Mark Doty

School of the Arts by Mark Doty is not a book for the faint of heart or for those who are uncomfortable with reading about homosexuality. Having said that, this book of poetry is an excellent read if you are open-minded. Mark Doty takes on the ideas of death, gardening, film makers preventing him from walking his dogs in the usual path, and much more.
In the poem “Heaven for Helen” Mr. Doty describes his friend’s contentment with the idea of passing on and being a part of everything, while the poet himself struggles with the idea of becoming “one” with items such as diesel fuel and egg cartons. It certainly produced a smile on my face upon reading it, and I love his virtuous description of his friend: “Helen/would take the greatest pleasure/in being a scrap of paper,/if that’s what there was to experience.”
I also think the poem “Oncoming Train” points out our darker side, collectively, in our humanity. This poem describes the idea of restraining oneself from jumping in front of an oncoming train not out of a wish for death but because of (and these are Mark Doty’s lines) “…the idea of simply stepping out of forwardness/--that moment is the clearest invitation and opportunity.” Often there are moments where you wonder what would have happened if…? If you’d stepped out into the busy street without looking, if you’d gotten on that plane that crashed and is all over the news, if… The list could go on forever.
The poems in this collection challenge the readers to face the sometimes taboo, sometimes darker sides of life. Don’t worry though, there are also softer poems, funny poems, ones about giving a friend a flower to plant in his garden, or stripping down to nothing during a photo shoot out of adrenaline… In all, the book is lively and certainly won’t leave you bored. I hope that you will find Mark Doty as interesting as I do.

http://poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=1842

In the meantime, I insist you stop by tomorrow for a site that you can utilize to instill a love of poetry in children if you dare….

The Blog Poetic

Alexis Orgera posts reviews of poets and has entertaining article. I’m glad she posts reviews of poets so that when I see a chapbook or book mentioned somewhere it might just be in a review by a blogger somewhere (like Alexis). Always a plus to know what a poet’s work might be like when you’re wanting to take a chance on buying it. Check it out at:

http://www.theblogpoetic.blogspot.com/

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow for another featured poet…

Poetry Tips Question 3: How Do You Seek Out Inspiration?

Jim Murdoch:

I don't. It seeks me out. If I don't have any then I write without it. It's nice to have it but it's not essential.


Barbara Smith:

Er. I was told 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. And that's pretty much true. Keep on writing and working at stuff and you get better at writing better stuff. No big secret. Writing is like a muscle that you tone through use - though watch out for RSI. ;)

Rob Mack:

Sometimes it just arrives out of the blue. Other times it seems to happen in the middle of writing something entirely uninspired i.e. you create your own inspiration. But if you try too hard to seek out inspiration, it will stay hidden away. That’s the one sure thing.


Juliet Wilson:
Inspiration is everywhere, its recognizing it and using it that is the challenge.


Ben Wilkinson:

Pass. Everyday life, books, personal interests, newspapers, personal experience (more often than not twisted and reinvented), possibilities (both personal and universal), how shit-scary life and the world can be, other poems, things all over the bloody place. It tends to turn up at random rather than in my actively seeking it out. And it's normally a case of whether or not the subject lends itself well in my mind to a good first line or two, or a strong image or metaphor or something I can scribble down in a notebook. Sometimes I write about the strangest things, or things I never thought I'd write about. A breakthrough piece for me (in that it was my first poem published in the TLS) came in the form of a short sequence on the scientist Nikola Telsa. Break the rules. There's no such thing as an un-poetic subject: it's just whether or not the poet is up to making it into one.


Cuitlamiztli Carter:

To set up a rough metaphor, modern magicians don't so much segregate their lives into the "magickal moments" and the "mundane moments."Instead, they view each moment via a new lens. Every moment has both magickal potential & magickal significance. Likewise, inspiration is everywhere you are - as much as that sounds like a sophism, as one discovers what her or his poetic goals are, and dwells on those goals,they will begin to see connections in events, scenery, conversations,etc. that will provide them ways to express those goals.I would also say, less mystically, to read, read, read. The more you put other people's ideas into your brain, the more you can use them as a springboard. Also, it will make you aware of what's already been explored, so you can make sure your work is fresh.


Hazel B. Cameron
By reading anything other than poetry or listening to interviews...usually one phrase catches me out and I have to stop and write a poem. I often get inspiration when it’s impossible to write – like in the shower, a business meeting or whilst driving.



Thanks for reading, please stop by tomorrow for another featured blog!

Gloom Cupboard Print Edition Open Submissions

Richard at Gloom Cupboard just sent me an e-mail requesting that I inform you all that there are open submissions for the second print edition!
Here are the guidelines:

“After the astonishing success of the first Print Edition we are pleased to announce that we are now accepting submissions for the second. There are a few simple guidelines we need you to adhere to. If you want to submit then send at least three poems, up to three pieces of flash fiction or short stories that do not exceed 1000 words.
We require words that challenge, provoke and stimulate with no restrictions on style or content email: poetry/flash fiction/short stories to aprilmaymarch777@yahoo.co.uktitle the email 'Submission'

Send what you deem to be appropriate”

http://.gloomcupboard.blogspot.com

I also have a link to Gloom Cupboard on the sidebar so please utilize it to visit Gloom Cupboard anytime and good luck on your submissions.

Please stop by tomorrow for answers from the Poet Hound audience to Question 3: How do you seek out inspiration?

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.sundress.net/wickedalice/reed.html
“Yellow Madness” by Talia Reed

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19007
“Space Station” by Tom Sleigh

Eric Darby's Poetry Site

My husband stumbled onto Eric Darby’s performance on a web-site he frequents. I have to say, I’m hooked! Darby is awesome. Definitely check out and listen to his poetry slams at the site below you will not be disappointed. It certainly inspires me, I hope it does the same for you.

http://www.ericdarby.net/default.htm

Thanks for checking in, please stop by tomorrow…

William Logan

Mr. Logan was born in 1950 and has published over seven books of poetry. He divides his time between Florida and Cambridge, England according to the book I checked out at the library. This book is titled Night Battle published by Penguin Books. I’ve taken a while to get used to his poems, actually. I pick up the beautiful covers that often accompany his words and don’t always connect with the words inside.
This is one of those times where you revisit a poet often because you may not always “get” them and finally you make a connection after several times of attempting to read their work. This is the first time I’ve taken a book of his home with me and finally felt I could read the poems with greater ease. This particular book has quite a few rhyming poems which I am always a fan of. I love free verse just as much, but rhyme has an ability to flow into a rhythm that feels natural. After all, the majority of us are used to rhyme when it comes to song lyrics, and rhyming in poems always feels natural to me.
I have several “dog-eared” corners of poems I enjoyed in his book. Again, I wish I had the ability to request permission to print an entire poem but I usually don’t start far enough ahead to ask permission. One poem I enjoy is “Florida in January” because, of course, I live in Florida and it describes January perfectly for my area. An example of the lines are: “the cold of winter is somehow colder here/ the trees bleaker, with their rags of Spanish moss,/ the very air clipped and impatient.” It goes on to say “But, inshore, a crusty alligator steams,/nosing into reeds let to let off passengers/or take on canvas sacks of mail,” Obviously this poem doesn’t have the rhyme scheme but it has great imagery and I love the line about alligators taking canvas sacks of mail. Almost a Richard Scary kind of detail in a children’s book.
“Small Bad Town” has the rhyme scheme I mentioned earlier and is broken into quatrains with a snapshot of small-town life in each one. For example: “of the local housewife/burning from her soaps./Time sends invitations/in little envelopes.” It plays between the human and animal life in this small town which I enjoy since most people forget that wildlife shares the same space without our realizing it. It’s a great idea for a poem, I think.
The whole book is divided into sections and I enjoy the poems in all of them. Some are still hard for me to grasp, but I continue to challenge myself into reading them and I suggest you do the same for any poet who may initially grab your interest but stump you at some point. I must have read the poem “Niobe” several times because I couldn’t get the story line straight within it. There are several characters and I had trouble identifying who played what role in the story.
I challenge all of you to challenge yourself in your reading of poetry. Do not deny a poet because you don’t understand them, just pick the books up again from time to time and read through several until finally one “clicks.” You’ll be pleasantly surprised. In the meantime, check out the links below and please read William Logan’s poems when you stumble upon them.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poet.html?id=80604
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16565

Thanks for reading, please stop by for a great site feature…

Poetry Hut Blog

This site features great links to articles, sites, news, and podcasts. Check it out at:

http://www.poetryhut.com/wordpress/

Thanks for coming in, please stop by tomorrow for another living, breathing poet…

Poetry Tips Question 2: What Are Some Tips For Reading Poetry?

Thanks again to my readers who responded to five questions in February that will be posted one by one on Fridays throughout March into early April! Here are their responses to

Question 2: What are some tips for reading poetry?

Jim Murdoch responds with:

Persist. If you don't like one poet's style then look for another.


Barbara Smith responds with:

Read it out loud. Discuss it with poetry mad friends/colleagues. Maybe read more of that person's work. If it doesn't do it for you, try someone else. But you usually get in after a while of trying (took me ages to get into T. S. Eliot and then some).


Rob Mack responds with:

If you are new to poetry, getting hold of a good anthology is worthwhile. It will introduce you to a wide variety of poets and you can follow up on the ones you like best.
I also think it’s best not to be too hasty to criticise a poet because you find his/her work ‘difficult’ (or too simple, in some cases). It might be simply that you need to read more and learn more about where a particular poet is coming from.


Juliet Wilson responds with:

Subscribe to some literary journals that publish poetry. If there are individuals published there who particularly appeal to you then buy their books or try to hear them read sometime. Read the poetry that appeals to you, not the poetry you feel you should read. Having said that, extend your comfort zone all the time, read poets recommended by those you admire

Ben Wilkinson responds with:

If you're a beginner? Take it easy. Poetry doesn't have to be difficult, even if it's complicated. Remember that poetry usually works in a different way to prose. You probably won't fully get what the poem is saying in the first read (though if you don't get the poem at all after a few reads, that's most probably the poem's fault!) Most people I know who read little poetry usually complain about not understanding it, or its being 'difficult' or 'complex'. But it's no more complicated than a novel really, it's just that most of us have been reading novels (or at least prose of some kind) since we were kids. The more poetry you read, then, the more you'll come to understand it and enjoy it, and the more you'll appreciate its clever use of language; its combination of sound with sense. Give poems a chance: read them, leave them, come back to them. For one thing, they're much better suited to our busy lifestyles than the cumbersome novel: you can read a good few poems on the bus, train or tube, or whenever you've got ten minutes free and want something interesting and intelligent to occupy yourself with. If you're new to contemporary poetry, a good place to start is with poets that make good use of colloquial, everyday language: Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Paul Farley and Roddy Lumsden spring to mind as very strong poets in this area, among others. Some of those poets were definitely the ones who made me sit up and take notice of the exciting things going on in poetry today.

Cuitlamiztli Carter:

Read through it once just for cadence & word choice, then scan againfor meaning (of course, you will be unconsciously drawing meaning nomatter what). One could write a book on how to read poetry (Mr. Bloomhas, of course), but I think a basic tip is that one shouldn't lookimmediately for the meaning, or even scan intentionally to see wherethe rhymes and rhythms fall, or what the meter is, or any technicalbits. Just run through the poem, preferably out loud, to get theimmediate impact.

Hazel B. Cameron:

If you don't understand it after reading it, try and listen to the poet reading it. If you still don't get it, probably best to choose another poem.
One bad poem does not mean all bad. Read the poem not the poet.
Thanks for reading, please stop by tomorrow for another featured blog…

Damselfly Press Open Submissions

Thanks to reading the Luna Park Review’s articles on their new site, I stumbled upon this press. Happily, you will find that they read year round and you can submit on-line therefore saving you postage. Send 1-3 poems as an attachment and it must be Microsoft Word or .RTF to the Poetry Editor: Lesley AT damselflypress DOT net
No simultaneous submissions and please check further guidelines at the link below:

http://damselflypress.net/submissions/

As always I wish you luck and continued persistence. Please stop by tomorrow for more Poetry Tips from the blog audience…

Poems Found by Poet Hound

http://www.poems.com/poem.php?date=13935
“For the Birds” by Ciaran Berry

http://juked.com/2008/02/slipperyhandles.asp
“Slippery Handles” by Evelyn Hampton

Thanks for reading and please stop by tomorrow for Open Submissions Thursday…

Ooops

Sorry folks, I put the same post on twice!
I won't be posting anything on Tuesdays until April, then I'll be rearranging some things.
Thanks for stopping in, please stop in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound!

Luna Park Review Site

I used to read their blog regularly for literary journal reviews and they now have a very user friendly site that they have moved to. If you are curious about what literary magazines you might like to try subscribing to then I absolutely insist that you read the reviews on their site. If you are going to spend your hard earned money on a literary journal you ought to be able to find out what journal fits your personal style or aesthetic, don’t you agree? Check it out at:

http://www.lunaparkreview.com/

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow for a Tuesday Feature in the works…

Luna Park Review Site

I used to read their blog regularly for literary journal reviews and they now have a very user friendly site that they have moved to. If you are curious about what literary magazines you might like to try subscribing to then I absolutely insist that you read the reviews on their site. If you are going to spend your hard earned money on a literary journal you ought to be able to find out what journal fits your personal style or aesthetic, don’t you agree? Check it out at:

http://www.lunaparkreview.com/

Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow…

Cynthia Rylant and Walker Evans

I picked up this book at the library titled Something Permanent where poet Cynthia Rylant has utilized the famous photographer Walker Evans’ photos of the Great Depression as inspiration for poems. The poems and photographs are paired up in this book and I think it is just fabulous. The photos are amazing and Cynthia Rylant weaves wonderful short story poems about the photos that definitely left me itching to try the same thing. The poems, like I said, are wonderful stories. One, titled “Tombstone,” is about the curious tombstone sculpture of a man and his dog and how people react to seeing this tombstone. The lines at the end captures their reaction perfectly: “each had shyly to/lean over and stroke that lovely dog’s head,/swallowing back the “good boy”/that was on their wondering lips.”
There is also another poem relating to a picture of a skinny church steeple butted up against a high-rise apartment building and the great opening lines are: “It wasn’t easy being a sinner/with God Himself living right next door,” and talks about the tenants feeling guilty of literally airing their dirty laundry underneath the cross of the church. The visual and the words are just perfect together. If you ever get a chance to read this book or buy it please do, you won’t be disappointed.

http://wvlc.lib.wv.us/cgi-bin/search/fcp.pl?words=wv&d=/center_for_the_book/In%20Their%20Own%20Country/Author's%20pages/rylant.htm

I had difficulty finding out much about Cynthia but the above link has an interview with her that I think you will enjoy. Thanks for dropping in, please stop by tomorrow!