Poetry Tips: An Unusual Perspective

I credit Patricia Smith with this idea. She wrote a poem from the perspective of a skinhead, she’s written many poems from a perspective unusual to her personally. This week, I urge you to embody someone unlike yourself and spin a poem from their perspective. You could be the worst kind of person, such as a murderer, the best kind of person, such as a philanthropist. You could be dirt poor, filthy rich, incredibly narcissistic, or full of self-doubt. Take yourself to an extreme and explore it, read an autobiography of someone very unlike yourself and imagine writing a poem from their perspective. This will not only help you walk in another’s shoes but expand your horizons in writing.

For more enlightenment, read this interview with Patricia Smith at Torch to get an idea of how she goes about it:

http://www.torchpoetry.org/patriciasmith.htm


Good luck to all who try, please stop in next Monday for another featured site…