poetry tips
Writing without rules: how to start a poem
Submitted by aanderson on August 14, 2007 - 10:47.By Liz Matthews
If you have trouble writing poetry, try freewriting using Natalie Goldberg’s rules from her wonderful book, Writing Down the Bones. Write for ten minutes without stopping, crossing out, or looking over what you’ve written. Use a timer and write whatever comes to mind during this exercise. Do not worry if you repeat yourself. The idea is to let go of your rational, orderly voice and to reach deep into your imagination. Remember that this is just the freewriting stage; you will have plenty of time later on to rearrange, add on, delete, or substitute words. Here are a few more ways to tap your creativity.
Some ways to revise poetry
Submitted by aanderson on July 24, 2007 - 14:03.By Liz Matthews
“Poetry is the best words in their best order.” –Samuel Coleridge
So now you have either a very rough draft of a poem—maybe even just a freewrite—and you need to revise it, either for class or to submit it to The Young Writer’s Project. Here are a few surefire ways to improve the quality of your drafts:
Breathing life into words - finding the metaphor
Submitted by aanderson on June 26, 2007 - 12:55.Excerpted and edited from a 2005 YWP article
By Dorienne Cedeno
Teacher, People's Academy
"The greatest thing in style is to have a command of metaphor." - Aristotle
The art of the poetry slam
Submitted by ggevalt on March 6, 2007 - 13:41.slam po•e•try n. 1. A spoken-word poetry competition; poets perform their own poems that are judged on a numeric scale by members of the audience.
By Geof Hewitt
Vermont Poetry Slam Champion
Back in 2001, for the end of my daylong “guest writer” visit to the fourth and fifth grades at a Burlington elementary school, the library hosted our culminating event, listed on the school’s calendar as “A Poetry Reading.” Anticipating a stream of timid poets rushing breathlessly through their newly composed poems, I offered the students a choice: should we stick with the plan or try a “poetry slam,” a lighthearted performance competition where enthusiasm and vocal projection matter big time, and audience members serve as judges? “Judging and score-keeping take extra time, so if you vote for a slam, fewer of you will have a chance to present your poems.” Of the 100 or so students sardined knee-to-knee on the library carpet, more than 80 raised their hands for a slam! We drew participants’ names from a hat, I quickly selected five judges and, within minutes, the slam was under way.
