At the end of semester when I was studying poetry forms, we played with some newer experimental forms. I was assigned the Paradelle, which was invented by Billy Collins in 1996. In his own words, Collins asserts “I invented the form (parody + villanelle = paradelle) in order to produce a very badly written one. […]
Writing in Form: The Paradelle Read More »
I think all good poetry is written from emotion. Either something happens that touches us in our everyday walk of life, or we are moved by the special events that mark how we give meaning to ourselves and our world at large. This emotional response is not something that any of us can fake. Its
Finding Material to Write Read More »
One of the many stories my dad told me about growing up in a farm community in Roanoke, Illinois, was how helpful the people were when catastrophe struck. Everybody pitches in to keep their neighbor afloat. As every farmer knows, when it rains on a field of harvested but unbaled wheat, the whole crop is
A timely, beautiful poem with a beautiful message. Enjoy! Revelation by Marilyn Kratz The winds of fall have swept away brown leaves from old elm trees And now reveal what summer’s green had hidden from my gaze. Abandoned nests, their builders flown, stand out in stark relief, Mute evidence of secret toil that filled the
Here are some more poems that were read at our recent poetry reading. Enjoy! Sidewalk Impressionist -From Fall 2016 Pasque Petals by Brooklyn Gross Kids stampede over my slender fingers, But they don’t break my bones. Bicyclists roll over my palms, Their tires leaving no imprint on my skin. My invisible hands lie on the
SDSPS is in the process of getting more poetry up on our site, and I thought that it would be fun to feature poetry that was shared at our recent reading for the next two blog posts. So, here are three poems from SDSPS publications that were read at the reading: All a-winter-ling -From Pasque
Just recently, for a 2017 South Dakota Festival of the Book panel, I was asked to share how I kick-started publication of my poems. In the hopes some of these suggestions could help new poets reading this blog, herewith is a condensation of some select material disseminated… The relative ease with which one can begin
Kick Starting Publication Read More »
In the fall of 2015, I took my first poetry class. The class was cross-listed for undergrad and graduate students, and it focused on poetry forms. I had limited form experience before this class: in sixth grade, I wrote some haiku, in 10th grade, I wrote limericks, and I had read various sonnets, mostly Shakespearian.
Writing in Form: The Villanelle Read More »
Cottonwoods anchor banks above the Missouri. Chartreuse leaves dancing. A cormorant flies low over the gray water like a black arrow. For the past eleven years, I’ve spent a morning and afternoon on the bank of the Missouri River at Clay County Park near Vermillion, teaching children to write haikus, and haikuing alongside them. On
Plein Air Haikuing Read More »
The Annual Poetry Contest’s deadline is December 1, 2017. The contest has two categories: Landscape and Portrait. The poems are read blind and judged by an independent committee. For more information about the contest click here The following two poems won the first and second place prizes in the 2016 Landscape category: First Place Dakota Flamenco
Annual Poetry Contest: 2016 Landscape Winners Read More »
