I hope my friends in the band Big Bad Gina–Jori, Melodie, and Renee–won't mind me borrowing the title of one of my favorite originals from their CD, "Amazon Warrior Princess," to use as the heading for today's post. The phrase suits so well what I have to say to my poet friends. It's a terrific song and the band is a great example of what can become Mo' Better when you work at it with that kind of head-down determination. I am sure that the three of them, both together and alone, listen to CD after CD of other musicians in order to acquaint themselves with various styles and rhythms and from which to draw inspiration for their own unique lyrics and music. They are a terrific band, as original as they come, with music so varied that it can make you want to dance, croon along, or make out in some hidden corner of the bar.
Today, I want to convince you writers and poets, in particular you newcomers to the art, that in order to write mo' better poetry you must read poetry, just as songwriters must listen to loads of music. Poetry is at the top of few summer lists of "must reads." Even practiced poets don't read as much of their peers' work as they should. I am telling you now, though, that the only way to improve your own poetry, to become "mo' better," is to read more poetry.
As a bookseller, shoppers would always be amazed when they stacked up a pile of books in front of the cash register and I would ask, all innocence, "Are you a poet?" Their jaw would drop as they nodded, thinking to themselves, "Wow, a psychic bookseller." But no, I'd seen the two books of poetry sticking out of their stack and knew quite well that the biggest buyers of poetry were themselves poets. There's a reason for that. The best are in love with poetry, and not just their own. The rest are wanting to become mo' better writers and realize, in order to do that, they must read accomplished poets.
I took a poetry writing workshop at the local university when I first arrived in Fayetteville. This was a senior class, and although I was at least 35 years older than the oldest student, and perhaps 20 years older than my professor, I felt like I could learn something from the exchange of ideas and poetry in the classroom. It had been a long time since I had attended a class on poetry writing. The prof was excellent. He gave good prompts, was full of fine ideas, and his criticisms were spot-on. He was extremely well-read and tried hard to pass on his love of poetry to his students. He himself was a published and prize-winning poet, and I adored both his work and him.
My complaint was not with the teacher. No, it was the students with whom I could not identify. They arrogantly went about their writing like school children (not college students, but second graders). They blatantly stole from the works of poets they were forced to read in other classes, and focused entirely on their small little circle of friends and interests when writing. I never heard such bad poetry, even giving them a break for being so young. I had heard better poetry at my open mics from 16- and 17- year olds. These were seniors in college. Finally, having just referred to a famous Frost poem and receiving only blank stares in return, I shouted out in pure frustration, "Doesn't anybody in here read!?" They shook their heads "no." Some said they had too much required reading, while others just shrugged their shoulders. I understood then that they considered this an easy elective and were just rounding out their credits. Maybe three of us were interested in writing mo' better poetry.
If you take away nothing else from this post, please take this away: to become a good poet, you must read good poetry. I think poets want to read good poetry, but the mind is lazy if left to its own devices. One must think when reading poetry. One must consider the metaphors, listen to the sounds employed, let the images sink in deep. Poetry can be slow going and is not meant to be read in a hurry. It is best read silently and then aloud, even if you are all alone. It's even better when you can share it with another poetry- or potential poetry-lover.
I implore you with compassion to read poems other than your own. I say, "with compassion," because for long periods, I too, fail to read the work of others in order to get mo' better at my own poetry. Yet, every time I do, like this morning, I am inspired into thought-provoking images and memories of my own. The work I write after I've read Mark Doty or Dickens or Walker or Nye, is not a copy of their work. No, it is originally my own, with the spice of their inspiration and knowledge flavoring what I've written in such a way as to make it better. Mo' better everytime.
If you don't have a favorite poet, let me suggest the Norton Anthologies of poetry. They are full of luscious poems by hundreds of different poets--the best poets in the world, past and present. This way, you can fall in love with a few of your favorites and purchase their books in order to familiarize yourselves with their work. Here are just a handful of mine, and believe me they are not all dead white men: Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Richard Wilbur, Alice Walker, Naomi Shihab Nye, Patricia Smith, Robert Frost, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rumi, Lucille Clifton, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, Walt Whitman, Mark Doty, Sonia Sanchez.
Today, I want to convince you writers and poets, in particular you newcomers to the art, that in order to write mo' better poetry you must read poetry, just as songwriters must listen to loads of music. Poetry is at the top of few summer lists of "must reads." Even practiced poets don't read as much of their peers' work as they should. I am telling you now, though, that the only way to improve your own poetry, to become "mo' better," is to read more poetry.
As a bookseller, shoppers would always be amazed when they stacked up a pile of books in front of the cash register and I would ask, all innocence, "Are you a poet?" Their jaw would drop as they nodded, thinking to themselves, "Wow, a psychic bookseller." But no, I'd seen the two books of poetry sticking out of their stack and knew quite well that the biggest buyers of poetry were themselves poets. There's a reason for that. The best are in love with poetry, and not just their own. The rest are wanting to become mo' better writers and realize, in order to do that, they must read accomplished poets.
I took a poetry writing workshop at the local university when I first arrived in Fayetteville. This was a senior class, and although I was at least 35 years older than the oldest student, and perhaps 20 years older than my professor, I felt like I could learn something from the exchange of ideas and poetry in the classroom. It had been a long time since I had attended a class on poetry writing. The prof was excellent. He gave good prompts, was full of fine ideas, and his criticisms were spot-on. He was extremely well-read and tried hard to pass on his love of poetry to his students. He himself was a published and prize-winning poet, and I adored both his work and him.
My complaint was not with the teacher. No, it was the students with whom I could not identify. They arrogantly went about their writing like school children (not college students, but second graders). They blatantly stole from the works of poets they were forced to read in other classes, and focused entirely on their small little circle of friends and interests when writing. I never heard such bad poetry, even giving them a break for being so young. I had heard better poetry at my open mics from 16- and 17- year olds. These were seniors in college. Finally, having just referred to a famous Frost poem and receiving only blank stares in return, I shouted out in pure frustration, "Doesn't anybody in here read!?" They shook their heads "no." Some said they had too much required reading, while others just shrugged their shoulders. I understood then that they considered this an easy elective and were just rounding out their credits. Maybe three of us were interested in writing mo' better poetry.
If you take away nothing else from this post, please take this away: to become a good poet, you must read good poetry. I think poets want to read good poetry, but the mind is lazy if left to its own devices. One must think when reading poetry. One must consider the metaphors, listen to the sounds employed, let the images sink in deep. Poetry can be slow going and is not meant to be read in a hurry. It is best read silently and then aloud, even if you are all alone. It's even better when you can share it with another poetry- or potential poetry-lover.
I implore you with compassion to read poems other than your own. I say, "with compassion," because for long periods, I too, fail to read the work of others in order to get mo' better at my own poetry. Yet, every time I do, like this morning, I am inspired into thought-provoking images and memories of my own. The work I write after I've read Mark Doty or Dickens or Walker or Nye, is not a copy of their work. No, it is originally my own, with the spice of their inspiration and knowledge flavoring what I've written in such a way as to make it better. Mo' better everytime.
If you don't have a favorite poet, let me suggest the Norton Anthologies of poetry. They are full of luscious poems by hundreds of different poets--the best poets in the world, past and present. This way, you can fall in love with a few of your favorites and purchase their books in order to familiarize yourselves with their work. Here are just a handful of mine, and believe me they are not all dead white men: Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Richard Wilbur, Alice Walker, Naomi Shihab Nye, Patricia Smith, Robert Frost, Yusef Komunyakaa, Rumi, Lucille Clifton, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Bishop, Walt Whitman, Mark Doty, Sonia Sanchez.
Why, right here in Fayetteville are Miller Williams, Davis McCombs, Geoffrey Brock, myself (I say this in all modesty among such poetic company) and many of the poets who read at the open mics here in town. We have a nationally known library, a great independent bookstore, and an amazing used bookstore in which to find all kinds of fine poems. Truly, there is no excuse. We all have ample resources for becoming mo' better poets and writers. So read, and then write on.
2 comments:
And this is why our coffee meet ups and poetry are so important to me. I absolutely hunger for more poetry. I ache for it.
This is so true! In other arts, this seems to be a given. In art class we would attempt to copy, stroke for stroke, great paintings to try and learn the techniques they used.... And even if you aren't studying technique, just reading and seeing what inspires other poets will often bring something to my mind that it had never occurred to me to be inspired by....and isn't THAT what poetry is all about! LOVE this post Mendy. Thank you. I'm resolving (again) to put a bunch of poetry books on my nightstand...maybe if I read before sleep, it'll soak in overnight...
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