Writing Exercise: "Poems and the Body"

Dear Readers,

As one of our regular offerings, we will post exercises we have tried or want to try.  I was skimming through PoemCrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge, a book I often walk past and wish I were opening, when I came to Chapter 24, "Poems and the Body."  I am working on a series of body poems, so it applies to my current project.  But I also thought I would share it here as a means of challenging myself and our readers to try one of these exercises.

"To reach one of the places poems come from," writes Woolridge, "I need to swim underwater, stay up all night or look at things upside down or sideways to tap both my alert, conscious self and my unconscious.  I need to delve into my sleep; do and see things from an altered perspective.  This not only helps me write poems, it can open up my life" (88).  Summer seems to be a natural time for waking up the body.  We wear less clothing, smell more smells, walk barefoot, swim, hike.  We remember our bodies.

In order to "tap" both spheres-- the conscious and the unconscious-- Woolridge offers a long list of possible prompts.  Here is a small sampling:

Stand on your head for as long as possible.  Notice details upside down.  Look in a mirror. Write.

Dance. Write...

Hang out with a dog, cat, horse or bird.  Feel the animal's fur or feathers and let yourself move into creature consciousness.  A grasshopper will do.  Write from his point of view.

Listen to your breath.  Be aware that it's automatic and that breathing, being alive, is effortless.  Write a poem about your breathing.

Write a poem of hunger or food....

Do anything new.  It will open you up to feel, see, write and be something new.  (90)

So.  I challenge you to try one of these or make up your own body-poem exercise.  As Molly Peacock says, a poet's job is to bring the reader back into her body.  Let's do it.  Feel free to post the results here.  Or write about the process.  Was it easy?  Was it difficult?  Which parts?  Why?

Looking forward to hearing from you,
jk

Sonja de Vries

One of the best things about having a book is the book swap.  At Spalding's Homecoming, I swapped books with Sonja de Vries and came home (this time literally) with a lovely little collection that I am just beginning to dive into.  The chapbook, Planting a Garden in Baghdad, is a book about current conflict, yes, but it begins by looking back.  And it does not speak of war so much in sweeping terms, but on a human scale.  The primary unit of this book is the human body.

In Amsterdam, Hunger Winter 1944, the body becomes a grazer, a forager:

Late at night, everyone asleep,
I stood in the kitchen enjoying
the quiet, nibbling like a mouse
on potato skins and dry root vegetables.
They tasted like nothing;
air with a crunch, wind with a
body, but I liked the feeling of
their flesh in my mouth.
I imagined it was the flesh of
a young soldier, his
upper thighs, smooth and salty
thrumming with blood.  My
stomach rumbled, I swallowed
the last skin, slipped
back into bed, next to the warm
bodies of my brother and sister.

The language of the poem is spare, pared down, as its subject and as life must necessarily be during war time.  The body is an animal but the being (the narrator) is an animal endowed with language.  So she nibbles like a mouse, but since she is aware of her mousiness, she is not a mouse at all.  Though she tastes nothing, she still gives the taste particularity, as "air with a crunch, wind with a/ body..."  Even the air has become a body.  The skins of the root vegetables become the skin of the soldier.  The hierarchy of existence blurs and the barriers between elements and organisms matter less, separation falls away, and the connectedness of everything rises to the foreground.  Just when things seems most segregated-- soldier from civilian, the desire for food from the desire for flesh, waking from sleeping-- the parts come together and the whole, always there, always in balance, is apparent. 

The vehicle for this reunion of dichotomies is the imagination, which is the driving force behind this poem in the first place.  By choosing the first person point of view, de Vries supplies the necessary imagination to bring the reader not into a historical account but rather one that seems more immediate.  Such is the wonder of this book.  The small seed of each poem casts roots down into the dirt of history but also sprouts and branches into the air of the present.  I am looking forward to reading more.

---

Sonja de Vries is a Kentucky-born writer, filmmaker, and radical social justice activist.  She believes that art is integral to creating a deep and lasting transformation of society.  She lives on a farm outside Louisville where she grows food and raises chickens.  She lives with her youngest son Devlin and partner Beth; her oldest sons, musician Shadwick Wilde and Jake de Vries, live in Louisville.

Homecoming 2013 at Spalding University

Today I am excited to be traveling back to Louisville for Spalding's Homecoming events.  First, there is the celebration of recently published works, including the books of David Harrity, Charlotte Rains Dixon, Sandi Hutcheson, Chris Mattingly, Brittany K. Fonte, Ann Eskridge, and Loreen Niewenhuis.  Check out this link for profiles, author photos, and the full schedule: Celebration of Recently Published Books 2013.

Expect a review of one or more of these books very soon!

Also upcoming: interviews (it could be you) and submissions (join the conversation).

As always, thank you for reading,
jk

Music and the Muse

Just wanted to let everyone know about Music and the Muse, a night of spoken word, original songs, and, of course, poetry.  Come join us at Viewpoint Books in Columbus, Indiana (548 Washington Street) this Friday from 6:00 to 8:30. 

Here's the tentative line-up:

6:00-6:30 Music by The Chestnuts, a Madison-based folk trio: Paul Kelly, Jill Koren, and Tony Schroeder
6:30-7:00 Poetry readings by Harlan Kelly, Jill Koren
7:00-7:30 Matthew D. Jackson and the Paperback Riot: spoken word and musical accompaniment
7:30-8:00 Poetry readings by Johnny Clifton Knight, Karen Kovacik, JeffRey Phillips and more
8:00-8:30 More music from The Chestnuts

If you'd like to read, please let me know: jillkoren(at)gmail(dot)com.

Hope to see you!
jk

JeffRey Phillips Book Launch and Open Mic

Come celebrate Jeff's new book, The Beauty of Imperfection, tomorrow night, June 22, from 5-9pm.  From 5-7pm, jazz pianist Jimmy Storms will be playing in the Twain Room. New to Madison and Village Lights, 88-year-old Jimmy was a member of the Red Skelton Orchestra and backup pianist for Pat Boon, Connie Francis, and Fred Astaire. He plays a wide selection of old standards on the Steinway grand.

Jeff will be signing books.  Readings will begin at 7:00 with Jeff opening the line-up, followed by open-mic.  Jeff will also close with another reading from his new book.  Jeff's poems celebrate the beauty of nature and are laced with his earnest philosophy.  Looking forward to a night of poem and piano.  Hope to see you!

Celebrate Poetry Month at Poetpalooza!

Happy Poetry Month,

Despite Eliot's lament, there is much to celebrate in April.  One example:


Village Lights Bookstore will host Poetpalooza 2012: A Tri-State Poetry Summit, Friday, April 27th, through Sunday, April 29th, with hourly readings and signings by sixteen acclaimed poets from our region, including the two current and three former Poets Laureate of Indiana and Kentucky. The Saturday readings will be emceed by Jack Ramey, a published poet and Madison resident. Sunday’s readings will be emceed by Jill Kelly Koren, also a published poet and a native of Madison. There will be live music Friday evening with The Chestnuts, and all local or regional poets, or aspiring poets, published or unpublished, are invited to participate in the “open sign-up” community open mic session Saturday evening. Poetpalooza will be an experimental, “flow-through” event held during regular business hours. With production assistance from The Cultural Continuum of Madison, Riverrun Theatre Co., and The Chestnuts, a stage will be installed at the back of the shop, with lights and mics, and just a scattering of chairs. It will not be a sit-down concert-type affair. Visitors will be able to stand, sit, browse, listen… coming and going, as they see fit, throughout the event. Each poet will take the floor at the top of an hour and read for 30 to 50 minutes. After reading, they will remain available for signing in the front of the shop while the next poet or group reads. “Come for one, or come for all!” Books or chapbooks by all participating poets will be available for purchase.


POETPALOOZA 2012 - SCHEDULE

Friday, April 27
5:00p Live music with The Chestnuts
6:00p Richard Hague & Michael Henson (OH)
8:00p Live music with The Chestnuts

Saturday, April 28
1:00p Jack Ramey (IN)
2:00p Richard Taylor, Kentucky Poet Laureate, 1999-2001
3:00p Karen Kovacik, Indiana Poet Laureate, 2011-2012
4:00p The Airpoets (IN):
             Norbert Krapf, Indiana Poet Laureate, 2008-2010
                Joyce Brinkman, Indiana Poet Laureate, 2002-2008
                Joe Heithaus, Chair, English Dept., DePauw University
                Ruthelen Burns
7:00p Carlos William Carlos (OY)
7:30p Community Open Mic Night

Sunday, April 29
1:00p Jill Kelly Koren (IN)
2:00p Jonathan Greene (KY)
3:00p Maureen Morehead, Kentucky Poet Laureate, 2011-2012
4:00p Reservoir Dogwoods (IN):
             Jason Ammerman
             Tony Brewer
             Matthew D. Jackson
             Joseph Kerschbaum


Note: Due to the Madison-Milton bridge closure, April 25-29, visitors coming to Madison from Kentucky are advised to cross downriver at Louisville or upriver via the Markland Dam.

====================

I am honored to be sharing the stage with these amazing poets.  Hope to see you there!

Cheers,
jk

Book Launch Party: Saturday January 28th

"Sycamore Row" by Alethaire Kelly

Hello!  The books (While the Water Rises Around Us, my recently published chapbook) finally shipped and are here for the devouring.  Come celebrate with us at Village Lights this Saturday from 5:00pm to 9:00pm.  Eat, drink, be merry, and listen to poetry and song (featuring Johnny Clifton Knight and The Chestnuts).  Stop in.  Stay awhile.

by Tom Kelly

cover art: "Sycamore Row" by Alethaire Kelly
author portrait: "Teacher, Poet, Lover" by Tom Kelly