One week and seven poems into the 2012 November Poem-A-Day Chapbook Challenge at Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides blog. This month, I am a veteran challenger as opposed to the rookie I was in April. I think I have benefited from the experience.
I seem to have more patience with the tasks at hand. I don't get stressed if I don't have an idea as soon as I read the prompt, which I do in the morning. At least once, I didn't have an idea until late evening; but I wasn't anxious about it. Definitely, a change for the positive.
A couple of Wordsmith Studio friends, Linda G. Hatton and Veronica Roth, stopped by Tueday's Photo post and mentioned that the photo fit with the PAD prompts to write a "left" poem and a "right" poem. I took their suggestion and wrote the following:
Right Turn
The right road isn’t
paved with perfection.
It bends and dips and
sometimes closes for repairs.
Detours take us out of our way,
but eventually bring us back
to our path of choice, both
weary and wiser.
On to week two. Stop by the challenge and see the prompts and the works they have inspired. Join in the writing and/or the reading!
Related Post-Wordsmith Studio's Weekly Photo Prompt
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Thursday, November 8, 2012
PAD-Week One Done
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
New Tuesday Photo Post
If you explore the right-hand border of this blog, you'll see a badge that reference's the Wordsmith Studio. Wordsmith Studio grew out of the April Platform Building Challenge on Robert Lee Brewer's My Name is Not Bob website. This recent post by Lara Britt gives you a little history and introduces you to some of the people who have gotten this new website off the ground.
In addition to writerly groups, Wordsmith Studio has a multi-media group that includes writers who also are interested in photography. Rebecca Barray is our photography guru. The Multi-Media blog will include posts regarding craft and a photo prompt that will be posted each Thursday. I'm going to post my response or responses to the prompt on Tuesdays.
The first prompt is Orange. I photographed one of the most despised orange signs in existence, especially if you come upon it unexpectedly and you are already running late.
There's still time to join in the fun! Take a photo related to the theme Orange and post a link to it in the comments section of the link above. Don't forget to check in at Wordsmith Studio every Thursday for a new prompt.
In addition to writerly groups, Wordsmith Studio has a multi-media group that includes writers who also are interested in photography. Rebecca Barray is our photography guru. The Multi-Media blog will include posts regarding craft and a photo prompt that will be posted each Thursday. I'm going to post my response or responses to the prompt on Tuesdays.
The first prompt is Orange. I photographed one of the most despised orange signs in existence, especially if you come upon it unexpectedly and you are already running late.
There's still time to join in the fun! Take a photo related to the theme Orange and post a link to it in the comments section of the link above. Don't forget to check in at Wordsmith Studio every Thursday for a new prompt.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A New Challenge
Today is the first day of Robert Lee Brewer's 2012 November PAD Chapbook Challenge. He will post a prompt each day in November and those willing to take the challenge will try to create new poems from the prompts within about 24 hours of the post.
I did the PAD Challenge that Robert did in April of this year. It was the first writing challenge I had done and I found it interesting.
The first thing I realized was that, most of the time, an idea was not going to come to me the moment I read the prompt. It was not going to come to me if I stared at the prompt or even if I thought really hard about the prompt. I had to write the idea out of the prompt. In other words, I had to start putting words down on paper until I wrote something that I wanted to continue writing about.
Some days, I ended up with just a few lines. Some days, I ended up with a group of lines that had the potential to be a poem; and some days, I actually ended up with poems. I still go through what I wrote during that challenge to see if I can turn the few into groups and the potential into poems.
So, now I'm ready for a new challenge that will teach me something else about writing and give me possibilities for the coming months.
Good luck to everyone who's taking on a writing challenge this month!
Related Post-Elementary, My Dear Poet
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I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
William Blake-Words and Images
Sometimes you do find treasure on the internet.
I was reading about William Blake in preparation for the October Sunday Salon at The Writers Place. The Salon is held the third Sunday of every month and hosted by Sharon Eiker. A different writer is discussed each month. Attendees take their own approach to learn about the life and works of each writer and share their perspectives.
Blake was both a visual artist and a poet. As this biography on poets.org explains, he expressed an interest in painting at the age of 10 and his parents sent him to drawing school. At 14, he was apprenticed to an engraver and was assigned to sketch the tombs at Westminster Abbey. He saw a variety of Gothic styles that he used as inspiration throughout his life. He went on to become an engraver and illustrator of books and magazines.
As I was looking for information about Blake, I hoped to find some of his poems and images. I didn't expect to find the William Blake Archive. I urge you to take a look for yourself to learn about this still-growing resource. I will give you a tip. After you have pulled up an image, hit the compare button.
Follow me on Twitter or join this site by clicking on the link on the right.
I was reading about William Blake in preparation for the October Sunday Salon at The Writers Place. The Salon is held the third Sunday of every month and hosted by Sharon Eiker. A different writer is discussed each month. Attendees take their own approach to learn about the life and works of each writer and share their perspectives.
Blake was both a visual artist and a poet. As this biography on poets.org explains, he expressed an interest in painting at the age of 10 and his parents sent him to drawing school. At 14, he was apprenticed to an engraver and was assigned to sketch the tombs at Westminster Abbey. He saw a variety of Gothic styles that he used as inspiration throughout his life. He went on to become an engraver and illustrator of books and magazines.
As I was looking for information about Blake, I hoped to find some of his poems and images. I didn't expect to find the William Blake Archive. I urge you to take a look for yourself to learn about this still-growing resource. I will give you a tip. After you have pulled up an image, hit the compare button.
Follow me on Twitter or join this site by clicking on the link on the right.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Poetry in Photos
This month, a new exhibit opened in The Changing Gallery at the American Jazz Museum. It is called Beyond Words {A Fusion of Poetry (+) Visual Art (+) Jazz}. If you are like me, you will want to go to this exhibit, which remains open until April 26, 2013, several times because you will take something new away from it each time.
I have been working with combining poems and photographs since early 2011. The poem and photo are distinct pieces that are being viewed together. The poem is an entity in itself and can stand alone.
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After visiting the exhibit a couple of times, I created a new piece using the same photograph and elements of the poem. In this piece, the words and photo are truly joined.
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How you ever created visual (or concrete) poetry? Would you be willing to give it a try?
Follow me on Twitter or subscribe to fee email updates of this blog by clicking the link on the top right.
I have been working with combining poems and photographs since early 2011. The poem and photo are distinct pieces that are being viewed together. The poem is an entity in itself and can stand alone.
.jpg)
After visiting the exhibit a couple of times, I created a new piece using the same photograph and elements of the poem. In this piece, the words and photo are truly joined.
.jpg)
How you ever created visual (or concrete) poetry? Would you be willing to give it a try?
Follow me on Twitter or subscribe to fee email updates of this blog by clicking the link on the top right.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Conventional Wisdom about Social Media
I guess for me seeing is believing. Like many people, especially of my generation, I have entered the world of social media begrudgingly, participating some but never truly embracing it. That changed earlier this week when I attended the 2012 NACWAA Convention in Kansas City.
At this multiple-day event attended by hundreds of people, I could observe how the organization promoted the use of social media, primarily Twitter, and the response it got. I could also read the individual tweets and see what elements other people chose to highlight about an experience I was sharing.
Based on both observation and presentations I heard, here are a few thoughts I came away with:
Follow me on Twitter or subcribe to free email updates of this blog by clicking the link at the top right.
At this multiple-day event attended by hundreds of people, I could observe how the organization promoted the use of social media, primarily Twitter, and the response it got. I could also read the individual tweets and see what elements other people chose to highlight about an experience I was sharing.
Based on both observation and presentations I heard, here are a few thoughts I came away with:
- There will be some trial and error in building a platform.
- Platform building also will take time, and therefore, patience.
- You can tell a story even if you only use 144 characters.
- An important part of a platform is helping others.
Follow me on Twitter or subcribe to free email updates of this blog by clicking the link at the top right.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Memories in the Air
I'm having a really bad allergy season this fall. Sometimes, especially when one is grieving, I think memories can be like an allergan. I was feeling that way when I wrote the following.
Memories Alert
Memories are in the air.
Create an emotional smog
that permeates the atmosphere.
Fill the lungs
but can't be expelled
no matter how hard we exhale.
Get in the eyes,
produce tears and
blur the vision.
Relief has to be self-generated.
After all, we are all responsible
for what we put
into the environment.
Related Post-I Keep You with Me-Looking at Grief with Verse
Connect with me on Twitter or subscribe to free email updates by clicking the link at the top right.
Memories Alert
Memories are in the air.
Create an emotional smog
that permeates the atmosphere.
Fill the lungs
but can't be expelled
no matter how hard we exhale.
Get in the eyes,
produce tears and
blur the vision.
Relief has to be self-generated.
After all, we are all responsible
for what we put
into the environment.
Related Post-I Keep You with Me-Looking at Grief with Verse
Connect with me on Twitter or subscribe to free email updates by clicking the link at the top right.
I am a poet and photographer who likes sports, jazz and art inspired by other art. I served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the early 1970's and was assigned to the Computer Sciences School in Quantico, VA. I have published a chapbook of grief poems, I Keep You with Me. My work also has appeared in publications such as Thorny Locust Magazine, core. zine,The Enigmatist, Veterans' Voices and Kansas Time + Place An Anthology of Heartland Poetry. My visual art pieces combine poetry and photographs, and have been most recently displayed at InterUrban ArtHouse, Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, Buttonwood Art Space, and The Smalter Gallery.
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