www.studentvp.com/rcsd
Continue to read poems by:
Louise Erdrich
Sherman Alexie
Michael S. Weaver
Patricia Smith
Marge Piercy
Yusef Kumunyakaa
Lucille Clifton
June Jordan
Sonia Sanchez
Naomi Shihab Nye
Pick one poem and poet that you like. Look up the biography of the poet. Are there other poems in the anthology by that poet?
Post a comment about your poem and poet on the blog.
1. Five Ways to Begin Writing a New Poem
- Actively seek inspiration by looking in your journal for ideas or reading other people's poems; don't analyze, just seek stimulation.
- Use your five senses – don't rely solely on visual images; remember your senses of touch and smell. Pay attention to music, and not just the music we hear on radio and TV: listen to the natural and man made rhythms around you, including the sounds of mechanical objects and engines. Remember to always strive for "fresh language" and avoid clichés.
- Make a list of your most memorable experiences from the past year. Are there details you remember that no one else did? Do the same for your early childhood. The chances are, if you have siblings, that you remember things differently than they do. Focus on the images that are unique to your memory.
- Consider your friends, relatives, worst enemies: have you had experiences with any of them that seem contradictory? For instances, is there something about someone whom you actually dislike that you nevertheless find admirable? Have you ever been in a position in which you found your roles reversed? Have you, for instance, ever found yourself "parenting a parent?" or experienced a situation in which you found yourself filled with two strong but contradictory emotions like anger and respect?
- Once you select a subject, start putting lines down quickly. Don't worry about ordering them or otherwise editing them, including whether you are writing in complete sentences.
