems this week (at least for group 2) were great! I really enjoyed reading all of your work! Keep it up!
The Different Shapes of Humor
The two poems we read for class today were very interesting in of the fact that they both dealt with humor in two completely contrasting ways. "Columbus," by Ogden Nash, has this very prominent silliness to it with its choice of rhyming words (for example - "Italian" and "rapscallion," and "citronella" and "Isabella"), and a very innocent feel with the repetition of each line (besides the first) starting in and/so/but/because, kind of like one long run-on sentence.
In stark contrast, W.H. Auden's poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" contains more dry/cynical humor ("dogs go on with their doggy lives") and is written in a more adult way with the use of semicolons, colons, and a variety of connecting words. His description of the "Icarus" painting also brings about humor, but in sad sad way by bringing to light the sheer lack of concern the people in the painting pay to Icarus as he is drowning. It brings up the morbid truth about how little people care about other's troubles that is so hard to believe that one has no other choice but to to laugh at just how insane it is that it's actually true.
These two poems are nice polar opposites as to how to approach humor. It can either be playful and funny, or dry and outrageously blunt. I'd highly suggest the other Ogden Nash poems from the book as well. They're short, but worth a good laugh.
In stark contrast, W.H. Auden's poem "Musee des Beaux Arts" contains more dry/cynical humor ("dogs go on with their doggy lives") and is written in a more adult way with the use of semicolons, colons, and a variety of connecting words. His description of the "Icarus" painting also brings about humor, but in sad sad way by bringing to light the sheer lack of concern the people in the painting pay to Icarus as he is drowning. It brings up the morbid truth about how little people care about other's troubles that is so hard to believe that one has no other choice but to to laugh at just how insane it is that it's actually true.
These two poems are nice polar opposites as to how to approach humor. It can either be playful and funny, or dry and outrageously blunt. I'd highly suggest the other Ogden Nash poems from the book as well. They're short, but worth a good laugh.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Group 2! Read this before Thursday!
Hi y'all!
I just realized I didn't add why my form worked for my (incredibly weird and morbid) poem.
The beautiful outlaw really makes gives the reader crucial decisions to make: what words can I use, what can't I, what can I use to make these letters be used and not these? Since every letter of the alphabet had to be used (except for the one letter in each stanza) it was really hard to do. This is why I did contradict instead of contradiction. I also felt like it added a feeling of claustrophobia, which was cool because I'm sure (SPOILER ALERT!) the nun waiting to get an abortion would be nervous.
Again, I realize my topic is royally fucked up. But when Charles gave me contradiction as my word, the first contradiction that popped into my head was someone who was incredibly religious getting an abortion (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, anyone?) and then I was like, well, how would a nun get knocked up other than getting raped? And who would be near a nun? A priest.
Once again, apologies on the weird topic.
See you all tomorrow.
Also, Chelsea, you're a bad ass with that deer.
I just realized I didn't add why my form worked for my (incredibly weird and morbid) poem.
The beautiful outlaw really makes gives the reader crucial decisions to make: what words can I use, what can't I, what can I use to make these letters be used and not these? Since every letter of the alphabet had to be used (except for the one letter in each stanza) it was really hard to do. This is why I did contradict instead of contradiction. I also felt like it added a feeling of claustrophobia, which was cool because I'm sure (SPOILER ALERT!) the nun waiting to get an abortion would be nervous.
Again, I realize my topic is royally fucked up. But when Charles gave me contradiction as my word, the first contradiction that popped into my head was someone who was incredibly religious getting an abortion (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, anyone?) and then I was like, well, how would a nun get knocked up other than getting raped? And who would be near a nun? A priest.
Once again, apologies on the weird topic.
See you all tomorrow.
Also, Chelsea, you're a bad ass with that deer.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Well, not only is this post belated, but it's also being written as I wait in an airport cafe! Regarless, I have to say that last week's full class workshop was a delight. It was nice to see everyone actively circulating ideas and advice. I feel that I now have so many options to improve my poem. Hopefully the next workshop isn't far away!Enjoy your break!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Hey guys, sorry I haven’t really had a chance to write earlier, but I also went to hear Cathy Park Hong, and I really enjoyed listening to her. She read a bunch of different poems from her book “Translating Mo’um” and then from “Dance Dance Revolution”, as well as a few other pieces. My favorites were her pieces from “Translating Mo’um”; they were kind of abstract, and I couldn’t work out that the title had anything to do with the poem itself, but all of the poems she read from that first book had incredible diction. Every line and phrase sounded so powerful and perfectly crafted, as if she chose each word with careful consideration. Some lines and phrases sounded odd but in a wonderful way because she would use a pairing of words that one would never think to put together, but that same reason was why her poems sounded so fresh and different. They also had awesome flow and description, and they were funny too! She was a very enjoyable reader to listen to.
Also, “Dance Dance Revolution” made a whole lot more sense when she read it aloud and sounded a million times better than when I read it in my head. Like we were saying in class the other day, its brilliance is in the way Hong creates this language/dialect of the desert, so in order to get the full effect, you have to hear it aloud. Then, with her being the poet, she knows how she meant each line or word to sound, and it just sound a billion times better than when I read it aloud to myself. Like I said, I really enjoyed her readings and she was a great speaker to listen to!
Also, “Dance Dance Revolution” made a whole lot more sense when she read it aloud and sounded a million times better than when I read it in my head. Like we were saying in class the other day, its brilliance is in the way Hong creates this language/dialect of the desert, so in order to get the full effect, you have to hear it aloud. Then, with her being the poet, she knows how she meant each line or word to sound, and it just sound a billion times better than when I read it aloud to myself. Like I said, I really enjoyed her readings and she was a great speaker to listen to!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Paint
I really like the newest assignments. I had fun with my assignment 5. I combined Green’s work with Jordan’s work to create Nuffer’s work. I also tried copycatting Bok’s work with, taking out all but one vowel. I used A. That was difficult. We didn’t workshop it. I am glad because it was silly. It created me to use words like fart. I know that those pieces were not my best, but it is so neat to try poetry that is outside of the box. I have always been one of creative means. Plus I think that I am poor at classical poetry writing. So, let’s make new. I am excited about the newest assignment, number 7. I am actually working on it right now. It is very early, but I am trying to do a lot of work, so I am not as overwhelmed after break. I began writing this assignment before Theo changed the title. So, I went with the lexical idea, which was an option earlier. I had to look up what a lexical set was. I think it is neat, and I am not sure if it is the right way that I am supposed to, but if it isn’t perhaps I have created my own technique…so there! Accept it as it is. Make art. Make poetry. (Even if it includes words like fart.) Also, I wanted to say my lexical set of poems is actually MANY poems. I am a fan of short poems all of a sudden. Just another form and technique I am experimenting with. I am going through stages of poetry. You may have seen the comment I have left for some of your critiques to use less words. I think there is strength in few words. I am usually a very wordy writer. I am working on that. You will see. I hope you like!
Whole Class Workshop
Having the whole class workshop is definitely a new experience. I found it to be a little nerve racking myself even though my poem was not one of the poems being work shopped today. I think that sharing the ideas in front of the entire class and working together as a whole class is better for the experience. I think that i is nice for the authors of these poems because it is four times as many eyes looking at the authors poem and offering their input and experiences with the poem. I think this allows for more of a variation of answers and responses to your poems and it also presents you with that many more ways to change/fix your poem. This really I feel helped out our experience with this new type of workshop and I also feel the same as Kevin, in the fact that I felt like everyone got the critiques that they were looking for. I also enjoyed hearing the different comments people had to say, and to me it seemed like everyone had a well thought out way of critiquing people. I liked these differences because it comes from all of the different experiences we have had in our lives and how we can relate to these poems. By the way all of the poems I thought showed a tremendous amount of work and effort put into them. I feel this really showed in the quality of the poems that we had to work shop for today. I am exited for Thursday's work shop as I am sure it will be very interesting and exciting.
This & Last Week's Post
Sorry I've been so behind....No excuses really, but if three midterms in one day and two papers the following day, and an ear infection can constitute for me totally forgetting about blogging, then that's my excuse. Anyway, last week I really enjoyed having Cathy Park come into our class-she was awesome. Totally not what I was expecting, and I don't really know what I was expecting, but she wasn't it...not in a bad way at all. She was really cool and I felt like the conversation came really easy. I was glad she was able to read some of her work for a couple reasons. I wasn't going to be able to make it to her poetry reading even though I REALLY wanted to, so I was happy when she agreed to read to our class. Secondly, it was really really cool to hear the actual voice behind the poems. Jess did a really good job reading out of her book the previous class, but I really enjoyed hearing Cathy read it. It helped me read her poems a little easier. I also enjoyed hearing how she got started and how she had only started getting serious when she was our ages, maybe a little older. That makes me feel better when I think to myself as I write poems that I am no good at it, and I would never be able to write a poem good enough to be published. Now I think if I really wanted to get serious about poetry, I could.
As for this past assignment, I had a lot of trouble with writing a long poem knowing that the entire class would be work shopping it. I had just started getting comfortable with my own workshop group, so knowing that the whole class would be giving me feedback was a little nerve racking and I think it hindered my ability to write because I couldn't help being self conscious. But after today's class I think towards the end we started getting more comfortable and were able to give people working feedback for future poems they write or if they choose to revise the one that was read by the class.
Class Workshop
So day one of the class workshop is done, and I'd say it was quite successful. Of the poems we went over, I think everyone got the critiques they were looking for, and some helpful tips to help in assignments for the future, or if they ever desire to do revisions.
I thought it was really neat to get everyone's perspectives on a poem this time. While the group workshops are great as well, it's always interesting to get some fresh new ideas thrown into the mix every once and while, and seeing what the other half of the class has to say about the poems is just the remedy. On the other hand (or rather, the same hand?), it was cool to not only hear the other workshop group's opinions, but to see their poems as well. I felt like everyone has their own unique style, and it is only further emphasized as we bring in other people's poems.
My poem is up next on Thursday, so I'll be interested to see what each part of the class has to say about it. Also, it was nice to hear Professor Hummer's thoughts on the poems as we were going through them. Sometimes, as students, we just see something and think "this looks flawless!" when in reality, a trained eye can pick up on some things that could be fixed or altered.
I thought it was really neat to get everyone's perspectives on a poem this time. While the group workshops are great as well, it's always interesting to get some fresh new ideas thrown into the mix every once and while, and seeing what the other half of the class has to say about the poems is just the remedy. On the other hand (or rather, the same hand?), it was cool to not only hear the other workshop group's opinions, but to see their poems as well. I felt like everyone has their own unique style, and it is only further emphasized as we bring in other people's poems.
My poem is up next on Thursday, so I'll be interested to see what each part of the class has to say about it. Also, it was nice to hear Professor Hummer's thoughts on the poems as we were going through them. Sometimes, as students, we just see something and think "this looks flawless!" when in reality, a trained eye can pick up on some things that could be fixed or altered.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Dance Dance Revolution!!!
I really enjoyed listening to Cathy Park Hong during her reading Thursday night. I was expected to enjoy her reading when Cathy first came to our class when I realized I was able to relate to her liking for cities. I found her writing to be quite entertaining and very creative. After reading her entire book "Dance Dance Revolution" I got the feeling of Bali or Las Vegas or something. My favorite poem of hers was her first poem. When she read it aloud I was able to understand it better. The way she sounded out words and paused during certain points made each and every poem enthusiastic. However, my favorite thing was the idea that the poems turned into a story about a tour guide. Once I got the understanding of the speaker the book and the images it created for me made the poems less frustrating and more fun to read.
Even though I learned a lot at the poetry reading, I learned more about her in our class discussion. Hearing about her latest work and when and where she has been inspired to write made it more interesting to hear her work Thursday night. I liked her knew western themed stories, it was a nice change from her last book. When she read some aloud it was interesting for me as a listener to correlate connections between both the new works and the old. The western idea had a "New Frontier" theme to it, which was similar to her poems in "Dance Dance Revolution" as well: the up and coming cities out west, near California. Basically I am very excited to buy her next book!
Even though I learned a lot at the poetry reading, I learned more about her in our class discussion. Hearing about her latest work and when and where she has been inspired to write made it more interesting to hear her work Thursday night. I liked her knew western themed stories, it was a nice change from her last book. When she read some aloud it was interesting for me as a listener to correlate connections between both the new works and the old. The western idea had a "New Frontier" theme to it, which was similar to her poems in "Dance Dance Revolution" as well: the up and coming cities out west, near California. Basically I am very excited to buy her next book!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Cathy Park Hong and the newest assignment
I agree with Jess, I also really enjoyed hearing Cathy Park Hong. I think getting to know her as a person really made me appreciate her poetry more. It's always neat getting to hear what an author or poet or musician feels/thinks. I also liked her new stuff.
Did anyone go to the reading? How was it?
So, I've decided to do a beautiful outlaw poem for this next assignment, and it's been much harder than I thought. I was sitting in the library with Charles and was like, "Give me a word that is longer than 4 letters," and he shot back "Contradiction", so I've been working with that word. It's fun so far (I'm actually procrastinating with this blog entry) and it forces me to search for vocabulary (although, I'm trying not to use words I wouldn't normally use, because I think that will come off stuffy and pretentious).
Anyways, the beautiful outlaw poem is one where the first sentence or line or stanza will not have the first letter of the word you are writing about in it. (so my first stanza has no c. the second stanza has no O, etc.)
The poem itself is about contradiction, so that's also been hard to try and do this new structure with a narrative involved.
I hope you enjoy it, and see you all Tuesday!
Did anyone go to the reading? How was it?
So, I've decided to do a beautiful outlaw poem for this next assignment, and it's been much harder than I thought. I was sitting in the library with Charles and was like, "Give me a word that is longer than 4 letters," and he shot back "Contradiction", so I've been working with that word. It's fun so far (I'm actually procrastinating with this blog entry) and it forces me to search for vocabulary (although, I'm trying not to use words I wouldn't normally use, because I think that will come off stuffy and pretentious).
Anyways, the beautiful outlaw poem is one where the first sentence or line or stanza will not have the first letter of the word you are writing about in it. (so my first stanza has no c. the second stanza has no O, etc.)
The poem itself is about contradiction, so that's also been hard to try and do this new structure with a narrative involved.
I hope you enjoy it, and see you all Tuesday!
Cathy Park Hong and Awesome Poets in Our Class!
I think that it was a great experience having Cathy Park Hong visit our class. It was great to have lunch with her as well… the five of us had a very comfortable, not awkward conversation, which was nice. She was very personable and friendly! I also really enjoyed our question and answer session with her in class. It was nice to talk about publishing, poetic techniques, her writing style and the editing and revision process. As a beginning poet, I thought it was really helpful to hear what a ‘real’ poet has to say. I also really enjoyed hearing her read and I thought it was REALLY interesting that she devised the voice of the guide she used in Dance Dance Revolution completely in her head, without speaking it out loud. That must have been really hard! I also think it is cool that she acknowledges the fact that her poetry is not totally normal and it is sometimes difficult to understand, even for people like her dad. Meeting her and talking about her poetry with her made me like and appreciate her poetry a bit more. I like that it is a bit of a mixture of her cultural and linguistic background and the culture and language she was raised in in L.A. Overall, I thought visiting with Cathy Park Hong was wonderful! It would be great to have more guest speakers and authors visit our class. I think we could really learn a lot!
I would also like to say that I started reading the pieces we will be workshopping this week as a class and I really enjoyed reading them. There are some really good poets in our class and I think it will be a lot of fun to workshop with all of us together. It was nice to get to read the poetry of some people in our class I had not yet read. I look forward to getting feedback from all of you about my poetry. Tuesday and Thursday should be fun!
See you all in class!
I would also like to say that I started reading the pieces we will be workshopping this week as a class and I really enjoyed reading them. There are some really good poets in our class and I think it will be a lot of fun to workshop with all of us together. It was nice to get to read the poetry of some people in our class I had not yet read. I look forward to getting feedback from all of you about my poetry. Tuesday and Thursday should be fun!
See you all in class!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Cathy Park Hong
So this post is for next week and I know it is a little early, but I also went to Cathy Park Hong's reading of her poems last night and I just wanted to post while it is still fresh in my mind. I really enjoyed listening to her read. Having her come in to class and then hearing some of her other work actually gave me a greater appreciation for her as a poet. I enjoyed reading the Ontology of Chang and Eng in class, but I struggled with her excerpts of Dance Dance Revolution. Hearing the guide's voice read by her, completely changed my perspective of her work. The language that had previously appeared completely unintelligible to me on the page, was beautiful and poetic when she spoke it. I really enjoyed the poems she read from her Dance Dance Revolution collection, but I also found her earlier works from Translating Mu'om to be good too. I thought it was really interesting to see the diversity of her subject choices for her collections. Each subject is so very different from the other, although they all seem to contain a common thread. The link between them all, to me seems to be moments where diverse cultures meet and merge together, and the impact that merger has both upon the individual, and language itself. I am really interested to see what her collection of the Western Frontier Boom Towns will turn out to be. Overall, I would say I really enjoyed hearing Hong's work. There is a lot to be said for hearing poetry straight from the mouth of the poet, something I have not often had the opportunity to do.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Cathy Park Hong
I just got back from Cathy Park Hong's reading in the Sykes formal lounge. It was a neat atmosphere, though it was definitely different than it was in class. Compared to the class time, this seemed pretty short. It was nice to hear a range of her poems, from her first book to the ones that may be included in the next one, but there seemed to be little discussion about her thought process behind some of her works and how she goes about writing, besides a few questions that were asked - I guess I just expected it to be more like a question and answer session than a reading.
It was still great though, and hearing the poems from the author herself made her work seem even better. She spoke the role of the tour guide perfectly and turned a poem that I couldn't stand when I read it to myself into something special. The two new poems she read were also very good. The alphabet-form she wrote in (I can't remember the name, but basically you start the first line with a word starting with a letter from the alphabet, and then each line continues in sequential order of the letters) was extremely fun to listen to as I tried to follow along with what letter she was on.
All in all it was a nice event, though I definitely liked the more casual, and somewhat more personal, atmosphere of having her in class.
It was still great though, and hearing the poems from the author herself made her work seem even better. She spoke the role of the tour guide perfectly and turned a poem that I couldn't stand when I read it to myself into something special. The two new poems she read were also very good. The alphabet-form she wrote in (I can't remember the name, but basically you start the first line with a word starting with a letter from the alphabet, and then each line continues in sequential order of the letters) was extremely fun to listen to as I tried to follow along with what letter she was on.
All in all it was a nice event, though I definitely liked the more casual, and somewhat more personal, atmosphere of having her in class.
Papermaking
I was not sure what to expect from a paper making workshop but I really enjoyed the experience. I had no idea that we were going to be able to add pieces of other materials into our paper which I thought really added to the creativity involved in making the paper. When the student in charge of the workshop brought out buckets full of dried out plants I was skeptical over how this would look but when I saw students start to use these materials in their paper I thought that it added a lot to their paper.
Aside from making the paper myself I also enjoyed seeing the entire process of how the paper was made. In the workshop we were able to watch scrapes of cloth material be ripes up and ground into pulp with water that would later be sifted and then pressed into paper. I felt that this was a good workshop for our class to attend because it gave me perspective on a process that I knew little about. I am interested to hear more about the small printing companies which are currently printing poetry that Theo referred to in her email to the class.
I am also excited to hear what Cathy Park Hong will say to our class today. I enjoyed reading her poetry and think that she will be an excellent addition to todays class.
Aside from making the paper myself I also enjoyed seeing the entire process of how the paper was made. In the workshop we were able to watch scrapes of cloth material be ripes up and ground into pulp with water that would later be sifted and then pressed into paper. I felt that this was a good workshop for our class to attend because it gave me perspective on a process that I knew little about. I am interested to hear more about the small printing companies which are currently printing poetry that Theo referred to in her email to the class.
I am also excited to hear what Cathy Park Hong will say to our class today. I enjoyed reading her poetry and think that she will be an excellent addition to todays class.
Papermaking!
I loved papermaking! I had so much fun creating the different types of paper and experimenting with different techniques. It was fun to do as a class, because everyone kept looking at each other's work and then going back and changing theirs and building off of each other. It kind of reminded me of some the things we had been discussing in class, where the process of creating the art object is the true creative process, rather than the actual object itself. It was neat to see how everyone influenced each other and impacted one another's creative process. On another note I would like to talk about the assignment for this week. I had a lot of trouble coming up with an idea/ a poem I was satisfied with. I worked pretty hard on mine and tried a lot of different topics and structures, before I settled on one that I was happy with, but it still just wasn't my favorite poem I've written. Honestly, I think the assignment intimidated me a little bit, both with its free structure and length, but also with the idea of a whole class workshop. I have gotten fairly comfortable sharing and reading aloud with my workshop group, which is something I am generally uncomfortable with, so it's a little nerve wracking to think of sharing with the whole class. But I am sure it will go well and I am excited to have Cathy Park Hong in class today, so see everyone this afternoon!!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Paper Making
Well I have to say, paper making was a rather fun activity! Although I'm not too creative when it comes to things like that, it was a really unique opportunity to get to see the process in action. I won't go so far to say that I will be a papermaker when I'm out of St. Lawrence, but it does give you an appreciation for how huge the machinery must be in paper-making factories. However, I also enjoyed the paper-making process for another reason. I feel that in the last couple-hundred years poets have largely lost sight of being creative with both the poems they write AND where they write them. Anyone who takes a look at William Blake's amazing sketches from his tyger poem(s) will be impressed by how much time he invested in having a creative background to his poetry. Though he published and sold numerous copies of his poems, he always carved a unique design in each poem he sold. It just boggles me what kind of creativity and work ethic poets such as he have when it comes to their writing utensils.
So, having the opportunity to create and decorate paper had much more of an impact on me, I confess, than I expected. It gave me some fun insight into another side of poetic creativity. Hopefully I'll put it to use some day.
See you all tomorrow!
So, having the opportunity to create and decorate paper had much more of an impact on me, I confess, than I expected. It gave me some fun insight into another side of poetic creativity. Hopefully I'll put it to use some day.
See you all tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I love papermaking.
So, today was really fun. I think I have Christmas gifts for next December. I will be paper making. I might even ask Jess Y. if I can use her toilet poem to write on my awesome paper for gifts!
On a more serious note, I would like to discuss the poems that I attempted for this assignment. I was very excited to try a free choice, although I was not very creative. Most of my inspiration came from Lohren Green with the dictionary. Except, I am not all too excited about literary elements and all that, so I actually combined his work with the work of Van Jordan's from MacNolia. My first poem had three sections and at the top of each prose was a common word. I broke these word down, but not about writing. They were more personal stories, like from MacNolia. That is how I combined the two. My second poem, was also on the dictionary theme. I decided to take one word, hand, which has a lot of common phrases, and I complied a poem. This may be my favorite, because the first one is actually a mock of sappy love and relationships style poems. Thirdly, I tried to imitate Christian Bok. I used only a in a VERY short poem. It is sort of sad because his is so much better, but I didn't have 11 years. My poem is about a rat and a cat. That sums it of very well. No need to read it.
This was my assignment to explore. I had a lot of fun attempting new techniques and I recognize the hard work which goes into these forms.
On a more serious note, I would like to discuss the poems that I attempted for this assignment. I was very excited to try a free choice, although I was not very creative. Most of my inspiration came from Lohren Green with the dictionary. Except, I am not all too excited about literary elements and all that, so I actually combined his work with the work of Van Jordan's from MacNolia. My first poem had three sections and at the top of each prose was a common word. I broke these word down, but not about writing. They were more personal stories, like from MacNolia. That is how I combined the two. My second poem, was also on the dictionary theme. I decided to take one word, hand, which has a lot of common phrases, and I complied a poem. This may be my favorite, because the first one is actually a mock of sappy love and relationships style poems. Thirdly, I tried to imitate Christian Bok. I used only a in a VERY short poem. It is sort of sad because his is so much better, but I didn't have 11 years. My poem is about a rat and a cat. That sums it of very well. No need to read it.
This was my assignment to explore. I had a lot of fun attempting new techniques and I recognize the hard work which goes into these forms.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Getting ready for Cathy Park Hong!!
Hey all! I am getting excited for meeting Cathy Park Hong this week and I am one of the people going to lunch with her so I wanted to get a little more familiar with her work. Theo had suggested ‘googling’ her, so I did and I found her blog. It’s pretty interesting to read and I found that it was a pretty good way to get an idea of what kind of person and poet she is. It also included a few links to some of her poetry, which were neat to look at. To be honest, I have not really loved Hong’s poetry that we have read in class. I liked “Oncology of Chang and Eng, the Original Siamese Twins,” but I didn’t really feel much of a connection to the poem. I got a similar feeling from the excerpts we read from Dance Dance Revolution—the poems were certainly creative, but they were difficult to become really interested in and to establish a connection with. (And, judging from the review of the book by Jess Y., the rest of the poems in Dance Dance Revolution were also difficult to understand.)
However, after looking at Hong’s blog and checking out some of the links, I have found that not all of Hong’s poetry is quite so distant and difficult to connect with. I read her poem “Adventures in Shangdu” online and I liked it quite a bit more than her other poetry we have read. While the theme of the poem kind of reminded me of the poems in Dance Dance Revolution that we read, the format and language of the poem was quite different. It was in regular English, which made it much easier to understand. Also, Hong used imagery, detail and some humor, but her tone and unique poetic style was still very evident. The connection between this poem and those we have read is very clear. “Adventures in Shangdu” seemed to be short snapshots of Shangdu, creative descriptions and small anecdotes that were interesting and fun to read. (I especially liked “Of the World’s Largest Multilevel Parking Garage.”) There were a few poems that didn’t totally make sense to me, but overall, I liked them.
I would definitely recommend ‘googling’ Cathy Park Hong and checking out some of her other poetry (and her blog) before we meet her in class on Thursday. I hope everyone else is getting excited too!
See you all tomorrow!
However, after looking at Hong’s blog and checking out some of the links, I have found that not all of Hong’s poetry is quite so distant and difficult to connect with. I read her poem “Adventures in Shangdu” online and I liked it quite a bit more than her other poetry we have read. While the theme of the poem kind of reminded me of the poems in Dance Dance Revolution that we read, the format and language of the poem was quite different. It was in regular English, which made it much easier to understand. Also, Hong used imagery, detail and some humor, but her tone and unique poetic style was still very evident. The connection between this poem and those we have read is very clear. “Adventures in Shangdu” seemed to be short snapshots of Shangdu, creative descriptions and small anecdotes that were interesting and fun to read. (I especially liked “Of the World’s Largest Multilevel Parking Garage.”) There were a few poems that didn’t totally make sense to me, but overall, I liked them.
I would definitely recommend ‘googling’ Cathy Park Hong and checking out some of her other poetry (and her blog) before we meet her in class on Thursday. I hope everyone else is getting excited too!
See you all tomorrow!
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