Saturday, February 04, 2006

What I've learned and from whom

Dorianne Laux taught me that a poem doesn't have to have stanza breaks if it doesn't want to
Jane Kenyon taught me that even the simplest poem can have great impact
Mary Oliver taught me about birds and about focus
Sylvia Plath taught me about the moon
William Stafford has shown me that a great poem isn't necessarily logical and not every line has to make sense
Kim Addonizio showed me that not only can poetry be fun, but that it is possible to write a good three page poem about a video game
Ted Kooser teaches everyone that poems can be read as well as written
Laux and Addonizio taught me the word 'appositive' which changed my life

I've learned that not all the poems in a single book are great poems, sometimes only one or two. I've learned that we're all made of wood - the kind used for violins or lutes or pianos - and that a great poem can become greater when pressed against out sides.

I've learned that I like the word 'fold' and use it too much. I've learned that sonnets, and their appeal, could prove the reality of parallel dimensions.

I've discovered I love my dog.

3 Comments:

Blogger Toni Clark said...

Why, I just used the word appositive this morning and was so proud of myself (not that the listener knew what I was talking about). So, do tell, how has it changed your life? Or maybe I should just read Addonizio and Laux on the subject. I took a workshop with Kim Addonizio a couple of years ago and learned the source of the term, "red herring," about which I've been trying to write a sonnet ever since.

9:50 AM  
Blogger Bob Hoeppner said...

Jude, you crack me up! Good stuff! Perhaps you've inspired me to try a post in kind (but don't hold your breath, because I'm incredibly lazy!)

9:50 AM  
Blogger michi said...

i enjoyed reading your list of things you have learned.

and i just realised that my husband and i must have passed through squamish once, in 1992, on our way from vancouver to whistler, and lillooet (where i had the worst chinese food ever). :)

michi

8:13 AM  

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