Martin Luther King Jr. Inspires Poetry Revolution!

Poetry group breathes life into Dr. King's words

The Write Me Project out of Indianapolis, IN, performed at the Indiana Historical Society to show how King's speeches continue to influence. Tasha Jones performing group, The Write Me Project evolved as a way to help kids re-enter society after juvenile detention. It gives these kids an outlet to express themselves. Jones says, "..it was my job to show them how to become intellectual properties." "I continue to be Martin Luther King Jr, Harriet Tubman, Sojourne Truth, Emmitt Till and Nat Turner and we continue as those persons, those spirits to continue to educate the youth of today." The Write Me Project is based in Indianapolis but travels all over the country to share their poetry.

Describe "Poetry" to Me

Poets! Can you describe Poetry - put a definition to it?

Billy Mills in his Guardian Unlimited column, "Finding the right words to define poetry" cites what Aristotle, in his Poetics, Thomas Campion in Observations in the Art of English Poesie, Ezra Pound, Philip Sidney in his Defense of Poesy, Brian Coffey, William Carlos Williams, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's, "..prose -words in their best order; poetry - the best words in their best order." Check the Comments of his readers, too, for good come-backs.

Allen Taylor of World Class Poetry writes on his philosophy of poetics, the School of Millennialism, and encourages his readers to share their own ideas on what constitutes a poem, and how does one define poetry. Allen shares his ideas of what is poetry:

In my view of poetry, a poem can be about anything, or nothing at all. It can be a poem that simply is a poem or it can carry the weight of the secrets of life. It can, if it stretches itself far enough, be both. This is not to say, however, that anything is acceptable. For that would be a huge and grievous error. If we accept that anything in poetry is acceptable then we would fall into the Modernist trap that a poem should not mean, but be. And that is precisely what I am arguing against.

I rather like Allen's take on what poetry ought to convey.

• I also like this definition of poetry from Poetry Magic:

— poetry is surely distinguished by moving us deeply. In fact, for all but Postmodernists, it is an art form, and must therefore do what all art does — represent something of the world, express or evoke emotion, please us by its form, and stand on its own as something autonomous and self-defining.

I invite you to share YOUR definition of poetry right here, right now!

gURL poet Cordelia

I stumbled upon website gURL dedicated to teenagers covering a multitude of subjects and issues of a personal nature. Of course I gravitated towards the POETRY gURL section and read this poem entitled can you not see my eyes look right past you? by member Cordelia that I want to share with you. I'm impressed by the imagery and object of her affection attention. Maybe you will be, too.

can you not see my eyes look right past you?

Can you not see my eyes look right past you?
My gaze grabbing tightly on the door handle.
I have been watching it for more than a few minutes now.
I have studied every dent in its exterior,
The way the elfish light dances on it,
Every knotted curl carved deep,
So deep I feel I could fall in there
And never see the light of day again.
Look at the depths you have lowered me to.
I am staring at a door handle
As though it were an old lover.
Can you not see my eyes look right past you?

--Cordelia

Only Those Writing Poetry Read It?

The Arts Blog of the Guardian Unlimited, blogged by Sean O'Brien writes that Giles Foden"it had not been a good decade for poetry," and then went about listing the numerous publications of poets in the last decade. What surprised me most was how much I enjoyed reading the reader comments.
commented in a prior blog entry that

Comments like, "those interested in poetry bemoaning the fact that there are fewer readers of poetry than poets. in other words it's only those writing it who read it," and "poetry has gone from being a central source for thought and image, for meaning, to being a very marginal interest."

Do you agree with these statements, and why?

Brief Poems & Bside Poetry by Brian

If you like brief, succinct, tight poems that grab the heart and wring you out emotionally, I insist you visit Brief Poems by Brian. Using economy of words, Brian writes of the ordinary in extraordinary words, a different angle, or a blow to the gut. Take his most recent offering:

The front door protests my arrival.
The whole house sags and nearly bleeds
when ever I am home.
The walls lean inward.
The floors have hardened.

Someday I will climb up and sit upon
the roof and watch it crumble.
From beneath a dusty pile of cement
and drywall, I will rest my head and sleep.

And here's a sampling over on Bside Poetry by Brian:

Threads

She is a long string dangling,
twisting round and round.

I struggle to find a face.

~*~*~

Waiting

There is no coffee this morning.

So I spill onto the floor
and slosh around
uselessly for hours,
hoping someone might slip
and fall

and accidentally embrace me.

The Virginia Writers Club

The Virginia Writers Club, founded in 1918, is looking for new members. The Club supports all genre of published writers from around Virginia who come together to promote, exchange ideas, come up with ways to stimulate the art and craft of professional writing. The Club draws in every kind of writer there is; poets, fiction writers, essayists, journalists, editors, technical, and public relation writers. The Club's purpose is to bring up-and coming-writers together with the experts in various fields of writing to get to know each other, compare notes, exchange and share their unique experiences. It's a place for well-known writers to meet their supporters, reviewers and promoters. At the present time, the Club seeks to establish a Charter in Northern Virginia. This is an opportunity for you to give a helping hand to your brothers and sisters in the art of writing. Won't you please step up to the plate?

Northern Virginian Doreen Peri Gets Her Poetry On !

Doreen Peri, founder, designer, publisher and editor of Studio Eight, organizes a variety talk show, Cabaradio, featuring spoken word poetry, music and stand-up comedy, performed live at Washington, DC's Warehouse Theater. Doreen Peri, who refers to herself as "word dancer" can be found on her aesthetically-pleasing website, Come Home Soon. She's enormously talented. Her Art & Photography section is graced by a number of astounding photographs and digital art, namely, "night vision branched" photography digitally enhanced, "horse race," "beach play," "floating shapes of conscious matter," and "blue panther mountain" all digital art. I was enrapt, fascinated by colors, shapes, and unusual themes. Take a break right now and go visit her amazing artful self and artistic creations for an exhiliarating breath of fresh, rarified air! Now, GO!

Welcome to Poetmeister 4 Poets!

I'll bet you're probably saying to yourself, "Geezes, hasn't Everything We Ever Wanted to Know About Poetry But Were Afraid to Ask" been done to death already? What's there to know now?! Well, that's what I'm here to tell you about. I bet you never heard about Poets Who BlogWorld Class Poetry, hunh? The Crimsonflaw Lived to Tell The Tale so eloquently as to the plagiarists who sabotaged, hijacked his namesake, drew his "crimsonflaw" through the mud and insensibilities impaled themselves upon his boundless depression.

Then, too, it's not every day one comes across FREE POEMS on the 'net or elegantly written poems by a Snake in the basement!

Billy the Blogging Poet, busy, networking the spiffy Blogsboro Poetry Club from Greensboro, NC, juggles report on Cruel and Unusual Punishment, namely, "Death by Poetry" . Nervously relieved to learn mine isn't the weapon of choice.

Stop in again soon to see if the Roving Poetmeister has found your poetry site while on the beat.