Rereading and reexamining Tim Seibles's "An Open Letter," I'm caught by the line "What the hell happened to the notion of poet as town crier, rabble rouser, shaman, court jester, priestess, visionary, madman?" I'm wondering if, after attending a few open mikes, teaching a few classes and reading a few books from the library, poets haven't forgotten ( Read more... )

In the beginning of his book, Buffalo Head Solos, Tim Seibles writes the following:

AN OPEN LETTER

( Read )

     In an interview, poet Eliot Khalil Wilson discussed students who were horrified when he suggested a word change in the poems, not because he had critiqued them, but because they couldn’t use the change as it was his word and not theirs. Wilson’s reply was simple: “I don’t own the language.”

I find the idea of ( Read more... )

And here's part 3...start here for part one, and here for part two.

( Poem by poem, my critique of the 2009 Dwarf Star Anthology )

And here's part 3...start here for part one, and here for part three.

( Poem by poem, my critique of the 2009 Dwarf Star Anthology )

Having finished a review of the Rhysling nominated poems, I figured I should attempt to tackle the Dwarf Star nominees as well; however, having been offhandedly blamed for affecting the outcome of the Rhyslings, I wanted to wait until after the votes were tallied and the winners announced before I posted.  Also, instead of having readers wade ( Read more... )

Go here to see what I'm doing and why. All readers are invited, encouraged, and begged to respond. The purpose of this experiment is to engage in discussion.

"On Waking" by Marcie Tentchoff

This is one of those "And they lived happily ever after. Then, the next day happened." poems, which is always a fun take on fairy tales, folklore and the like. I ( Read more... )

Go here to see what I'm doing and why. All readers are invited, encouraged, and begged to respond. The purpose of this experiment is to engage in discussion.

"Isotope Ballerina" by Cornelius Fortune

There are a few memorable lines in this piece like "her image goes ghost," but for the most part, there is a lot of narrative and summary, and not too ( Read more... )

Go here to see what I'm doing and why. All readers are invited, encouraged, and begged to respond. The purpose of this experiment is to engage in discussion.

"Death and Life on Enceladus" by Kendall Evans & David C. Kopaska-Merkel

In preparing for this entry, I have read and reread this poem, and every time I do I find something else I enjoy. Now, ( Read more... )

Go here to see what I'm doing and why. All readers are invited, encouraged, and begged to respond. The purpose of this experiment is to engage in discussion.

"Oracle" by Malcolm Deeley

This is an interesting poem about a the responsibilities of a prophet to their tribe. It's not a unique trope, but one that Deeley handles well. The language in this ( Read more... )