|
| Your Donations Are Appreciated! |
|
Thank You So Much! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| American Life In Poetry |
|
What The Frost Casts Up |
|
| |
BY TED KOOSER, U.S. POET LAUREATE
There's a world of great interest and significance right under our feet, but most of us don't think to look down. We spend most of our time peering off into the future, speculating on how we will deal with whatever is coming our way. Or dwelling on the past. Here Ed Ochester stops in the middle of life to look down.
A crown of handmade nails, as though
there were a house here once, burned,
where we've gardened for fifteen years;
the ceramic top of an ancient fuse;
this spring the tiny head of a plastic doll-
not much compared to what they find
in England, where every now and then
a coin of the Roman emperors, Severus
or Constantius, works its way up, but
something, as though nothing we've
ever touched wants to stay in the earth,
the patient artifacts waiting, having been lost
or cast away, as though they couldn't bear
the parting, or because they are the only
messengers from lives that were important once,
waiting for the power of the frost
to move them to the mercy of our hands.
|
| |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| Featured Site Tool |
|
Poetry Publications |
|
| |
I have often mentioned that to truly appreciate poetry, you should not only write poetry frequently, but also read poetry frequently, listen to poetry frequently and study poetry frequently.
I have introduced you to several Featured Site Tools that relate to studying and listening to poetry, now's your chance to explore the wonderful world of reading poetry.
With access to over 300 online journals, magazines, and ezines, our Poetry Publication section is the largest of its kind on the net. Go out and read some publications. Your poetry will thank you!
|
| |
|
|
| About Poetry |
|
Critiquing |
.jpg)
|
| |
1. Start with the literary criticism of poems you know and love. You will be more engaged by the arguments, and start to understand how criticism can open unsuspected levels of meaning and significance.
2. Read literary criticism of contemporary work and, if at all possible, of poems similar to your own. This will help you anticipate the reception you'll receive from magazines and workshop presentations. It should also help you improve them.
3. Research has moved from literary criticism to literary theory, which is not written for ready comprehension. Nonetheless, you will need to know where critics are coming from, and therefore the theoretical bases of their remarks. To start you off, consult the literary criticism pages in the Advanced section at this site, and the book page.
4. Don't despise the elementary grounding provided by schoolbooks. University texts have much to do with academic reputations and tenure, but those for younger students aim more to help and encourage.
5. Be severe but not over-severe with your creations. You enjoyed writing them, and that pleasure must still be on the page to enthuse, challenge and enchant your readers. The merely correct has little to commend it.
(from poetry.co.uk)
|
| |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
|
| Poetry Writing |
|
History Exercise |
|
| |
The poet James Merrill wrote "we understand history through the family around the table."
Think about ways your own family's story overlaps with the story of others - a historical event, an ethnic group, a social issue. Write a poem about someone in your family and how his or her story is related to history.
(based on an exercise by David Wojahn, from The Practice of Poetry, Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, eds.)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Site Challenge |
|
Write A Rondel |
|
| |
A rondel is a verse form originating in French lyrical poetry. It is a variation of the rondeau consisting of two quatrains followed by a quintet (13 lines total) or a sextet (14 lines total).
The rondel was invented in the 14th century, and is arguably better suited to the French language than to English. (Not to be confused with Roundel, a similar verse form with repeating refrain.)
The first two lines of the first stanza are refrains, repeating as the last two lines of the second stanza and the third stanza. (Alternately, only the first line is repeated at the end of the final stanza). For instance, if A and B are the refrains, a rondel will have a rhyme scheme of ABba abAB abbaA. The meter is open, but typically has eight syllables.
|
| |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| Famous Poets |
|
E. E. Cummings |
|
| |
Edward Estalin Cummings (October 14, 1894 - September 3, 1962), popularly known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in all lowercase letters as e. e. cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright.
His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as a preeminent voice of 20th century poetry, as well as one of the most popular.
|
| |
|
read more
|
|
|
|
| Poetry Writing |
|
Free The Imagination |
|
| |
Automatic writing. Say 5 minutes at a stretch, continuously, never stopping. Go through the material when you've collected in ten pages or so, and circle anything interesting.
Get a friend to say words at random. Write down the first response that comes to you. Build a poem around three of the words.
Open a diary or journal (yours or someone else's) and jot down the first incident on three successive pages. Make a poem of these.
Describe, as closely as you can, some recurring dream or nightmare. Reverse the sequence, and then make a poem.
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| About Our Poetry Site |
World of Poets online poetry community is a poetry site that is all about poems and poetry. Our poets are everyday people who love writing poems and sharing them with other poets on the site. We have a wonderful poetry workshop where you can interact with members and do poem analysis, talk about poetry authors, and even teach poetry to other members. We have thousands of resources available to you to help you practice your online writing, maybe write a poetry book, research american poetry and famous poets. Not all poetry sites are created equal. For example, we are the only poetry site of our kind with an extensive list of great poet recordings, poetry videos, over 300 poetry publications, and even poetry book previews! Whether you are into black poetry, famous poems and poets, entering poetry contests, or just love poetry, our online poetry community is the very best. Don't forget to check out all of our incredible features including: Poem of The Moment, Poets Learning Poetry, Poets In Profile, and more. We hope you have a wonderful poetic experience with us. |
|
|
Least Reviewed Poems
Least Reviewed Poets