poetically challenged

For over thirty years, Monex Deposit Company has been a leader in helping investors set up their purchases for gold, silver, and other precious metals. They help buyers arrange everything -- from buying the precious metals, to transporting, and even storing the investment if needed. With MDC, the whole affair is taken care of from beginning to end, allowing the investor to rest secure in the knowledge that their gold, silver, or precious metals are in good hands.

To me, having such peace of mind is always a high priority when I dump a lot of money into one place. That is what I like about the way MDC arranges things. They will help you take care of everything you need, and they have a reputation that you can rely on. That goes a long, long way with me.

If you are the same way, and if you are looking for a wise investment to make, then I can confidently point you toward MDC.

This was originally posted at my old blog sometime last year. I am transferring most of that content over to my newer blogs now.

In my previous blog, I talked some about writing to a specific form as a way of getting the creative juices flowing. But the use of forms, as Lewis Turco discusses in his The Book of Forms, can also be a nice way to experiment with new ways of approaching poetry.

In his book, Turco discusses, in considering the elements of poetry, modes of writing, levels of poetry, and prosody (an organizing/structuring principle for poetry). One of the topics he discusses, and which interests me a great deal, is parenthetical prosody. He uses, to start off the section, e. e. cummings' poem "l(a." It is a neatly packaged little poem which experiments with the interaction of the word loneliness with the phrase a leaf falls. It is a poem that turns out to have a visual effect that nicely accompanies the interaction of the ideas of autumn and loneliness. There's actually a whole lot that can be unpacked from this poem, though it is only made up of those 4 words.

Turco also introduces, in his section on parenthetical prosody, a poem I was not familiar with before reading about it here. He writes of Vito Hannibal Acconci's poem "Re." I was very taken with the poem upon reading it. I also loved Turco's observation:

People who see ths poem for the first time are baffled by it. But the poem says visually, as well as in so many words, that "only about one-third of what one has to say can be communicated to others." This poem, however, is a paradox because it expresses this theme completely, which contradicts the theme! The last two lines are, in fact, explicit: "I do not say all / all I say." Acconci invented a formthat does exactly what he wanted it to do.

All of Turco's discussion of parenthetical prosody brought to mind one of my favourite poems by one of my 3 favourite poets, Edwin Morgan's Message Clear. I have been a big fan of Morgan for some time, and absolutely fell in love with this poem when I came across it some 6-7 years ago. While it is not, technically, based on parenthetical prosody, it uses a similar idea. It finds within the words themselves, by breaking them up into their parts, a way to express something related to, yet different (greater?) than, its original form. It is a very clever device, whichever precise form is used.

I've fiddled around some with various forms that are based on this same basic approach. Of course, some experiments have been more successful than others, but it has proven to be a very fun method to work through. I've enjoyed it a great deal because it invites the poet to find inspiration in the words themselves. In this instance, at least, it has seemed to me that the toying about with mechanics can actually be a source of inspiration. That (alongside it being fun) is hard to beat.

This was originally posted at my old blog sometime last year. I am transferring most of that content over to my newer blogs now.

In my previous post, I was thinking about poetic inspiration and where it comes from. It's an important question, I think, for any of us who view ourselves as poets of one sort or another. Or, even for those who wish we could view ourselves as such.

I was impressed by one of the things Wright said in the interview I referenced in that previous blog:


"I live for these moments, but they are so rare that if I were to only wait for them, I would write two poems a year. I try to work for several hours a day to dredge up and amass material that might be useful when this mood of inspiration comes over me. But I believe it's a terrible mistake to wait for inspiration. I seek it." (p. 70)


That experience rings true for me. Inspiration is what I live for, as a writer, but it doesn't necesarily come when I want it to. And it certainly doesn't come by frequently enough for my tastes. But, that said, I can't just sit about waiting for it to fall from the sky.

One of the things that I've found to be a big help is to experiment with various established poetic forms. I might work for a while on a villanelle (never written one yet that I am proud of), then for a while on a haiku, then on a newer form like the minute. In experimenting with forms and styles of poetry, I get to concentrate on the discipline of how to put together a "solid" poem, even if the content is less than inspired. It was this thought that made me decide to start the poetry challenges I start from time to time, and on which my alter ego's posts are based.

I often rely on the tools others have made available when I am experimenting with different forms. One that I have really come to like is The Book of Forms. Now, let me be honest and say this: there are some things in the book that kind of irritate me. For one, I find a more rigid definition of poetry than what I agree with. To me, there are various forms of "poetics," and each has its own tradition that can be of value to the poet. This text is rather insistent (much too often) that a work is only poetry if it pays strict attention to meter. OK. Say it once, if you must, but don't keep harping on it. (Sorry, have to say that!)

That said, though, I have to move on to what is so valuable about the book. It has a wonderful index of traditional poetic forms. For such a short volume, it gives a nice exploration of the forms and their roots. I enjoy very much exploring through this book the various forms available for us to work with, a little bit about the thought behind the form, and how to begin working on it to make it my own. The book is a very useful resource in this way. And some of the explorations of the various forms have been very enlightening to me, the more I work with them.

What about the rest of you writer types? Do you find any sort of formal discipline that helps generate further inspiration, or does it all seem to get in the way for you? What methods do you use to stay fresh, even when you feel less than inspired?

Ever wonder what a potential lender might see when he or she goes to look up your credit report score? If so, there is a way that you can find out what sort of information is available to potential lenders on your credit report. All you have to do is go to Picture Credit, where you can get a free credit report on yourself. It will help you see what your lenders see when they look at you. Imagine the advantage that gives you, being able to see things through their eyes.

They offer a great learning center for those who might be a little "challenged" in the area of understanding credit (like me). You can learn a great deal there about how the whole credit system works, and even learn some tips for improving your own credit rating.

So if you are looking for that little extra advantage when you apply for a loan, stop by Picture Credit today and see how your image looks through the eyes of your lenders.

This was originally posted at my
old
blog sometime last year. I am transferring most of that
content over to my newer blogs now.

In a discussion that got started over here recently, I mentioned to skouba and bornsandy some things about an interview with Franz Wright that I recently read. That interview, which appeared in the latest issue of Image magazine, has been swimming about in my head ever since I read it. I think it is needing some input from this community, if it is ever to settle down in there.

Wright talks, in the interview, about a "blessed state of consciousness" (p.70) that he all too rarely attains (or perhaps is visited by), and in which he can truly say that he is a poet. He describes in vivid terms the first time he had this experience, when he was a young teenager, and speaks of the rest of his life as an attempt to duplicate that experience. He describes the state he enjoyed (and from time to time does enjoy) in these words:

"I don't know where it comes from. I never have. It's almost as if a physiological change comes over me. Then I am articulate and perceptive to a degree that I simply am not most of the time, in my normal state of mind. I try to write every day. To me, ninety-nine percent of the time that means a confrontation with how stupid I am. When this mood comes over me in which I do my best work, I feel a sense of brilliance and ease. I live for these moments, but they are so rare that if I were to only wait for them, I would write two poems a year. I try to work for several hours a day to dredge up and amass material that might be useful when this mood of inspiration comes over me. But I believe it's a terrible mistake to wait for inspiration. I seek it." (p. 70)


He says he in his earlier days, like many others, tried to use drugs, sex, and just about anything else as a shortcut to attaining that blessed state. (This reminded me of a discussion we had long, long ago over here.) For Franz Wright, none of the shortcuts quite worked. Instead, those moments of inspiration were given him by grace. He says:


"I don't know what I'm doing when I write. I never know. Maybe at the last moment I know. But I'm listening. Writing is listening. [....] I have always been able to tell whether something I am writing is genuinely an expression of revelation or if it's just me exercising my intellect. I can feel the difference, see it and taste it, but I don't know how I can do that. Writing isn't something I can try to do. It's something that happens to me and that I can prepare myself for." (p. 77)


This seems to be much like what Seth mentioned in that same comment thread where I first brought up this interview with Wright. I loved his thoughts there so much that I have to state them again here. Seth writes:

"I read somewhere that the hand moves at a speed closer to the heart's, whereas the head is too fast. I guess that's why writing brings things to our attention that our minds are racing too much to notice."


I've said before that I see writing as part inspiration, part imagination, and part discipline. I may have left out an important element in that. There is a large part, also, that is silent. "Writing is listening." Indeed.

There are so many more e-learning opportunities available now than when I was doing my undergraduate work that it isn't even funny. In fact, when I was doing my undergrad studies, "e-learning" was a phrase most people wouldn't have even understood.

Capella University really has taken advantages of the opportunities provided by e-learning facilities. There are a multitude of excellent programs offered to potential students at Capella University. That includes 82 undergraduate and graduate specializations. It is a great opportunity for students who seek to pursue further education, whether it be continuing adult education, an undergrad degree, or a master degree.

Capella University is an accredited school, and serves students from all over the world. There's no better time to sieze the opportunity than now. Check out Capella's website, and get started on your academic journey today.

***This blog post was based on information provided by Blogitive. For more information, please visit Blogitive.com.***

I knew that Geoffrey Chaucer was amazing....

I mean, it isn't exactly that Canterbury Tales is my thing (sorry, Geoff, I have a liking for Shakespeare and John Donne), but I can't deny the man's genius, all the same.

What I didn't know is that he blogs from the grave.

That, as far as I can tell, really puts him over the top.

I've found a valuable resource, if you are always on the lookout for ongoing writing contests. (I am.)

There are tons of opportunities listed there, and all of the links have some ongoing contests. It's a great way for writers to get into the game. There is stuff there for poets, fiction writers, and essayists. And, I even came across a link for drawings and other competitions in which the prize is homeschool materials. I've sent that link to my favorite homeschooler.