In which I introduce myself and the topic I chose for the week, plus another topic I didn't

[dave_bonta]

Hello! Thanks to jjhunter for the invitation to play poetry host this week, although I am also of course your guest -- an interesting combination of roles. I beg your indulgence as I try to figure out how things work around here. (I just got an account on Saturday.) I have an online bio if you're interested in publications and such.

As my blog Via Negativa and the literary magazine I edit, qarrtsiluni, both testify, I have a weakness for themed series. So this week I wanted to post a series of poems illustrating some idea or approach that might be of interest to working poets at all skill levels, and what I finally settled upon is poetry and research. I'll share examples of poems I've written that required varying amounts of historical or scientific research to write, and talk about how creative writing can actually assist the process of investigation, leading us to insights we might not otherwise have had. Along the way, I'll recommend other authors and books and invite you to share your own recommendations and experiences.

My original thought for this week was to write about what I know best: the online culture of self-publishing, sharing and collaboration, with examples of poems I've written or envideoed that wouldn't have happened if I were still confined to typewriter and print publication. And I still think that's an interesting topic -- one which I'd enjoy hearing from y'all about, actually, because there are so many inspiring stories out there. How has writing here, or being on the internet generally, helped your work? Or do you have to unplug from the internet to get anything useful written? (That's my situation sometimes, I must admit.)

Comments

[untonuggan]

I eagerly await your discussion of poetry and research! My undergrad is in history, which basically means my undergrad is in research. I know a lot about historical research and writing papers with Chicago-style footnotes, but oddly haven't combined my research and writing as much. Or rather, it gets kind of bogged down. I'll have an idea, need to do research, go off to fact check, and then the writing idea will fizzle. I think I need a good way to write something while the research is still in progress, or at least a way to keep the fiery writing ideas from cooling and becoming less interesting.

[untonuggan]

I should say, I haven't combined my research and creative writing as much.

[dave_bonta]

It can be hard to keep the creative spark alive while research progresses. I'll try and say something about that today or tomorrow, though with my fairly limited experience, I'm not really in a position to give advice, apart from sharing what worked or didn't work for me.