Please take some time to discuss and reflect on your personal definition of poetry. What is poetry to you? Why does the creative writing we do matter? Whenever I ask myself this question, I always refer back to a letter written by my own poetry teacher, Jack Ridl. He wrote:
"... let's also remind ourselves that while it can be good to do good and good to combat what destroys the good, it is also crucial that we continue to create good. We are creative beings. We arrived with that as a given. And when you create a poem, you have placed good into the world... We artists are questioned over and over again about our "usefulness." We are vitally useful. Our use is to heal, comfort, to lead to realization, to bring laughter, to sing the blues, to celebrate, to be of soul-filling USE. This is a great good thing we do.
The Christmas after 9/11 Sharon Dolin, Billy Collins, and I were asked to read our poems in NYC. Can you imagine how we felt? What could we possibly do to be of any "use"? We told those present that we would do what we could to give them two hours for their hearts, souls. And that's all we could do. After the reading, the audience stayed and stayed and said how much that two hours mattered."
I hope you know how much your poems matter!
We are going to take a look at a poem or two by Billy Collins today.
Some bio information:
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/bio/billy-collins#poet
Video of Collins reading "Names" and reflecting on 9/11
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/features/video/301
You can listen to "Workshop" here:
http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19755
You can read here:
Workshop
I might as well begin by saying how much I like the title.
It gets me right away because I’m in a workshop now
so immediately the poem has my attention,
like the Ancient Mariner grabbing me by the sleeve.
And I like the first couple of stanzas,
the way they establish this mode of self-pointing
that runs through the whole poem
and tells us that words are food thrown down
on the ground for other words to eat.
I can almost taste the tail of the snake
in its own mouth,
if you know what I mean.
But what I’m not sure about is the voice,
which sounds in places very casual, very blue jeans,
but other times seems standoffish,
professorial in the worst sense of the word
like the poem is blowing pipe smoke in my face.
But maybe that’s just what it wants to do.
What I did find engaging were the middle stanzas,
especially the fourth one.
I like the image of clouds flying like lozenges
which gives me a very clear picture.
And I really like how this drawbridge operator
just appears out of the blue
with his feet up on the iron railing
and his fishing pole jigging—I like jigging—
a hook in the slow industrial canal below.
I love slow industrial canal below. All those l’s.
Maybe it’s just me,
but the next stanza is where I start to have a problem.
I mean how can the evening bump into the stars?
And what’s an obbligato of snow?
Also, I roam the decaffeinated streets.
At that point I’m lost. I need help.
The other thing that throws me off,
and maybe this is just me,
is the way the scene keeps shifting around.
First, we’re in this big aerodrome
and the speaker is inspecting a row of dirigibles,
which makes me think this could be a dream.
Then he takes us into his garden,
the part with the dahlias and the coiling hose,
though that’s nice, the coiling hose,
but then I’m not sure where we’re supposed to be.
The rain and the mint green light,
that makes it feel outdoors, but what about this wallpaper?
Or is it a kind of indoor cemetery?
There’s something about death going on here.
In fact, I start to wonder if what we have here
is really two poems, or three, or four,
or possibly none.
But then there’s that last stanza, my favorite.
This is where the poem wins me back,
especially the lines spoken in the voice of the mouse.
I mean we’ve all seen these images in cartoons before,
but I still love the details he uses
when he’s describing where he lives.
The perfect little arch of an entrance in the baseboard,
the bed made out of a curled-back sardine can,
the spool of thread for a table.
I start thinking about how hard the mouse had to work
night after night collecting all these things
while the people in the house were fast asleep,
and that gives me a very strong feeling,
a very powerful sense of something.
But I don’t know if anyone else was feeling that.
Maybe that was just me.
Maybe that’s just the way I read it.
Billy Collins, “Workshop” from The Art of Drowning. Copyright © 1995 by Billy Collins. All rights are controlled by the University of Pittsburgh Press. Reprinted with the permission of the University of Pittsburgh Press, www.pitt.edu/~press/.
Source: The Art of Drowning (1995)Please post a reaction to the information/poems provided today and/or the value of workshopping our own poems in this class. Develop your thoughts and respond to others in order to receive full credit!
Please join this blog and comment on this post for credit!
I really like the whimsical tone of the Billy Collins poem. It seems as if he is making fun of himself and of poets as a whole. It's like he is recognizing that sometimes similes fall flat or chosen words are too obscure to actually communicate any meaning with the reader. My favorite stanza is
ReplyDelete"I mean how can the evening bump into the stars?
And what’s an obbligato of snow?
Also, I roam the decaffeinated streets.
At that point I’m lost. I need help."
I like this stanza because it reminds me of how I personally feel when reading certain poems. Sometimes it feels like a poem is trying too hard to be artistic and in that process, a lot of the meaning is lost. So I guess that is why we workshop poems. Personally I feel like workshops are often really awkward because people do not want to be critical of each other's work. Hopefully we will eventually become more comfortable as a class in workshops.
I also really liked that stanza. It makes me feel like I'm not alone when I read poems and wonder what the heck they're saying. It's true that a lot of the metaphors and "artistry" found in some poems are so forced that they literally don't make any sense no matter how long you stare at it because - in truth - they were written only to sound profound.
DeleteMy fvorite part in this poem is th last staza where it emphasizes how details really bring out the meaning of someones words.
ReplyDelete"But then there’s that last stanza, my favorite.
This is where the poem wins me back,
especially the lines spoken in the voice of the mouse.
I mean we’ve all seen these images in cartoons before,
but I still love the details he uses
when he’s describing where he lives.
The perfect little arch of an entrance in the baseboard,
the bed made out of a curled-back sardine can,
the spool of thread for a table.
I start thinking about how hard the mouse had to work
night after night collecting all these things
while the people in the house were fast asleep,
and that gives me a very strong feeling,
a very powerful sense of something.
But I don’t know if anyone else was feeling that.
Maybe that was just me.
Maybe that’s just the way I read it."
I also agree with Gena when she says it seems as if Billy Collins is making fun of himself.
I love when the three poets were asked to go to NYC to read the poems after the 9/11 tragic incident, they all had the power to make people feel better. I believe that most people dont realize how much power words can have on people. they can be very persuasive.
I agree that words can be more powerful than we often give them credit for. It is good to hear a story about a time when writing had the power to help heal some of the pain that people were going through. Especially because people often think that journalism can help people, but that poetry is just purposeless. This shows that it can have a real impact.
DeleteI agree with both Gena and Imani both stanza's explain the feeling of poets and readers as they go through a poem. Sometimes poets write things throughout stanza's that dont really make any sense until you get to the last stanza and then you have that "Ah-ha" moment that makes you sort of peice everything together.
DeleteMy favorite stanza of the Billy Collins poem is,
ReplyDelete"In fact, I start to wonder if what we have here
is really two poems, or three, or four,
or possibly none," because I can relate to this. Whenever I have been told to workshop poetry, one thing I am told is to possibly break up the poem. When I do this, I try to see my poem differently and therefore begin to question it. Usually it begins with changing one line which in turn may make me want to change the line before it, and so on. If I ever just end up getting stumbled on the poem, I will wonder if it was even a poem to begin with. But perhaps that is the purpose of work shopping and I should question my poem more until I come up with a solution.
It is interesting what you say about breaking up poems. I haven't ever really broken a poem into two separate ones, personally. But I can relate to the feeling of getting like ten lines into a poem and then being like "what even is this? What am I writing? Is this even a poem?" That happens to me all the time.
DeleteI really identify with the whole struggle of trying to make your poem fit together. Personally, I don't write in chronological order. Instead, I write a stanza and then another stanza and so on and then I have to try to fit them all together but that doesn't always work so I sometimes end up with a poem within a poem. (Probably not the best method)
DeleteBreaking up poems is something I’ve never tried, but now I will. Work shopping can be an extremely powerful tool in the betterment of a writers work and with this method of examining deeper into poems it seems like the workshops you’re involved in will yield especially productive insights into how to make ones writing better. Hopefully we can work together sometime at the local coffee shop. Next time I write a poem I will try your method of breaking up the poem and determine if it’s something that could improve my writing. Thanks for opening new doors brother.
DeleteI appreciate Billy Collins for his wit, he has always found a way to create something that is different from the normal 3000 word poem we as students are used to being to read. His poems allow us to think more deeply as they are written in clear words that everyone can understand. However, the poem being an easy read is not the reason why it can be appreciated by the world as a great work of literary work. As Gena said, " It seems as if he is making fun of himself and of poets as a whole. It's like he is recognizing that sometimes similes fall flat or chosen words are too obscure to actually communicate any meaning with the reader." This is something I can agree with 100% because whether it was his actual intention or not he really makes a mockery of the poem-writing process as a whole. Using advanced similes and metaphor he tries to make it seem deeper than it really is when in reality most of the time they "fall flat" as Gena said. Collins technique is inspiring and most of all revolutionary when considering a poem like this has never surfaced before and will cause many to be inspired to write differently. I found it quite refreshing to experience a new way of writing poetry, giving a new definition to the already endless list of ways to write an actual poem. He brought adding detail to a new level as he described the poem he was writing as he was actually writing it. In a whimsical way, he establishes himself as a strong contender in the modern writing world, something I admire about him.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this poem because Billy Collins so easily blends humor and sincerity, which itself is quite a feat. Most poems are very one dimensional – they belong to one genre and one genre only. I also appreciated that Collins is able to poke fun at himself, which can sometimes be hard too. What also impressed me about this poem was the fact that the whole thing is a literal poem written in response to another poem, in the form of feedback almost. What I think is important about workshops, and is illustrated in this poem, is that sometimes we just need a completely fresh set of eyes to look at our writing if we really want to improve. Other people don’t always get what you’re writing about – but that’s okay because when we have the idea in our head, we sometimes forget to communicate the whole of it because our minds fill in the gaps. Too, workshops reveal a new perspective on our work that can make us consider writing tactics we wouldn’t have necessarily thought to include on our own.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you say about sometimes needing a fresh set of eyes to look something you've written over, but I think it's also sort of novel how this poem is sort of critiquing itself. It shows that Billy Collins is able to look at his own work, make fun of it, and sort of cobble along and workshop it himself. It's funny because he seems like he's looking at someone else' poem, but he's really looking at his own, so it's sort of laughing at himself, but it's also laughing at others in a way.
DeleteI totally agree with you. Billy Collins is my favorite poet of all time. I love his outlook on everyday things. He can really transform them and make them seem like something enjoyable. His humor really makes me enjoy the poem even more. What you said, Nikki, about needing a fresh set of eyes is really important. You never know how your work may look and read to other people so workshopping is an important things writers should go through in order to improve themselves.
DeleteI didn't really like this poem because I thought it was trying to be clever too much. Admittedly, it was clever in the way he was writing a poem about work-shopping a poem, and the poem he's work-shopping is the one we're reading, but I felt like there wasn't much more besides that. He pulls these images out of nowhere, which is nice and whimsical, but because he's doing it just because he can and not necessarily because they serve a real purpose, I found myself forgetting them as soon as I finished reading them. Usually, when I read a poem I can remember the images because the theme/message of the poem can tie them together somewhat cohesively, but since the theme of this poem seemed to be cleverness, I couldn't latch onto anything. All in all, the poem was sort of a letdown for me, which I felt sad about because I normally like Billy Collins.
ReplyDeleteIt interesting that this poem deters you from your normal attitude toward billy collins, although i do understand when you say he was trying to be so clever that it became meaningless. I sort of agree but i dont let it make me dislike him. But you do make some interesting points.
DeleteWork shopping our work this year can prove invaluable in the betterment of our writing this year. It allows writers who excel at a certain aspect of writing to help others who have trouble in that area. Work shopping is so useful because it gives our class a good chance to bond and improve everyone’s writing by an easily noticeable amount by the end of the year. For example, a writer who has trouble in a certain form of poetry can ask for assistance from a writer who does well in the form. Of course, a writer could ask for help any time, but it is more likely that someone will admit they need help in a workshop setting than in a normal classroom. Also, work shopping allows writers to hear the good side and the bad side of their work. Without knowing what they need to improve, a writer can never get better, they will only remain in the same spot. This is what makes the work shop so valuable, because nobody wants to tell another writer that their work could be better; unless perhaps in a workshop setting where that is the goal.
ReplyDeleteI think becoming closer with one another this year will improve our work shop abilities. That way, we will be able to be more comfortable with one another and honest with the criticism we give. Like Nate said, work shopping allows writers to hear the good side and the bad side of their work. If we are honest, we will be able to improve our work and make our work shop time valuable. Well said, brother. I look forward to working with you too.
DeleteI think this peice from Billy Collis makes me more open about reading poem's as if I'm not the only one who doesn't feel as if I sometimes dont know what the author is talking about throughout some of the stanza's and that there is some hope once you get to the last stanza.
ReplyDelete