PoMoSco Day 1

Alright, then. The challenge is on. My first poem is up: The Sea Teaches

For the month of April, I will be posting a link to the Found Poetry Review’s challenge site. If you visit to read my poem, stop longer and visit a few other people.The prompt for today is from the Pick and Mix category: Select a source text and browse, copying down words and phrases that interest you. Craft a poem using only words you found in the text, arranging them in any order.

Remixing is my favourite form of Found poetry, so this one, no problem, once I selected my source text, Rachel Morrow Lindbergh’s Gifts From the Sea.

In case you don’t have time to wander, here are some familiar and some new names:

Barbara Y: How the Rain Fell in Tennessee

Nancy Chen Long: Ornamental

Zann Carter: Word

Misky: It’s All About the Honey

Barbara C: Transformation: A Civil War Sonnet

Enjoy.

 

 

 

Poetics Serendipity

9:50 a.m. — Atlanta

Listening to Lawrence Reynolds singing Grandpa’s Song — we’re going country, today

Hello there. Yes, I am a little late. I got a little distracted, something I am prone to when lining up things for today. Last week I gave you quite a bit of reading, so let’s keep it lighter this week.

1] We start with a TED talk — I even found one that is short-ish. You’ll need ten minutes. Kirby Ferguson… whoa! I lied. You’ll need an hour all told. Checking his bio, just now, I noticed a comment about Everything is a Remix being a four parter. I am now at the original site and it is, indeed, in four parts plus a couple of connected videos. The video I watched and which caught me, is: Embrace the Remix. Scroll down to the first video after the four parts. if you like Ferguson’s delivery as I do, and are interested in his contention that everything is remixed from what has come before, then you have a whole bunch of entertaining videos to watch.

2] Next, a visit to Robert Lee Brewer [yes, it has been a while — I have been remiss]. Robert had a volume of poetry, Solving the World’s Problems, published a year ago (a year!). The post I am linking you to is Robert’s take on the year, as regards what he has learned about selling poetry books, as well as missed opportunities. For anyone thinking of publishing this is worth bookmarking. As long as we’re here, if you don’t have Robert’s book and feel in the need of some good poetry, I love it for his subject matter and for the poems’ readability.

3] One of the sites I whip through occasionally is Buzzfeed. The article I am linking you with had me laughing from the first. The title: 29 Words That Mean Something Totally Different When You’re a Writer, and it is written by Daniel Dalton from the Buzzfeed staff. You’re intrigued, aren’t you? As soon as I post this, I’m going to reread the list, which begins with: Writing
What it means: Committing words to paper or text to an electronic document.
What it means when you’re a writer: Doing literally anything else.

4) This last was in my Facebook feed, so some of you may have seen it on your own walls. The site Open Culture whose aim is to find and give us the best free cultural & educational media on the web, reports that the University of California has made available 700 free e-books. For research and found poetry possibilities, the titles are well worth investigating.

I shall see you tomorrow for prompt sites; Tuesday for a borrowed prompt; and next Thursday for more links.

Happy writing, everyone.

 

 

Poetics Serendipity

8:44 a.m. — Atlanta

listening to Ka ‘Ano ‘i Pua sung by Keali Reichel — whose voice is sublime, should you be curious about contemporary Hawaiian music

Hello, everyone. I hope you are well. A reminder to longtime followers and a point for new followers. Although Thursday appears to be links driven, it is also where discussions can take place. If there is any part of writing poetry you would like to see me tackle, let me know in comments, or email me, margoroby(@)gmaildotcom.

As we approach the weekend, here are a few things to take with you:

1] Robert Lee Brewer has a fun challenge out. On his website My Name Is Not Bob, he tells us he wants poets (and non-poets) to try their hands at remixing the poems in my Solving the World’s Problems collection. Oh, yes, he has a book of poetry newly out. I have followed, as have many of you, Robert for all the years of my blogging life and seen Robert’s poetry in all stages. To read the poems in their final stages is wonderful. The thought of remixing them! Well, I’m a happy puppy.

Is this a super clever marketing strategy? Robert lists three ways to not buy the book — yes, they involve others buying the book. Clever. I’m thinking all of us who know Robert have probably bought the book, or have it on a list to buy. Read his post and if you think the challenge sounds like fun, have at it. If you don’t, you are allowed to buy the book anyway.

Did I mention there is prize money?

2] This may seem an odd link, but I was, and am, captivated by some of the poetry I read on the site Poetry Foundation Ghana. On further investigation, I found essays, Ghanian poets, and poetry galore. On the premise that the more poetry we read the better we will write, add this to your collection. The website has only been going since 2010, so it’s a work in progress.

3] Caslon, Baskerville, Helvetica… these names have graced many a pull down menu, but what do they signify, exactly? Haven’t you wondered how they name fonts?

I have the feeling I have posted this, but cannot find a record of it, just an uneasy niggle. However, it is only five minutes and it’s fun. Head over and watch The History of Typography Told in Five Minutes. Interesting and entertaining.

That’s it. Last week I gave you quite a bit to chew on, so this week is light. Enjoy.

I shall see you tomorrow for the prompt roundup; Tuesday for a list of quotes prompt from… well, that’s for me to know; and, next Thursday for more links.

Happy writing, all.