HOST INTRO POST: ELISABETH HEWER

[elisabethhewer]

Hello, everyone! My name's Ellie and I'm incredibly flattered to have been asked to host this week on POETREE by jjhunter , who found me on tumblr some time ago. I'm afraid I'm new to the community and the way things work around here, but I'm really excited to get to know you and to have the opportunity to discuss poetry more in-depth.

A brief bit of background about myself: I'm twenty years old and highly amateur when it comes to poetry. I honestly have no rhyme or reason to the way I write, and it's still a mystery to me that anybody is interested in reading my poems at all. I'd very much like to take a course to learn more about all the different ways one can format a poem, but as I'm still unsure with most of them, my poetry is all just freestyle at the moment.

I write about what I used to think was a varied number of subjects, but in fact there are some pretty basic themes that I just attempt to tackle over and over again: my relationship with God and Christianity, love, and feminism (in historic as well as contemporary settings). Poetry is sort of my way of attempting to organise my thoughts into something coherent, as otherwise they fly around my head in a very jumbled manner. I'd like to share an example of each of these themes with you over the course of the week and find out if I've managed to convey any hint of my stance towards them all!

You can find my poems on my tumblr page for now - I'm hoping to summon up the courage to submit some to a few journals in the future!

Thank you very much for reading this, and if it's alright with you I'd love to start off by asking a little bit about you all - the sort of thing you prefer to read and/or write poetry about; and also (if you are willing to share) your stance towards the religion you were raised in if you were at all. This is a subject of intense fascination to me and one that colours a lot of my own thinking and writing.

Comments

[alexseanchai]

I can answer both your questions with a link to a single poem. In more explicit words, I write feminist polemic poetry and I write complaints about my life poetry (and sometimes I write fantasy narrative that happens to be poetry not prose, but that poem's not), and the religion I was raised in doesn't want me unless I change some things fundamental to my being and not within my power to change so fuck 'em.

I can talk about being an atheist and being a Unitarian Universalist if you like. These topics (topic singular, in some ways) are of much more interest to me than my relationship to the religion of my birth.

*clicks your tumblr* Oh you write science poetry! I need to rec you to a couple friends. And the poem that starts I stole an apple some time after I was born, that's pure beauty.

[elisabethhewer]

Hi!

First of all, that poem is absolutely wonderful! It captures a lot of the things I feel towards Christianity/Catholicism too, so thank you very much for sharing it with me.

To be honest all types of relationships with any religion are of interest to me! I'm afraid I've never heard of Unitarian Universalism, but I shall go read about it and hopefully be able to hold a better conversation with you about it soon!

I do indeed - although I definitely make no claims to knowing anything about science. The last time I had anything to do with proper learning about it was when I was fifteen! Parts of it just seem so beautiful to me. I'm really glad you like that one, I was nervous about it so that means a lot!

[alexseanchai]

The joke goes that Unitarian Universalists (originally two separate denominations, the Unitarians who were Christians believing in a single unitarian, not trinitarian, deity, and the Universalists who were Christians believing in universal salvation from hell) believe in one god, more or less. It's funny 'cause it's true. The roots of UU faith are Jewish and Christian, but there's no shortage of UU pagans and UU atheists and just plain UUs.

The key things about Unitarian Universalism, for me, are the Seven Principles:

* The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
* Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
* Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
* A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
* The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
* The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
* Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

There's also (say I as though these things are distinct) a strong commitment to social justice among UUs. My atheism demands social justice--I want the world fixed, no god is going to fix the world for me, therefore I must do it for myself; it's too big for me, but that's why there are other people. Unitarian-Universalist-ness demands much the same thing. The First Principle requires me to call people on their shit when they're treating people as unworthy of basic human respect. The Second Principle requires me to behave fairly and to do my best to ensure that the institutions of which I am part behave fairly. Etc.

[cirque]

I'm really looking forward to reading about your work and your processes etc!

I too love writing freeform, and very rarely rhyme. I feel poetry is best when it comes straight from the heart. Or, um, straight from the brain (!) I prefer to freewrite in a lot of ways, and then pick through my mistakes and make improvements.

RE my stance towards my religion: it's kind of nonexistent. I wasn't raised in a religion at all, and it has never been a part of my life, big or small. It honestly isn't something I think about.

[elisabethhewer]

Thank you so much - I hope I don't disappoint!

I definitely tackle poetry in a similar way, so I'm delighted to meet somebody else who does the same! I'm always wary of sounding too contrived which unfortunately means I go too far in the opposite direction and end up very rough, but I'm working on that.

[jjhunter]

Re: finding more poetry formats to play with, no need to wait for an academic class - we've got some excellent overview posts for particular formats in the POETREE comm archives that you can browse via the theme: evolution of poem format tag. (And if you comment on an old post with questions or thoughts (or even a simple 'I read this, thanks for sharing') you will likely make the post author's day.)

Poetry-wise, I consider myself a mockingbird poet. That is to say, I have my own style, my own voice, but I also find pleasure and challenge in imitating other poets' voices. Thus, a sampling of my poetry includes everything from Beowulf-style epic to haiku to eccentric bits of free verse, depending the day and what feels like it needs saying. Your articulation that "Poetry is sort of my way of attempting to organise my thoughts into something coherent" rings very true to my own experience; when I have something fermenting in the back of my head catalyze & start knocking about to get out, poetry's the most concise and powerful way I can set it. It gives me something settled I can share without having to (re)articulate it so many times it becomes sing-song sheer and tatter-tired.

Poetry, art, science - these are my trinity, my way of engaging with what it means to be human in this world, time, place, brain, self. I grew up Unitarian Universalist; it was communion via potluck & committee with drafts of music and sampler platters of other traditions. (Not unlike what hobbits might devise for a religion, if they were so formally inclined.) I feel like the universe is inherently wondrous and people inherently complex regardless of greater divinities, and thus am comfortably agnostic.

[elisabethhewer]

Oh, brilliant, I'm definitely going to read through as many of those as I can get my hands on as soon as I've got a bit more time! Thank you so much - and I'll be sure to comment :)

Your poetry is honestly among my favourite, and I'd really like to have a shot at imitating a broader range myself (stylistically I think I take the most influence from Margaret Atwood, and I'd like to do the same with Richard Siken but I'm never going to achieve such beauty). I agree with you utterly on that second part, too - for some reason I find it a lot easier to say things with poetry than I do in a spoken conversation. It allows me to approach it at an angle that suits me exactly.

That is one of the most beautiful ways I've ever encountered of looking at the universe! Thank you very much for sharing it with me.

[kaberett]

This year, my poetry is about reclamation, and the body as palimpsest, sort of. Reading, mmm - variable, but at the moment, again, a lot of it is about our borders and reconstituting ourselves and telling our own stories.

I'm deeply uncomfortable talking about the religion I was raised in except with a select few people - largely people of similar religion whom I trust to treat me kindly (even though I've left the faith). Sometimes counsellors. Sometimes priests. There's a lot of grief and fear and anger wrapped up in a shroud of deliberate forgetfulness. (And the extent to which I was raised in a religion is... complicated and fraught itself.)

[elisabethhewer]

Your poetry is really beautiful - I especially like "Subject", I think the rhythm and image in it is gorgeous.

I'm incredibly sorry for prying! I respect your feelings on the matter utterly and I cannot apologise enough if I upset or insulted you asking about it, that wasn't my intention at all.

[kaberett]

♥ I responded out of choice; I didn't have to. I told you as much as I was comfortable with. Is fine!

[fyreharper]

I write as processing (your description sounds very familiar!) and, frequently, about fruit. Because really good fruit (ok, not just fruit, I just write about fruit a lot okay ;p ) sparks delight/reverence that I want to capture and hold onto and share, and fruit (and other things) is/are ephemeral, so that requires... words. Or other art, but words are often easiest for me.

I like to read poetry that says things we do not always say straight out. My initial phrasing (in my head) was 'I like to read poetry that kicks me in the face', but, ah, that's probably not that useful a way of putting it. And, yknow, fruit poems! Which in this case I don't actually mean as 'poetry about fruit' but 'let me show you a thing that matters to me right now' or 'here, this is maybe not the angle you look at things from all the time'. And things that use words in nifty ways, not that that is vague at all >.> And things that are bits of stories. And.

Stance towards the religion I was raised in... (::wonders how long it is before I hit the comment limit::) I was raised pretty-laid-back Bahai with a side of Unitarian and familiarity with Christianity; we parted on friendly terms? I just kinda... stopped calling myself that, before I was 15, so I never declared. A lot of things stuck (f'rinstance, it's always a bit odd explaining that I don't drink because of a religious prohibition... "oh, what religion are you?"... "Well, none really..."). I think it's a pretty good place to be from.

[jjhunter]

*cough*maximum DW comment length is 16,000 characters (i.e., over three times as long as, say, a post like this)*cough*

I like 'fruit poems' as a way to describe capturing the emotional resonance of a particular moment in time & space.

[fyreharper]

whoaaaa, I am never going to hit the comment limit o_o

[fyreharper]

*probably >.>

[elisabethhewer]

You know I've never actually thought about fruit that way? That's such a delightfully beautiful way of looking at it, and I'm absolutely intrigued by the thought of the poems you must come up with now!

I actually understand what you mean by "poetry that kicks me in the face"! I feel very much the same way - a poem that prompts a physical reaction inside me is always one I'm going to revisit over and over again. There's an Emily Dickinson quote in one of my favourite books of poetry (Richard Siken's Crush) which begins: "If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that it is poetry. If I feel physically as though the top of my head were taken off, I know that it is poetry". I relate to this a lot! And you seem very much after my own heart here, because poems that take an otherwise ordinary thing and turn it extraordinary by approaching it from a different angle or wording it in a fascinating way just completely enchant me.

That does sound like a good place to be from, and I'm happy for you that you left in a friendly way! Again, this sounds vaguely similar to myself (although I was raised protestant Christian) - I never really declared for it fully, and just wandered away from it when I was around thirteen or fourteen.

[alee_grrl]

I frequently write poetry as a way to think something through, and a lens to examine my thoughts and emotions by. And sometimes I just like to paint with words. :)

For reading I tend towards things that I find evocotive(I like fyreharper's description of 'poetry that kicks me in the face'). I also like reading whimsical poetry and poetry that makes me laugh or smile.

As for religion, my mother flutters between different Christian denominations and occasionally drug my brother and I along for the ride; my dad is much more of an nature based religion/pagan sort. I lived for much of my youth in the conservative Bible Belt of the U.S., and myself have never felt comfortable with many of the Christian denominations. I've taken after my father in that respect and am an eclectic pagan.

I've quite enjoyed the poems of yours that I've read on tubmlr. Welcome to the community, and thank you for hosting this week. I look forward to reading more!

[elisabethhewer]

Your poetry is wonderful! Kiss the Flame I particularly enjoyed - it's so evocative and it just comes across as really fiery, I love it.

Yes, isn't that the most wonderful description?! I agree completely. And poetry that makes me smile is always high on my list of favourites. (Limericks, for example, will always hold a special place in my heart!)

Thank you very much for reading my poems! I'm glad you liked them. And thank you, I very much look forward to getting to know the community more!

[alee_grrl]

Thank you for your kind words about my poems. I'm glad you enjoyed Kiss the Flame. That's one of my favorites from the past few years. :)

[cadenzamuse]

I'm not sure I'm writing much poetry at the moment, but I just got laid off at work, so I imagine some rediscovery is in order.

As to my feelings about my religion of birth...a poem from 2010:

Things No One Tells You

You will give up the names for things, round Roman words on your tongue.
You will give up the wine, and the bread.
You will give back your garments, crucifix, candle.
You will slip your scapular over your head and put it away. You will show it only rarely to your children.
You will give up old prayers.
You will give up singing.

--

Nothing has ever described for me so well the various inexpressible joys and pains of changing religions (even if for me it was just denominations) as Lauren Winner's Girl Meets God.

[elisabethhewer]

I'm so sorry about you being laid off, but I'm also excited to read your poems if/when you do get around to writing them!

That poem is absolutely gorgeous, really haunting. Thank you very much for sharing it with me! Gosh it's wonderful, it really echoes in the heart.