I’m just curious…how many CD’ers like to write, read, etc… poetry? Please vote, and discuss this if you wish.
I’ve been writing poetry since I was 8 years old (and thankfully, the poetry of my early years has been very carefully hidden away, I cringe to think that anyone would ever read those poems…) Two of my favorite poets are Stephen Crane and Sylvia Plath. I had two poems published by a real magazine (and by real, I mean not school related) when I was 19. Those two poems are the only poems I’ve ever submitted and I was coerced into that by friends who knew one of the regulars at the restaurant where we waited tables was an editor and it just sort of happened. Oddly enough, I had no problem writing poetry for the underground newspaper at the university I attended. Writing for Scream was the only time I ever used a pseudonym for my writing and that was because too many school officials were trying to shut the newspaper down and people associated with it often found themselves in trouble.
I also have no problem posting my poetry on my website though I haven’t updated it in a long time. I guess I’ve moved away from poetry a bit (blame it on 100Words.net). And if I don’t shut up I’ll ramble on about poetry all night…
Heidi
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“…ethereal, intangible,
I can be a Cheshire cat.
I’ll fade away,
Leaving behind a smile,
Then that, too, is gone.”
Writing is a big part of my life… I have had several of my poems published. I used to keep them on my website but then I started writing about more personal stuff. Most of my poems are at Poety.com along with some other CD’s stuff that I know of. Im sad to say but poetry isnt as big as it once was. I dont know of many people who write poetry anymore…
I was an English major; I loved prose but never cared much for poetry. John Donne poems are quite…“interesting” though, but I swear if I have to analyze another one of them I will go crazy.
I couldnt find the “I hate poetry with a passion” choice, so I had to go with disliking it. If we hadnt anaylzed so many poems in english, I might just be indifferent 
Cory
*Originally posted by Cory *
**I couldnt find the “I hate poetry with a passion” choice, so I had to go with disliking it. If we hadnt anaylzed so many poems in english, I might just be indifferent **
I second that.
In fact, a poetry assignment (inderectly) led to me being kicked outta my house for a week during christmas break
*Originally posted by Angela06 *
**Writing is a big part of my life… I have had several of my poems published. I used to keep them on my website but then I started writing about more personal stuff. Most of my poems are at Poety.com along with some other CD’s stuff that I know of. Im sad to say but poetry isnt as big as it once was. I dont know of many people who write poetry anymore… **
Cory
**I couldnt find the “I hate poetry with a passion” choice, so I had to go with disliking it. If we hadnt anaylzed so many poems in english, I might just be indifferent **
I’ve been writing for only a while (about a year come October). I’ve wrote many things. A couple of my poems have been published, and such (if you want, you can read a lot of mine at my site [link in sig]). Angela is right though, poetry itself is dieing sadly (:(). My favorite poet is Edgar Allan Poe.
Cory > “I hate poetry w/ a passion” was something I was gonna add, but I didn’t have much time left online… 
Do those of you who dislike poetry also dislike song lyrics? Song lyrics are poetry (well, I’m sure you could find an exception, but it’s mostly true).
For anyone who submits poetry for Poetry.com, be very careful. They have been under investigation for fraud since 2001. Here are some links about it:
Before you submit anything for publication try to find out if they are on the up and up. There’s a group called Writer Beware that lists alerts for scams. And also make sure to read the fine print about your rights to your poems, because some places can and do steal your copyright to your work if you submit it to them even if they don’t publish your work. Writer’s Digest, Fiction Factor and Writer Beware all offer good information on spotting scams and on actually alerting writers of scams, though they may not find all of them. There’s also a site called the Writers BBS Forums which is a message board and members post information of scams they run across.
Heidi
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this is the poem that never was, or was it?
*Originally posted by MissInformation *
**Do those of you who dislike poetry also dislike song lyrics? Song lyrics are poetry (well, I’m sure you could find an exception, but it’s mostly true).For anyone who submits poetry for Poetry.com, be very careful. They have been under investigation for fraud since 2001. Here are some links about it:
Before you submit anything for publication try to find out if they are on the up and up. There’s a group called Writer Beware that lists alerts for scams. And also make sure to read the fine print about your rights to your poems, because some places can and do steal your copyright to your work if you submit it to them even if they don’t publish your work. Writer’s Digest, Fiction Factor and Writer Beware all offer good information on spotting scams and on actually alerting writers of scams, though they may not find all of them. There’s also a site called the Writers BBS Forums which is a message board and members post information of scams they run across.
Heidi
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this is the poem that never was, or was it? **
cries 50 bucks…trash…cries more
There’s another from the UK (Home Publishing…or something). It’s a scam, for sure. If I can find a sheet of paper with a address on it, I’ll post it here (it has an article about a lil’ way to determine if the publisher is real or not).
Normally, psychotic English teachers don’t make you analyze song lyrics.
i’m a poet. i have been for a while. but most of my poems are really structured and not nearly as annoying as the ones you are forced to read in school. for those of you that are tired of reading boring school-type poetry lemme suggest my favorite author: ee cummings. yes, his name is actually meant to be lowercase. i like him because he has no form and his poems can be funny but also very deep. my favorite poem is “la” another of my favorites is TS Eliot, but he is most likely one of the poets you will read in school. his poetry is really though provoking, but still easily understood and related. ok…that’s all from me on this subject.
*Originally posted by srjjs *
**Normally, psychotic English teachers don’t make you analyze song lyrics. **
In my english class we analyzed song lyrics a few times…but our teacher was kool like that. One of my best friends dads is a nationally published poet and a professor at mdcc. I like poetry it has a flow you dont get. I suggest going to see a poet read because once you hear people read poetry and read it well it makes poetry in general better because, i know for me, you can hear the voice reading it. Ive been to a few poetry readings and they are very relaxing as well so if your stressed try going to a reading it might help 
*Originally posted by MissInformation *
**Do those of you who dislike poetry also dislike song lyrics? Song lyrics are poetry (well, I’m sure you could find an exception, but it’s mostly true).For anyone who submits poetry for Poetry.com, be very careful. They have been under investigation for fraud since 2001. Here are some links about it:
Before you submit anything for publication try to find out if they are on the up and up. There’s a group called Writer Beware that lists alerts for scams. And also make sure to read the fine print about your rights to your poems, because some places can and do steal your copyright to your work if you submit it to them even if they don’t publish your work. Writer’s Digest, Fiction Factor and Writer Beware all offer good information on spotting scams and on actually alerting writers of scams, though they may not find all of them. There’s also a site called the Writers BBS Forums which is a message board and members post information of scams they run across.
Heidi
<--------------->
this is the poem that never was, or was it? **
O my! thank you so much. See, i’ve never gotten the courage to go on and send something to poetry.com etc. (for one thing, i hate the 20 line, min, and i’m one that doesn’t like being limited)
And now with that info, i will not send it in and like with everything else, be more couscous and paranoid, be-c there is no trust left in the world that people would cheat you out of poetry money…
*Originally posted by Andrew Rudolph *
**In my english class we analyzed song lyrics a few times…but our teacher was kool like that. One of my best friends dads is a nationally published poet and a professor at mdcc. I like poetry it has a flow you dont get. I suggest going to see a poet read because once you hear people read poetry and read it well it makes poetry in general better because, i know for me, you can hear the voice reading it. Ive been to a few poetry readings and they are very relaxing as well so if your stressed try going to a reading it might help
I’m actually unsure whether that would make English better or music worse. Trying overly hard to find meaning in something that, in my opinion, should just be appreciated as is, has greatly reduced my enjoyment of the material in question. (poetry and literature are probably the most notable examples)
*Originally posted by srjjs *
**I’m actually unsure whether that would make English better or music worse. Trying overly hard to find meaning in something that, in my opinion, should just be appreciated as is, has greatly reduced my enjoyment of the material in question. (poetry and literature are probably the most notable examples) **
Not to argue with you, because I agree, sometimes things are over analyzed… but poets, novelists, songwriters, these people are word engineers. An English teacher’s responsibility is to explain how their structures are put together, what makes them work and why they work. Symbolism can be a nuisance, but it can also be interesting and make you look at something a bit differently. And being able to see something from different view points is a good skill to have in any field.
And to completely show I’ve gone off the deep-end, compare this past year’s game to a poem. So there’s this poem called Stack-attack and all of these teams were given the task of interpreting it and figuring it out. Which they did, but funny thing is some of them agreed on it and built robots that were a lot alike, but some came up with completely different answers for it and their robots reflect that. Now, if all the robots that won the competitions were close to the same thing, then they most likely were on to something about what that silly Stack-Attack poem meant. Did seeing so many different robots lessen your enjoyment of the game? Of course, I do realize poetry is not a robot game, words and machines are two different things and not all people love words the way I do (but that’s o.k., because I can’t stand math 
) but they are not completely separate.
Oh, and if anyone is ever serious about submitting poetry, the best book you can possibly get is the Poet’s Market book, which is a listing of almost every legitimate small press running in the U.S. (and some presses in other countries) and what they are looking for and how to submit. The 2004 book should be out in late September.
Heidi
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A clean slate. What words will I allow you to write there? Turn off all the lights and in the dark, continue to write and maybe you’ll come up with the story of my life.
*Originally posted by MissInformation *
**Not to argue with you, because I agree, sometimes things are over analyzed… but poets, novelists, songwriters, these people are word engineers. An English teacher’s responsibility is to explain how their structures are put together, what makes them work and why they work. Symbolism can be a nuisance, but it can also be interesting and make you look at something a bit differently. And being able to see something from different view points is a good skill to have in any field.And to completely show I’ve gone off the deep-end, compare this past year’s game to a poem. So there’s this poem called Stack-attack and all of these teams were given the task of interpreting it and figuring it out. Which they did, but funny thing is some of them agreed on it and built robots that were a lot alike, but some came up with completely different answers for it and their robots reflect that. Now, if all the robots that won the competitions were close to the same thing, then they most likely were on to something about what that silly Stack-Attack poem meant. Did seeing so many different robots lessen your enjoyment of the game? Of course, I do realize poetry is not a robot game, words and machines are two different things and not all people love words the way I do (but that’s o.k., because I can’t stand math
**
We are using symbolism to communicate right now. Human beings are symbolic processors, not binary processors. What is a word but a symbol to represent a concept?
In writing, poetry, songs and graphic arts of all sorts, the use of widely understood symbols can greatly magnify the impact of the work. Symbols can communicate at a level deeper than words. But only if the symbol is widely understood and used appropriately to make the point. Studying the symbology of the masters shows you both what can be achieved and how to achieve it.
On the other hand much of the impact is lost when the audience no longer recognizes the symbols. That is why we sometimes have trouble understanding writers from long ago, their symbolic language is somewhat different. Kind of like trying to understand someone who speaks a different dialect.
I like the picture of authors as word engineers, a very apt picture especially for this group. Your comparison of a robot game to a poem was dead on.
Any comments Amber H?
FIRST once inspired me to dabble in poetry. Here is my favorite effort:
WildStang Limerick ( February, 1999)
Our robot’s a battleing giant.
It struts 'round the field all defiant!
As it crosses the rail
We’ve checked every detail
And it’s even Y2K compliant!
*Originally posted by ChrisH *
**
Any comments
Amber H? **
He baits me! Can I resist?
I find the analogy of engineering a robot to writing a very good one as well. When you design and build your machine, should not all the parts down to the very screws be compatible and fit properly? If there is something not quite right, your mechanical creation breaks down.
When writing a novel, all of the parts down to the small details need to fit properly, or the story breaks down in some way. The reader often loses interest and stops reading.
I have been through eight rewrites of my last novel to make sure that the story made sense and did not break down in some way. Sometimes, I dropped useless details like a FIRST team would shave off extra bits to come in at the right weight for competition. Other times, I changed actions and reactions that were not consistent with a character’s behavior in the rest of the book, like A FIRSTer would perhaps make sure the fan belts (if used on the bot) were of the right tension, or perhaps the right wires went to the right places to transfer the right signal or amount of power to the proper destination.
I also use the input of proofreaders and interested parties to make sure that I haven’t missed anything. Would this be similar to someone on a FIRST team asking another team member or mentor for a second opinion or backup check of whatever he is working on?
I don’t know how other authors work, but I find input and points of view from others in the development process highly valuable. They help me to make sure I don’t miss those small, but key things that make the scene or character more real. They can help me to know if I have descriptive enough, or overdone it to the point it becomes tedious.
How many FIRSTers have been saved from making an apparently small but eventually disastrous mistake by following the wise input of another team member?
Yes, a story or poem must be carefully engineered if it is to have the maximum impact intended by the creator.
Is this not like a piece of machinery that must be carefully engineered in order to reach it’s full potential or efficiency?
*Originally posted by Frank Toussaint *
**FIRST once inspired me to dabble in poetry. Here is my favorite effort:WildStang Limerick ( February, 1999)
Our robot’s a battleing giant.
It struts 'round the field all defiant!
As it crosses the rail
We’ve checked every detail
And it’s even Y2K compliant! **
I wrote a poem sorta like that (it delt w/ FIRST and our bot). It’s on my site somewhere I think
*Originally posted by Frank Toussaint *
**FIRST once inspired me to dabble in poetry. Here is my favorite effort:WildStang Limerick ( February, 1999)
Our robot’s a battleing giant.
It struts 'round the field all defiant!
As it crosses the rail
We’ve checked every detail
And it’s even Y2K compliant! **
O! How I do enjoy Limericks, those are prob. the only style of poetry i would enjoy reading - and this one is ever so wonderful!
:]