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PassionPoetry Newsletter Archives
Passion Poetry Issue 21 (April 2008)
Passion Poetry Issue 20 (February 2008)
Passion Poetry Issue 19 (November 2007)
Passion Poetry Issue 18 (August 2007)
Passion Poetry Issue 17 (July 2007)
Passion Poetry Issue 16 (April 2007)
Passion Poetry Issue 15 (February 2007)
Passion Poetry Issue 14 (December 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 13 (November 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 12 (August 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 11 (July 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 10 (June 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 9 (April 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 8 (March 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 7 (January 2006)
Passion Poetry Issue 6 (September 2005)
Passion Poetry Issue 5 - Special "Poetic Idol" Edition (August 2005)
Passion Poetry Issue 4 (August 2005)
Passion Poetry Issue 3 (July 2004)
Passion Poetry Issue 2 (June 2004)
Passion Poetry Issue 1 (May 2004)
PassionPoetry Newsletter
Issue
21
April 2008
~In This Issue ~
- PassionPoetry Announcements
- Feature Article: "Altered Poetry"
- Feature Recording: "The Altered State of
Writing "
PassionPoetry Announcements:
1. Vote for your favorite poem and get
a free eBook! ! The 12 Finalists for Artella's Poetic Idol Competition
have been posted, and they are ready for your votes! You can read
the poems at this link. To view the poems and vote, simply join the Cafe,
if you have not already done so (it's fast and free - just click "Join"
in the upper-right corner of the screen).
When you vote, you'll get to download a free copy of the eBook, Writing
the Carousel: going full circle in colorful poetry writing. Whether you're
a beginner or experienced poet, if you run through this process, this eBook
will give you some fun new tips for spicing up your writing! And all you have
to do to get your free copy is select your favorite poem. The voting ends
May 15. The winners -- including the $200 top award -- are completely up to
the Artella Community, so your vote counts!
The next deadline for the Poetic Idol Competition is June 15, 2008, so you
have plenty of time to write and polish your poems. Get
Poetic Idol entry guidelines, here!
2. Congratulations to our most recent winners! Since we sent
out the last PassionPoetry newsletter, the following winners have been selected
for our free PassionPoetry contests. You can read the winning poems in The
Poetry Gardens.
January 2008 PassionPoetry Winners:
- 1st Place: Kate Chadbourne
- 2nd Place: Carissa Wilbanks
- 3rd Place: Kelly Athena Richards
- 4th Place: Carol Moore
February
2008 PassionPoetry Winners:
- 1st Place: Lindy Carol
- 2nd Place: Dr. Niama L. Williams
- 3rd Place: Catherine Sullivan
- 4th Place: Carol Moore
March
2008 PassionPoetry Winners
(to be posted in the Poetry Gardens soon!):
- 1st Place: Carol Moore
- 2nd Place: Brandi S. Henderson
- 3rd Place: Carol Ayer
- 3rd Place: Tara Douglas-Smith
Congratulations to all these talented writers! Remember, you can enter our
free PassionPoetry contest every month, and we've recently updated our prizes
for this free contest. See
the new prizes, and get the PassionPoetry Contest entry guidelines,
here.
3. Artella's New Blog Writing Contest! Since the beginning
of the New Year, we have been sponsoring a weekly Topic of the Week for our
talented Artella Cafe
Bloggers! At the end of the week, the Artella staff chooses their favorite
post, and that blogger receives a terrific prize!
If you do not yet have a blog in the Artella Cafe, it's easy to start one!
All Membership
Levels get a free blog with their Membership. And if you're new
to blogging, since the Artella Cafe is all about making creative spirits comfortable
and inspired, there's simply not a more supportive, encouraging, and user-friendly
place to host a blog anywhere online.
To see both the current Blog Topic of the Week, as well as previous topics
and the responding posts, go
to this forum.
4. Poetry Blossoms in the Artella Cafe! And speaking of the
Artella Cafe,
if you haven't stopped by recently, you're missing all kinds of wonderful
opportunities to dive deeper into your love of poetry. The Word
Playground Forum is full of opportunities for collaborating and
sharing group poetry. It's tremendously inspiring, whether you simply read
the contributions or add your own writing, yourself! And the Novel
Ideas Forum is full of great opportunities for sharing and connecting
with others -- including the extremely popular 10-Minute
Friday Poems With a Buddy project. Come join in the writing fun!
Feature Article:
ALTERED POETRY by Marney Makridakis
Here in Artella Land, the artists talk a lot about
"altering", which basically refers to the creative act of taking
something and changing it…to create something entirely new. We alter books, clothing, jewelry, furniture…not to mention Artella's
latest invention of Digital
Altered Books™. If you're primarily a writer, you
may not have much of an interest in "altering"…but I encourage
you to think again! Altering poems, to create new poems, is a fascinating
activity that is sure to stretch your poetry-writing muscles in new ways.
You can alter your own poems, or the poems of someone else. Here are some
favorite suggestions on how to write "Altered Poetry", using,
as an example, Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's
Day" as the original poem. Try some of these exercises, and then post
your altered poetry creations, here!
- Discover a new poem in an existing one by highlighting select words.
For example, I created the following short poem by highlighting words
from Shakespeare's "Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day":
The original:
Shall I compare thee to a Summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and
more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And Summer's lease hath all too short a
date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And oft' is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal Summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wanderest in his shade,
When in eternal
lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe, or eyes
can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to
thee.
My new "found" poem:
Art may lease a heaven
When eternal time breathes long
- Take the last line of an existing poem, or a portion of the line, and
make it the first line of a new poem your write. (Note: if you publish
this poem in any format, be sure to give proper credit for the original
source of the first line) For example, I could start a new poem that beings:
This gives life:
A perfectly round circle
I drew without thinking
if I squint
I can see the twirl of the earth
within
- Select one word, at random, for each line of the original poem and
write them in a column. Create a new poem by filling in the lines.
For example, I could create this column, based on Shakespeare's first
five lines:
Day
Lovely
Rough
Short
Gold
And here is the poem I could write, to fill in the blanks:
Day come, day gone
Lovely tango in the sky
Rough patches
Short distances
Gold sunset punctuates it all
These are just a few suggestions for creating Altered Poetry. The nice
thing about this exercise is that once you've created altered poems, they
can either stand alone, or you can use them as inspiration for new works.
For example, if one of these exercises yields a line or phrase you really
love, you can build a new poem based on that one.
What are your favorite altered poetry techniques? Post
them, here!
Feature
Recording:
"The Altered State of Writing: Tips to Enter the Flow" by Jill Badonsky
Each issue of PassionPoetry
includes a link to a recording that presents high-quality information
for writers.
In today's recording, Jill Badonsky shares tips for yet another kind of "altering" - that is, altering your state of mind so that you can tap into truly flowing writing.
Click here to hear the recording.
Do you know a friend who would like PassionPoetry? Please forward this newsletter
to all your poetic friends!
If you are not currently signed up for PassionPoetry, it's really easy to
subscribe at http://www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/poetry-plaza.html!
Thanks for being part of the PassionPoetry Circle!
See you next month!
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PassionPoetry NewsletterIssue 20
February 2008
~In This Issue ~
- PassionPoetry Announcements
- Feature Article: "An Interview with Kevin Craig"
- Feature Recording: "My Grandmother's Voice: poems by Edie Tietjen"
PassionPoetry Announcements:
1. It's Poetic Idol Time Again! The next deadline for the Poetic Idol Competition is February 28, 2008. You can submit up to 3 poems, and win great prizes (including the $200 top award). Once again, the voting will be done by the Artella Community! Make sure that you get your poems (you can submit up to three) in by midnight EDT on February 28. Submission details are here. Good luck!
Please note that contestants winning 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize in Artella's Poetic Idol will be ineligible to win another top prize (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in the following 12-month period. All other prize winners remain eligible for all Poetic Idol Prizes. Poems previously submitted to any other Artella contests are not admissible.
2. Congratulations to our most recent winners! Since we sent out the last PassionPoetry newsletter, the following winners have been selected for our free PassionPoetry contests. You can read the winning poems in The Poetry Gardens.
Fall 2007 Poetic Idol Competition Winners:
- 1st Place: Richard Hammer
- 2nd Place: Kimberlee Gerstmann
- 3rd Place: Patricia A. Boutilier
- Special Recognition:
- Megan Davis
- Amanda Moore
- Carol E. Ayer
- David W. Clary
- Carol Moore
October/November 2007 PassionPoetry Winners:
- 1st Place: Barbara J. Gewirtz
- 2nd Place: Dr. Niama L. Williams
- 3rd Place: Nancy Lewis
- 4th Place: Patricia Kennelly
December 2007 PassionPoetry Winners:
- 1st Place: Kelly Athena Richards
- 2nd Place: Oritsegbemi Jakpa
- 3rd Place: Kate Weber
Congratulations to all these talented writers! We'll be announcing the winner of January's PassionPoetry Contest very soon! In the meantime, there's still plenty of time to enter our free monthly PassionPoetry contest for February! In fact, we've recently updated our prizes for this free contest, and you can enter every single month at no cost. See the new prizes, and get the PassionPoetry Contest entry guidelines, here.
3. Artella's New Blog Writing Contest! Since the beginning of the New Year, we have been sponsoring a weekly Topic of the Week for our talented Artella Cafe Bloggers! At the end of the week, the Artella staff chooses their favorite post, and that blogger receives a terrific prize! Plus, everyone who posts on the topic receives extra Artella Cafe points, which can be redeemed for all kinds of Artella goodies (the complete details about the upcoming Artella Cafe Points will be coming out soon).
If you do not yet have a blog in the Artella Cafe, it's easy to start one! All Membership Levels get a free blog with their Membership. And if you're new to blogging, since the Artella Cafe is all about making creative spirits comfortable and inspired, there's simply not a more supportive, encouraging, and user-friendly place to host a blog anywhere online.
To see both the current Blog Topic of the Week, as well as previous topics and the responding posts, go to this forum.
4. Poetry Abounds in the Artella Cafe! And speaking of the Artella Cafe, if you haven't stopped by recently, you're missing all kinds of wonderful opportunities to dive deeper into your love of poetry. The Word Playground Forum is full of opportunities for collaborating and sharing group poetry. It's tremendously inspiring, whether you simply read the contributions or add your own writing, yourself! And the Novel Ideas Forum is a place for discussion and support and among writers. How do YOU approach writing a poem? Come add your two cents to the discussion on this thread we'd love to hear your ideas!
6. Get Published in Artella! The Submissions Shore has been updated to reflect the upcoming themes of Artella print issues, and provides instructions on how to submit your writing and art to the various Artella publications. If you'd like to submit your poetry for publication, or participate in a collaboration with an artist, take a look at the Submissions Shore, here!
Feature Article:
An Interview with Kevin Craig
Two-Time Winner of Artella's Poetic Idol Competition
Kevin Craig has won two different Poetic Idol Competitions, and his eChapbook of poetry, published by Artella as part of his prize, is now available in the Shoppes of Artella. We hope you'll enjoy the following interview with him.
Artella: When writing poetry, how much editing do you do? Do you go through several drafts? How do you know when a poem is "finished"?
Kevin: I don't edit my poetry. For me, poetry is what it is as it hits the page. I only write poetry on-the-spot. It's absolute freefall. First draft only. I've never spent more than five or six minutes on a poem. I use poetry to loosen up -- so I can forget the craziness of my day prior to dropping down into my fictional world. A poem is finished when I type that last word. What you see is what you get. Not everybody writes poetry this way, but I recommend they try. Just go. Get it down on the run and see what happens. Sometimes the internal editor can be our worst enemy. You have to let your mind go wild sometimesespecially in the creative world.
Artella: Where do you get your ideas?
Kevin: My ideas come out of my everyday experiences. When it comes to fiction, I always try to write what I know. If I use biographical experiences, I will change them by adding or subtracting 'facts'. The important thing is to write truth that readers can relate to. The easiest way to do this it to skew your own truth so that it's seen through a slightly alternate world, but still relatable. So, I suppose I steal my ideas from myself. With poetry, I just pull some of the thousands of thoughts per minute that float through my mind. When you get into that freefall groove, you just allow the words to flow. Rather, you sift through the words that are flowingas the brain is always thinking, always processing. Pulling ideas from the miasma of the frantic mind isn't the hard part, distilling the ones that sing is the trick of the poet.
Artella: I am an artist, and am a very visual person, so it's hard for me to put my thoughts into words. Yet I'd really like to try some creative writing. Where should I begin?
Kevin: Often, with writing exercises, we start with art. Using artwork as a prompt is a great way to fall into creative writing -- especially poetry. Horace said, "Uts picture poesis" ('as is painting, so is poetry'). Where can you begin? I would say tap the same creativity you tap when you create physical art. And start with poetry. If you need a prompt, start with a favorite piece of artwork. Pick sensual and evocative words to describe it. Listen to the piece and allow it to choose the words for you. I think Horace was right. There's not a lot of space between art and poetry. The line is blurred. You just have to allow yourself to fall and turn off the internal editor. This means you should give yourself permission to write garbage. Don't look back as you commit the words to the page. Beginning writers often have a tendency to get hung up on a sentence, go back and edit and edit again. Think First Draft Ugly. Get it down. The more you get down, the better it will flow. Begin with allowing yourself to write without editing. You can always go back and polish. I'm an artist too...I know as an artist we can go back and polish. Writers can also do this.
Artella: What advice would you give to someone who would like to begin a freelance writing career?
Kevin: First, I would tell them to scour their area to find out if there is a working writing community. There is a large writing circle in my area and I found that joining that community and networking with other writers was the best thing I ever did. If you start small in freelancing, it's a great way to build a portfolio and learn the ropes. I started with the networking leads I made through my writing community and went on from there. Once I had some local articles under my belt I was ready to start querying the nationals. It's extremely important, though, to present any potential publication with a highly polished query letter. The query letter is the equivalent of having your foot in the door. It represents your ability to write.
Artella: A lot of people seem to think that writers must be miserable, or be suffering, in order to create "good" art. What do you think about that?
Kevin: I think creativity is sometimes born from misery, and vice versa, but not necessary. The suffering writer is real. Creative people, on the whole, are often sufferers. I think it has something to do with the desire to get the wonder of the physical world around them distilled into their creative endeavors. Perhaps they see the world in a different way than non-creative people. Beauty is sometimes a hard thing to take in and process. To take on the job of describing that beauty, or capturing it in words or art, is even harder. The artist sensibility may cause suffering, yes -- but it is not something you can't work around. It is definitely something you can learn to use in your favor, though. Good art can, and often does, come from joy. Misery certainly isn't a prerequisite. Writers often find themselves writing from the extremes...either from a deep joy or from a deep sorrow. Good writing can also come from practice. An emotional rollercoaster is not required to achieve it. So if there are any well balanced happy people out there, don't despair. You too can write.
Artella: What favorite books, films, and music inspire you personally, and inspire your writing?
Kevin: I'm always inspired by my favorite writers; Michael Chabon, JD Salinger, Leonard Cohen, Dave Eggers, Jonathan Lethem, and Ernest Hemingway are some. Books on writing, such as On Writing by Stephen King and Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, inspire me too. It's great to learn from other writers, both through reading their own novels and, if you're lucky, reading their thoughts on writing. Reading is any writer's best teacher. I don't think you could be a writer of any relevance if you're not a heavy reader. My musical tastes are stuck in the 80s, I'm afraid. I often write poetry with The Cure or Bauhaus playing in the background. My favorite movie would have to be Wonder Boys. It's based on a Michael Chabon novel and it's a look into the quirky lives of writers.
Kevin Craig is a freelance writer and poet, living in Ontario, Canada. He has had articles, memoir, poetry and fiction published internationally. Writing articles on the creative process of writing is his latest passion. His website is http://www.thewritelines.ca. His new eChapbook, "Flying Like Icarus", can be found in the Shoppes of Artella. He can be reached at kevin@thewritelines.ca.
Feature Recording:
Each issue of PassionPoetry includes a link to a recording that presents high-quality information for writers.
In today's recording, Nici Derosier shares the beautiful poetic legacy of her grandmother, Edie Tietjen.
Play the recording here.
See "Cornucopia: Poems by Edie Andree Tietjen" in The Shoppes of Artella!
Do you know a friend who would like PassionPoetry? Please forward this newsletter to all your poetic friends!
If you are not currently signed up for PassionPoetry, it's really easy to subscribe at http://www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/poetry-plaza.html! Thanks for being part of the PassionPoetry Circle!
See you next month!
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PassionPoetry NewsletterIssue 19
November 2007
~In This Issue ~
- PassionPoetry Announcements
- Feature Article: "Can Poetry Be Healing?"
- Feature Recording: "An Experiment: Writing in Columns"
PassionPoetry Announcements:
 1. Free Poetry Open Mic on Monday! -- Last week's ARTELLAGRAM announced that, in honor of Artella's 5-year Birthday this month, all online events during the month of November are now free for everyone. You may be especially interested in Artella's Poetry Open Mic Night, to be held this coming Monday, November 12, at 8:30pm Eastern.
Come share your poetry with an encouraging, supportive crowd with our first Poetry Open Mic Night! Just like a traditional Open Mic Night, each person who would like to read will have the opportunity to read their poetry, but since this is Artella, of course we will offer an art-inspired twist! As the poets read, the listeners will be invited to create a community-based piece of art using the interactive whiteboard in the chat room. The poet will then receive, via email, the fun unique gift of this piece of art that was created by the audience, as they doodled their images and impressions of the poem. Everyone is welcome -- feel free to just come to listen and draw, if you don't wish to read.
You can get more information about Artella's Poetry Open Mic Night here, and also sign up for any of the other events in November…they are now all open to everyone at no charge.
 2. Vote for your favorite poem and get a free Workbook! The 12 Finalists for Artella's Poetic Idol Competition have been posted, and they are ready for your votes! You can read the poems at this link. To view the poems and vote, simply join the Cafe, if you have not already done so (it's fast and free - just click "Join" in the upper-right corner of the screen)
When you vote, you'll get to download a free copy of the workbook, "Artella's Metaphor Machine" (see picture at left). Whether you're a beginner or experienced poet, if you run through this process, you'll end up with 24 new ways to say what you want to say. Thanks for your participation! The winners -- including the $200 top award -- are completely up to the Artella Community, so your vote counts!
3. Congratulations to our most recent winners! Since we sent out the last PassionPoetry newsletter, the following winners have been selected for our free PassionPoetry contests. You can read the winning poems in The Poetry Gardens.
July/August 2007 Winners:
- 1st Place: Patricia A. Boutilier
- 2nd Place: Patricia Kennelly
- 3rd Place: Ami Kaye
- 4th Place: Barbara Gewirtz
September 2007 Winners:
- 1st Place: Darrell Lindsey
- 2nd Place: Lindy Caol
- 3rd Place: Kelley Swan
- 4th Place: Mrs. N. Saeed
4. New PassionPoetry Contest prizes! We've just updated our free monthly PassionPoetry contest with brand new prizes! You can enter once a month, and there's no cost. See the new prizes, and get the PassionPoetry Contest entry guidelines, here.
5. Poems Abound in the Artella Cafe! If you haven't stopped by the Word Playground forum in the Artella Cafe recently, you're missing all kinds of wonderful opportunities for collaborating and sharing group poetry. It's tremendously inspiring, whether you simply read the contributions or add your own writing, yourself!
6. Get Published in Artella! The Submissions Shore has been updated to reflect the upcoming themes of Artella print issues, and provides instructions on how to submit your writing and art to the various Artella publications. If you'd like to submit your poetry for publication, or participate in a collaboration with an artist, take a look at the Submissions Shore, here!
 7. Are you building a business? If, in addition to being a poet, you are also a creative entrepreneur, you might be interested in knowing about our biggest sale of the year! You can now save $150.00 off the brand new YOU * U Masters Program, a comprehensive, heart-centered course I've created that guides you through exactly what you need to do reach your goals for expanding your creative business. If you're interested in a fully-loaded program written especially for creative folks, not left-brained business-y types, you can save $150 off the course when you purchase the course in the Artella Storefront and simply enter the coupon code: MPM150 during check out.
Feature Article:
Can Poetry Be Healing
by Marney Makridakis
Hippocrates wrote "Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity."
I believe this to be true, and I also believe that writing poetry can be the healing opportunity of which he speaks.
I know this is true in my own life, as I have often used poetry as a method for processing through pain. I posted a question in the "Novel Ideas" forum in the new Artella Cafe to hear about others' experience in using poetry as a healing force.
My question was:
Do you find writing poetry to be healing? If so, how?
The answers were wonderful, and I wanted to share a few excerpts from them, here.
"Wozzie" shared:
When I sit down to write it, some of the most profound parts of my soul pour out on the page in a way I don't think I could have done in any other form of writing. That, in itself, is healing and reopens my eyes that poetry is indeed a gift to be given freely and relished recklessly.
"Outlaw" shared:
What began as pouring out angst ending in healing sore places in the heart. For example, searching for a small slice of serenity in an emotional storm 4 years ago I wrote this:
The Reed
Alone
before this rising grief
bowed by sorrow
battered by pain
beaten
but not broken
survives
to rise again.
—Josie Ingle (c) November 2003
"Apjo" wrote:
I hadn't really thought much about poetry since my dramatic teen years. Every crush was a soul yearning and so forth ...
Then I didn't do anything poetic for almost 2 decades.
I began to write poetry in response to a creative writing college course assignment in the years after my husband's sudden death.
I wrote about our dashed dreams, how I felt without him, and coming to grips with his manner of death. I also wrote poetry about my everyday activities, taking pleasure in every moment I'm still here. I know its healing power first hand.
There are many ways that writing poetry can be healing, so make sure to keep a pen and paper in your emotional first aid kit at all times! Whether we write poetry simply as an emotional release, or we use poetry's abstract nature to lead us to new understandings and personal conclusions, we all have the opportunity to use poetry's healing attributes to transpose pain.
When pain is turned into words, it becomes something more than just "pain". It becomes art, and with art, all things are possible.
Feature Recording:
Each issue of PassionPoetry includes a link to a recording that presents high-quality information for writers.
In today's recording, "An Experiment: Writing in Columns", I share my experience with playing around with the "triptych" poetry formula when creating an usual Table of Contents for Artella Issue 8, "The Dreamworld".
Play the recording here
Download a PDF file of the poem in its printed form, here!
Do you know a friend who would like PassionPoetry? Please forward this newsletter to all your poetic friends!
If you are not currently signed up for PassionPoetry, it's really easy to subscribe at http://www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/poetry-plaza.html! Thanks for being part of the PassionPoetry Circle!
See you next month!
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PassionPoetry NewsletterIssue 18
View this issue on the Web by clicking here
~In This Issue ~
- PassionPoetry Announcements
- Feature Article: "How to Write the Perfect Love Poem"
- Feature Recording: "If not you, WHO?"
PassionPoetry Announcements:
 1. Free Event Tomorrow Night - Interested in Getting Published? We are so excited about the different events we've been presenting as part of the Artella Member Ship Creativity Cruise Series, that we thought we'd open the next event to everyone, and not just Members, just so you can get a sense of how nifty these events are!
So...you are very cordially invited to join us for a truly exciting panel on "Getting Published", to be held TOMORROW night (Thursday, August 23) at 8:30pm Eastern Time.
You'll get to meet seven published authors who will be there to answer your questions about all types of published books, including traditional publishing both with and without an agent, self-publishing, and e-Publishing.
This is one of our highlighted summer events, and we are honored to have such notable published authors on the panel, including:
- Kathy Cano Murillo, author of five books, including Crafty Chica's Art de la Soul (Rayo/HarperCollins), and La Casa Loca (Rockport)
- Janice Taylor, author of Our Lady of Weight Loss (Studio)
- Jill Badonsky, author of The Nine Modern Day Muses (and a Bodyguard) (Penguin) and the forthcoming The Awe-manac: A Daily Guide to Creative Brilliance and Agelessness (Running Press)
- Karen M. Jones, author of The Difference A Day Makes (New World Library)
- Dan Gremminger, co-author of Deep River Dark, a self-published children's book
- Constance Bates, author of Supping On Roses, a small press poetry compilation
- Alicia Forest, successful online e-publisher
While the Creativity Cruise events are usually just for Cabin Members, we've opened this one to be free for one and all. Space is limited, so reserve your spot here, and I'll see you tomorrow night!
2. REMINDER: Next Poetic Idol Competition Deadline Is August 31! Perhaps our most important announcement is that it's Poetic Idol time again, which means that you can submit up to 3 poems, and win great prizes (including the $200 top award). For the last Poetic Idol, we tried something a bit different: the winners were determined by the Artella Community, who voted on their favorite Finalist poem in the Artella Cafe. This was such a hit that we're doing the same thing again. So make sure that you get your poems (you can submit up to three) in by midnight EDT on August 31. Submission details are here. Good luck!
Please note that contestants winning 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize in Artella's Poetic Idol will be ineligible to win another top prize (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in the following 12-month period. All other prize winners remain eligible for all Poetic Idol Prizes. Poems previously submitted to any other Artella contests are not admissible.
3. Congratulations to our most recent winners! We are very excited to announce these winners who were chosen by the Artella Community in the most recent Poetic Idol Competition:
- 1st Place -- Kevin Craig
- 2nd Place -- Dee Hedani Andrilla
- 3rd Place -- April Johnson
Special Recognition Awards went to Vicky Chavis, Michelle Retterath, Michael Strayer, Kenneth Mowery, and Christopher Angell
Read these wonderful winning poems in The Poetry Gardens.
4. Artella Land is a Great Place for an End-Of-Summer Vacation! Summer is coming to an end, but the vacationing doesn't have to stop. In case you haven't seen it yet, there is a brand new Artella Land, a collection of Inspired Isles that are filled with creative destinations, including the new Artella Cafe community spot (with several forums for writers!), lots of new goods available in the new storefront, the new Artella Member Ship Online Creativity Cruise, and much more! We hope that you enjoy exploring all of the fun nooks and crannies!
5. Poems in Artella 10 Getting Great Reviews! Our latest issue of Artella, "Body of Art: passion & projects of universal creation", is creating a lot of excitement among writers all over the world. We've posted a few sample pages so that you can get a glimpse of what this issue is all about! Congratulations and thank you to all the PassionPoetry readers who have work published in this issue! This 40-page, full-color, 100% ad-free magazine is just splashing with poetry and all kinds of other creative goodness.
6. Writing and Poetry Celebrated Every Day in the Daily Muse The Artella Daily Muse is the only daily creativity newspaper in the universe, and it's full of relevant information for the writers in the Artella community. The cornerstone of our features for writers is the "Write InStyle" section, which features a new article for writers, every single day. The daily poem in the "Poem and Garden" section is bound to inspire, and there are 18 other daily features that are designed to help creative individuals live fuller, more inspiring, more joyful lives. You can try out a free two-day sample of The Artella Daily Muse, or enjoy one of our three Cruise Cabins, all of which include a daily subscription to the newspaper!
Feature Article:
How to Write the Perfect Love Poem
by Adam Bell
It is easy to express your true feelings and thoughts in free verse rather than rhyme. You don't need to be a Shelley or Shakespeare to write a great love poem. All it takes is sincerity, a little effort, and a loving feeling.
Steps
- Write a page of standard prose, as fast as you can, about how you felt the first time you saw your loved one, how you felt the first time you knew you were in love, and how you feel right now about being together. These three moments in time will create the structure of your poem.
- Replace any weak verbs with stronger verbs and any pronouns with proper nouns. Words depicting taste, touch, sight, smell, and sound work really well for love poems.
- Reread your passage and pick a central metaphor to tie the three moments together. Choosing a metaphor is the most challenging part, but don't hesitate to be wild with it. An opening flower is a tried and true metaphor for love, but a slow-motion explosion in reverse or a baby's first step might work even better.
- Rewrite your passage using the metaphor to describe the three moments.
- Read your page out loud, changing anything that sounds off to you. Make notations where you feel there's even the slightest pause in the flow of writing.
- Write the poem on paper, putting a line break where you made the notations.
- Type the poem neatly or write it in your best handwriting. Consider framing your poem. Your loved one may want to keep the poem as a memento!
- Read the poem out loud to the person you love, or wrap it in special wrap, and present it as a gift for her or him to open when alone.
Tips
You're not trying to write the "Greatest Poem Ever". Your poem is for the one you cherish the most. What matters is that it's personal.
Sit in a quiet room, and think about your "love", how you feel when you are together, and apart. Think about what you miss most when you do not see each other, and how you feel when you again see each other. As you ponder this, write your thoughts and feelings. Poetry should come from the heart, and your heart and your thoughts will create a love poem based on you and only your feelings.
There's no need to be intimidated by complex rhyme schemes. Remember, most contemporary poetry doesn't rhyme. Former Poets Laureate Robert Pinsky and Louise Gluck and current Poet Laureate Ted Kooser all write poetry that does not rhyme.
The best writing advice is simple: omit needless words. One strong verb steamrolls any three weak ones.
Poetry and almost all artful prose is about how the words reveal your feelings. Take time when you read your writing out loud to yourself, and see if you feel what your words are saying. If they stir up emotion within you, be assured they will do the same for the person you are writing it for.
Adam Bell shares a collection of love poems at http://lovepoemcentral.blogspot.com.
Article Source: www.theleadingarticles.com
Feature Recording:
Each issue of PassionPoetry includes a link to a recording that presents high-quality information for writers.
In today's recording, you'll hear Karen M. Jones (founder of BenevolentPlanet.com, and who, incidentally, is one of the panelists to appear in the "Getting Published" Event tomorrow night) offer an encouraging approach toward getting your creative work out there.
It is called "If not you, WHO?: How to Turn the Odds of Success in Your Favor".
Play it here:
Do you know a friend who would like PassionPoetry? Please forward this newsletter to all your poetic friends!
If you are not currently signed up for PassionPoetry, it's really easy to subscribe at http://www.ArtellaWordsAndArt.com/poetry-plaza.html! Thanks for being part of the PassionPoetry Circle!
See you next month!
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PassionPoetry NewsletterIssue 17
View this issue on the Web by clicking here
~In This Issue ~
- PassionPoetry Announcements
- Feature Article: "Why Poetry?"
- Feature Recording: "Bridging Prose and Poetry"
PassionPoetry Announcements:
1. The New Artella Land Launches! In case you haven't seen it yet, there is a brand new Artella Land open for exploration! The new Artella Land is a collection of Inspired Isles that are filled with creative destinations, including the new Artella Cafe community spot, lots of new goods available in the new storefront, the new Artella Member Ship Online Creativity Cruise, and much more! We hope that you enjoy exploring all of the fun nooks and crannies!
2. Vote for Your Favorite Poem! The 12 finalists for the most recent Poetic Competition have been posted. For the very first time, the Artella Community is doing the selecting to determine who wins the top prizes (including the increased $200 top award)!
If you read the poems and vote for your favorite, you get a free literary-themed collage sheet. Read the poems at http://artellacafe.com/forums/t/768.aspx. (Note - you must have joined the Cafe in order to reach this forum link. It's quick and free to do so!)
After you have read them all, go to http://www.artellawordsandart.com/poetry-vote.html to cast your vote.
You may only vote ONCE, and for one poem, so be sure to read all the poems before you vote. Artella reserves the right to disqualify votes if we find that any individual has voted more than one time.
The voting closes July 31. Thank you for participating in this exciting community event!
3. Next Poetic Idol Deadline Is August 31! You can submit up to three poems in the next Poetic Idol, and once again, the winners will be chosen by the Artella Community. Make sure that you get your poems (you can submit up to three) in by midnight EDT on August 31. Submission details are here. Good luck!
4. Artella 10 Is Overflowing with Poetry! Our latest issue of Artella, "Body of Art: passion & projects of universal creation", is creating a lot of excitement among writers all over the world. This 40-page, full-color, 100% ad-free magazine is just splashing with poetry and all kinds of other splendid goodness. Congratulations to all of the readers of this newsletter whose work is in the issue!
5. Announcing our latest winners! Congratulations to the winners of the May/June PassionPoetry Contest:
- First Place -- Kelly Athena Richards, "The Hearth"
- Second Place -- Sonja Smolec, "Silver Bells"
- Third Place -- Victoria Luwisch, "Feel Again"
- Forth Place -- Sarah Yang, "Hidden World"
You can read their winning poems in Poetry Garden 0507. Don't forget - you can submit one poem a month, every month, in our ongoing free PassionPoetry contests. Get those pens writing!
6. Interested in Getting Published? One of the perks of having a Deluxe or Luxury Cabin aboard the Artella Member Ship is that you get free admittance to all of the events in the Summer 2007 Online Creativity Cruise Series! There are lots of events planned for the rest of July and August, as you can see on the Cruise Events Calendar, and one of them is a "Getting Published" panel to be held on August 23. Published writers in all genres will be there to answer your live questions! If you already are a Member, you can login to the Showroom with your username and password to get more information and to reserve your spot. Or find out more information about the Member Ship, here.
7. Do you read tne news every day? The Artella Daily Muse, that is! The Artella Daily Muse is the only daily creativity newspaper in the universe, and it's full of relevant information for the writers in the Artella community. The cornerstone of our features for writers is the "Write In Style" section, which features a new article for writers, every single day. The daily poem in the "Poem and Garden" section is bound to inspire, plus 18 other daily features that are designed to help creative individuals live fuller, more inspiring, more joyful lives. You can try out a free two-day sample of The Artella Daily Muse, or enjoy one of our three Cruise Cabins, all of which include a daily subscription to the newspaper!
Feature Article:
So...Why Poetry?
Oscar Hammerstein, the lyricist of great musicals like The Sound of Music, Carousel, The King and I, and many others, said that songs in musicals are effective when you can sense that the character could not express herself in any other way but to break out into song. He cautioned against placing songs in musicals just for the sake of doing so, but rather to use the song as a way to move beyond ordinary speech.
I think when we choose to write poetry, we should keep the same thing in mind. There is a difference between writing a poem for the sake of writing it, and consciously selecting the poetic format because what you want to say will not be as effective if written in prose.
As I was pondering this idea, I posted a question in the "Novel Ideas" forum in the new Artella Cafe. My question was:
Why do you choose to write something in poetry, rather than in prose? How is the experience of writing poetry different from writing anything else? How is the experience of reading poetry different from reading other written forms?
The answers were wonderful, and I wanted to share a few excerpts from them, here. Perhaps these words will inspire you the next time you begin writing poetry, to consciously choose poetry...opening a door for the words to choose you.
Constance Bates wrote:
I write poetry under three main influences -- pure emotion; an event or situation; a word or turn of phrase that grabs me. There is a clarity to poetry -- at least the sort of poetry that appeals to me, and the kind I write. Take an idea, an emotion, a complaint, a moment in time, a life, and you could write pages, or volumes. Writing poetry, you distill, choose each word with care, not just for its "meaning", but also for its nuances, its rich history, and how it rolls from the tongue. In poetry (this is not original), every word carries its weight.
"poeticjava" wrote:
I write in poetry because as weird as it sounds, that's the way I think when, like Constance, something hits me emotionally. When I write, I can feel where a line should stop or where a word would be better placed -- there are very few poems that I re-write because since I write based off of emotion or thought, I just let it roll onto the paper and when its there, I'm done. Using poetry as therapy both in facilitating workshops and on a personal level, poetry reaches to the heart of the matter for me quicker than anything else. Poetry is more concise, more magical, getting to the root of the situation - almost immediately.
Goya Toledo wrote:
(I write in poetry) because poetry is the instant. Poetry is a mask. Poetry is my silent heart. It is a mental state that becomes a written text. Poetry could be short, it goes with the fast epoch we live in...with the obscure times. Every poem could be a sketch of precise lines that evoke confused, ambiguous states of being; or it is a protest to the world; or is a vision or a desire....or a single memory, a tree or a story painted with words....and colors and music and not many details. When I write poetry I write myself. "Eventually you see me," says Atwood. The act of writing in prose, for me, fosters narrative tension, strategies (like the uses of dialogues and others techniques, etc.). Prose for me is more multivalent. Prose broadens the text in regard to voice and perspective while simultaneously expanding its temporality.
You can read the entire discussion, and add your own thoughts, at http://artellacafe.com/forums/t/578.aspx. Come hang out with these thoughtful writers!
Feature Recording:
Each issue of PassionPoetry includes a link to a recording that presents high-quality information for writers.
For today's recording, Artella Founder Marney Makridakis presents "Bridging Prose And Poetry", in which she discusses one of her own story poems, "Rolling Colors: a true story", which appeared in Artella 8: The Dreamworld.
Listening to the recording, here!
Download a PDF of the poem in its printed form, here!
Do you know a friend who would like PassionPoetry? Please forward this newsletter to all your poetic friends!
If you are not currently signed up for PassionPoetry, it's really easy to subscribe at http://www.artellawordsandart.com/poetry-plaza.html! Thanks for being part of the PassionPoetry Circle!
See you next month!
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