Home Writing Channels: Poetry

Channel: Poetry
Channel Manager: Ma. Christina B. Nuyles (mnuyles@mydestiny.net)
All links verified accessible as of 13 June 2004

1. Advice to a young writer, given and taken
   If you ever get discouraged writing poetry just remember the advice Robert Southey gave budding writer Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre) when she wrote him for advice, "Write poetry for it(s) own sake."

2. An Interview with Sharon Bryan
   Sharon Bryan talks about her alternative approach to writing ‘First person - Singular’ poetry.

3. A Rough Guide to the Rough World of Publishing Poems in Magazines
   So you’re ready to release your ‘baby’ into the vast, cold world, this article guides the brave and ‘dauntless’ author.

4. A Notorious Trifler
   A look into the life and career of Ogden Nash, the idiosyncratic master of light verse, who believed that humor was "a shield, a weapon, a survival kit."

5. Can Poetry Matter
   An analysis of the plight of the Modern Poet and how he moves the world of Contemporary literature.

6. Conversation with Ruth Stone
   Join interviewer J.F. Battaglia as he sits down with poet Ruth Stone and talks about the differences between Prose and Poetry, Fiction and Photography, Formal Poetry and Rhyme, among others.

7. Daniel Kane interviews the poet Harryette Mullen
   Harryette Mullen discusses Oulipo word games, the relationship between racial identity and innovative form, and a whole lot more. An excellent guide not only for those who teach poetry but to those who wish to learn it as well.

8. Dark Poetry and Originality
   The author's personality is always to be found in a good poem - it is something that only he or she could have produced, so says the author who discusses how originality in poetry is pursued.

9. Gilian McCain’s Poem
   In this interview by Daniel Kane, he and Gilian McCain talk about invention, inspiration, and the prose poem.

10. Interviewing Richard Frost
    "One thing I like about poetry is that it allows me to go at any pace, approach from any direction, retreat and cancel and restore, and hopefully come out with the effect of having uttered it all with some natural ease and with some importance."

11. My Sanguinary Valentine: A Recipe
    Another exercise, this time about how to marry the erotic with the everyday and come up with something beautiful, lyrical and, obviously, poetic.

12. Notes Toward a New Bohemia
    Author Dan Gioia shares his observations on the current state of American poetry and the forces that move it.

13. Organize a Poetry Writing Workshop
    Let’s face it, those who write poetry often suffer from lack of workshops where they could share their work with others and get good insights and advice on how to improve their poetic technique. This article provides a guide on how to organize one of these particular workgroups on your own.

14. Poetry Writing Tips
    Where to begin, oh, where to begin... The author explains in brief some of the basic concepts of poetry like rhyme, rhythm, the definition of a sonnet among others.

15. Post-modernist Poetry
    Discussions on the brief history of the beginnings of post-modernist poetry.

16. Poets on Poetry: An Interview with the poet Lorenzo Thomas
    Lorenzo Thomas talks about the connections between African-American derived prosody and modernism, He also suggests ways one can make historical links between texts not usually considered as related.

17. Poetic Forms (Part 3): The Triolet
    Part three of the exploration of poetic forms. The triolets are short, usually witty poems, just perfect for tucking into a box of candy or some flowers.

18. Poetic Forms (Part 4): The Villanelle
    Part 4 of the exploratory series on the different poetic forms, in this case, the Villanelle, which is taken from the French word Villa.

19. Shifting your poem's threshold
    Definition: Threshold of a poem - one of those qualifiers of the creation of a poem, such as tone, p.o.v., etc., that is difficult to grapple with, especially in the intuitive creation process of a poem. Great if you want to find out what type of poem works best for you.

20. The Byron Complex
    A discussion on the life of George Gordon Byron, Lord Byron, the Romantic movements most flamboyant member.

21. Those Who Make Poems
    Poet Carl Sanberg offers his thoughts to would be poets in this 1942 essay.

22. What is Modernist Poetry?
    Discussion defining the meaning of Modernism in poetry.

23. Why You Must Read Poetry to Write it Well
    Oftentimes, would-be poets forget that sometimes the best way of learning to write poetry and writing it well is by finding inspiration in the works of other, more experienced and published writers.

24. 15 Poems You Can Write Now
    They say that practice makes perfect and how else can you improve your poetic skills if not through constant writing. This site contains exercises that will keep those creative juices flowing, and flowing, and flowing...

25. An Exercise in Poetic Creation
    A great mini exercise on writing poetry, a useful start for the would be poetic genius since poetry is not just a matter of putting pen to paper and writing down what you feel. There has always been a distinct science to writing great poems.

26. An Interview with Robert Bly (A Box Turtle)
    Excerpts from a discussion forum on "The State of Prose Poetry: Straddling the Imaginary Line Between Poetry and Prose," where poet Robert Bly was a participant.

27. Basic Elements: Rhythm, Rhyme and Imagery
    From another site that features articles on poetry, presenting a brief overview of the elements of poetry for those of you who are not familiar with the technical aspects of poetry writing especially is basic elements: Rhythm, Rhyme and Imagery.

28. Concrete Images/Common Objects
    It is almost always better to write through the concrete instead of the abstract, so says this informative little guide to starting poetry.

29. Dick Allen (Ode to the Cold War: Poems New and Selected)
    Dick Allen discusses how his new book Ode to the Cold War: Poems New and Selected", a collection of his poetry dealing with both history and politics.

30. Flowing Metaphors
    Jenny Browne's exercises on creating image-rich, exciting metaphors.

31. How to Interpret Five Common Criticisms on Poetry
    It is not unnatural for the poet to seek commentary on their work before they submit it for publication. Here are five of the most common criticisms on poetry and what they should mean to the poet.

32. How to Write a Bio Poem
    This is actually a guide to students for writing poetry, but is nevertheless a useful site for the beginning poet.

33. How to Write a Cinquain
    Another guide from CanTeach.com teaching the basics of cinquain writing. Simplistic yet helpful if you wanna know what a cinquain is.

34. How to Write a Poem
    Three helpful tips for people who want to write poetry.

35. How to Write (Good) Poetry
    A cut and dried approach to what poetry writing is about.

36. How to write Haiku
    Great page for those just starting to be interested in this Japanese inspired poetic form. Includes some of the basic things the would be poet needs to know.

37. How to Write Poetry
    This is actually a poetry writing exercise designed to free the mind and set the ink flowing in verse after verse...

38. Japanese Poetry: A definition of terms
    New to Japanese inspired poetry? Confuse about all the terms used? Didn't realize that haiku doesn't just end there? Then this helpful site will give the reader some insights on the meanings behind the terms.

39. Literary Realism: Self Knowledge through Contemporary Poetry
    What are the characteristics of the style best suited to self knowledge and catharsis? What style should you adopt to most readily express yourself, find an audience, and get the piece published?

40. Literature Circles: Poetry for Pleasure
    People write poetry to express their emotions. It is a need that grows and becomes a desire to share thoughts, insights and emotions with people of the same passion. If you are one of these people, read on and learn how to join or create your own literary circle.

41. Lunch with David Shapiro
    What is the relationship between poetry and mathematics? Poetry and architecture? David Shapiro shares his insights on the his relationship with the Muse of Poetry.

42. Poetic Forms (Part 1) : The Ballad
    One of four related articles that deal with the exploration of different poetic forms, in this case, the Ballad.

43. Poetic Forms (Part 2): The Sonnet
    What is a Sonnet? Exploring the different poetic forms.

44. Poetry and Survival
    Lyric poetry, especially the personal lyric, exists in all cultures and at all times precisely because it performs an essential survival function for individuals, especially when they undergo crises.

45. Poetry in Creative Writing
    Although this is more of a teacher’s guide on Poetry as a part of Creative Writing, it does provide the reader good insights on what poetry actually is and how it impacts the work of any who go in for any type of creative writing as well.

46. Poetry Inspiration: Making Your Life Experiences into Poems
    Another, "So you wanna write poetry" article except that this one actually encourages you to write about life, your LIFE to be exact.

47. Poetry Lessons: The Writing Cycle
    Have you ever asked, "Is there is some cycle to poetry writing? Can the process be standardized, or made more efficient?" Then you will be happy to hear that Yes! Poetry does have a cycle and it can be standardized and made more efficient but only up to a point.

48. Poetry Publishers and Publishing
    Ok, so now you've finished writing your poem and you don't want it to just sit there gathering dust. You want to get published. Here are a few tips.

49. Questioning Mind
    Poet and photographer Daniel Paley Ellison talks about "the questioning mind" and using the six senses in poetry.

50. Renga vs. Renku
    A commentary on the difference between traditional Japanese poetry's hakai-no-renga and the use of renku.

51. Sandra Alcosser (Never Eat Your Heart Out) in conversation with Judith Moore
    Poet Sandra Alcosser tells about her life and early beginnings as well as "how long it takes women to gain confidence in their ideas and words, to not be embarrassed about the voices in which they write their "letter to the world."

52. Some Sonnet Writing Advice from the Sonnet Board
    Features advice from renowned 'sonnetists' on how to go about writing sonnets.

53. The Dance of Language
    An exploration of the confluence of poetry and music.

54. The Modern Poet’s I Ching
    Poet Thomas Williams uses the ancient Chinese I Ching as a source of inspiration for his poetic works. He invites the modern poet to use it as a resource and a guide for their own creations.

55. Thinking About Space as a Defining Element in Poetry
    A discussion about the visual effect of space framing and surrounding words, and on how seeing this space might affect our experience of the language we see on the page.

56. Three Bad Reasons to Write Poetry - and One Great One!
    Why write poetry? According to author Conrad Geller, don’t do so for the wrong reasons.

57. Tips & Techniques
    Another exercise designed to give the would be poet a better understanding of his craft this time by describing some of poetry's key concepts.

58. Tips on Writing Poetry
    Release the poet in you! Take your pen and let your thoughts roam free. Here are a few tips on writing poetry!

59. Top Six Questions Writers Ask
    Great link answering the six most common questions of those who want to publish their work online or off.

60. What is a pantoum and how to write one
    What are Pantoums? A Pantoum is a verse form composed of stanzas...

61. What is Best?
    One of the most precise forms of poetry is haiku and there are many variations of it. Explore this site extolling the virtues of one haikai-no-renga - the linked poem" of several brief, imagistic stanzas, usually written by two or more poets who meet to write together.

62. What is Poetry?
    Poetry may well be the art of the unsayable, it difficult to define as all aesthetics are. This article attempts to answer that basic question in the hopes that the poet will have a better feel for his craft if he but understands...

63. What is Traditional Poetry?
    What is Traditional Poetry? This article gives the reader an insight as well as the definition of what traditional poetry is. One of a series of articles defining the different classifications of poetry.

64. Why Write Poetry?
    We’ve gone through several how-to’s on poetry writing but one important question that is not often given much thought is why. Why write poetry? Is it because it is one way of telling the truth or is it more than that?

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