POETREE

Thank y'all so much for the lovely conversations in the comments threads on my two previous posts.

This time around, I'd like to know more about y'all. How did you develop an interest in poetry? Have you encountered any writing teachers who've really shaped your sense of what poetry is and can be (and if so, will you tell us about them?) What do you love most about poetry? Do you have a favorite poem (and if so, will you share it in comments)?

I'll answer these questions myself, too, below the cut.

( Here goes... )

I have several favorite poems. (Indeed, I have several favorite poets.) But one of my favorite poems is by Thomas Lux, and it's called "An Horatian Notion."

( Here it is )

Hello poetree folks!

I'm delighted to be hosting here this week. JJ invited me to talk about my own poetry, poetry in general, sacred vs. secular poetry, or anything I consider relevant/interesting to a group of poets and poetry enthusiasts. That's a wide net to cast, and I'm not sure I'll manage all of it, but I look forward to some conversations.

I thought I would start off by talking about one of the most successful writing experiments I've ever tried: writing a weekly poem in response to the Torah portion of the week.

( Read more... )

In 2010, I worked with editor Beth Adams of Phoenicia Publishing to edit a manuscript of the best of these poems; it was published a year ago. (70 faces -- you can buy it on the publisher's website or on Amazon, though Beth and I get a few more pennies if you buy the book through Phoenicia.) I'll share a Torah poem below, as well.

But before I share my own poem, I wanted to ask: have you ever tried anything like this? Do any of y'all write Torah poems or poems inspired by stories from scripture writ large?

If scripture isn't your cuppa, have you ever imagined writing a poem each week in response to a favorite tv show or other serial? (A Doonesbury poem each week? A Top Chef poem, a Doctor Who poem?) How do you think that writing the poem might change your relationship with the "text" at hand -- and how do you think that diving deep into the text might change your relationship with your poetry?

( And now, a Torah poem )