Journal #1 – Artist Book Interviews
I found it interesting that Jackie Batey viewed her artists’ books as “reacting against the establishment.” When we were first introduced to the concept of artists’ books in our first class, I hadn’t pictured them as being able to be a form of protest. In Batey’s interview, she talked about using affordable and accessible means to create an artists’ books, such as materials that are readily available such as basic office supplies. Fluxus is something mentioned that gives the ability of “affordable multiples,” which reads to me like it makes the work more accessible by everyone. “Reacting against the establishment” by using affordable materials and making work easily accessible to the public speaks to me. The interview mentions that artists’ books are a niche market, which I agree with. I think it’s interesting that this can be considered an art form, but it doesn’t fit well in galleries. It is so specialized that stores exist to sell this one thing specifically. After reading the other artists’ interviews, I really found it interesting how there were so many different ways to make an artists’ book. I guess I didn’t realize it could also be a form of expression, like the art I think of when I hear the word “art.” I’m still not exactly clear on what an artists’ book is, so I’m not sure what kind I’m interested in. I can see that artists’ books combine the art of writing and the fine art of drawing/painting etc. The way they work together reminds me of how music and film work together. It’s so seamless that you don’t even really ever notice it.
Journal #2 – The Shadow
This chapter of the Poet’s Companion is a really interesting read. I liked the beginning of the chapter where it introduced the idea of everyone having a “shadow” or “long bag.” The idea of putting all the qualities of ourselves that we want to hide as we get older into a bag that we carry around our whole lives is interesting. As we get older, we find out that certain parts of our personality maybe aren’t so socially acceptable and maybe other parts of us people find weird. So, through this, society trains us to shut off or hide these parts of us. I think this is something we all do, whether consciously or subconsciously, and putting a name to it is really interesting to me. The idea of “mining” into our own shadows and long bags to come up with good poetry was helpful. That section was reassuring that it’s okay to write about the things that we usually think are “forbidden” or “off limits.” I also liked the idea of poetry being a way to offload those parts of you, rather than burying them down deep and denying them. One quote really stood out to me: “…there were no heights without the corresponding depths…” (pg 58). This quote really highlighted to me the importance of digging deep inside yourself to be able to produce excellent poetry. There were three poets mentioned (Berryman, Jarrell, and Sexton) who struggled with various things such as depression, alcohol dependency, or drug addiction. They all created poetry in spite of their struggles, not because of them. It is implied that their poetry was brilliant because it came from deep within them. The final part of the chapter was about being trained to observe the world as a poet. Being a poet also means being willing to feel all the emotions of a situation, despite how uncomfortable it makes you.
Journal #3 – The Image
This chapter of the Poet’s Companion was a really interesting one! Since we first started workshopping poems, I have recognized the importance of imagery in poetry and this chapter really emphasizes it for me. I liked that this chapter touched upon how imagery doesn’t have to specifically be a picture, but instead any sort of language that invokes a physical sensation. The idea that imagery is just something that appeals to one or more of your five senses is really helpful when thinking about writing meaningful poetry. The poem by T. R. Hummer given as an example of imagery was really exciting to read. It was interesting to see how he used the imagery of a boy falling into a grain silo to produce the feelings of falling in love. The imagery of the boy being captivated by and dizzy from the grain mimics the feeling of when you first start to become interested in someone. Then, the boy tries to lean a little closer and falls all the way in. To me, this mimics the moment you realize there’s no going back and you’re completely falling into the grain silo of love. I also enjoyed the poem by Gary Soto as an example of using imagery. I liked how he set the scene as a gray and dreary December day, but then he dropped little hints of color into his poem through the orange in his hand, the girl’s porchlight, and her cheeks. This made the poem really pleasing to read. The final example of imagery in poetry was by Marie Howe and I thought it was interesting how she used the things she heard to describe what was happening, as well as what her dog was seeing. This poem was a little haunting, but it gave another good example of a different way to use imagery that I might be able to use in my own work.
Journal #4 – Simile and Metaphor
I found this chapter to be really inspiring. The beginning of the chapter asked us to imagine a world without figurative language – a world in which everything is literal. It made me think about how often we use figurative language in everyday life. Figurative language is the spice of life! The poem by Sharon Olds that was given as an example is a good one. The language she uses paints a very clear picture of the scenario she is describing. This poem was a good example of taking advantage of the vocabulary that one simile or metaphor can offer. She played off the ocean theme and expanded the similes and metaphors into something that you could very clearly see. The first poem by Jack Gilbert is a different example of figurative language, for me personally. When reading this poem, I couldn’t really get a clear sense of the scene I was supposed to be picturing, but the similes and metaphors gave me a sense of the emotion I was supposed to be feeling. The second poem by Gilbert is an example of using a simile/metaphor and expanding it throughout the entire poem in such a way that the poem itself ends up being a simile/metaphor. The final poem had an interesting lesson for me as a poet. I really liked the idea that you have to “dig out” these similes and metaphors to be able to transform a poem.
Journal #5 – Meter, Rhyme, and Form
This chapter touched on some elements of poetry that I’ve struggled with since the semester began. I find it incredibly hard to write a poem that has substance and also follows some sort of rhyme scheme or meter. The only thing I knew about meter before reading this chapter was iambic pentameter. This was something we studied in high school English class while we were learning about and reading Shakespeare. Meter is one of the hardest things to add into a poem for me. I don’t think I’ve successfully done it yet. I liked the description given in the chapter that meter is the “sound of language.” I think this is a really interesting idea, because language involves a lot of moving pieces. I always consider how words look on a page and what emotions they invoke but thinking about how they sound is tricky. Rhyme is another aspect of poetry that I find challenging. I learned through this chapter that there are different kinds of rhymes, such as strict rhymes, slant rhymes, apocopated rhymes, and it just goes on. I think realizing that rhymes don’t have to be strict (ex: head-dead) will help me use more rhymes in my writing. The chapter also mentioned how using meter and rhyme can be a way to reign in a poem when handling a more intense subject. It can help to make the poem less heavy. Rhyme specifically can be used to emphasize more important words in a poem or create a new meaning. Lastly, there was one quote in this chapter that was particularly reassuring: “If this sounds like intimidating company, don’t worry. After all, those writers are dead. You’re alive and writing, and you don’t have to compete” (146). I found this quote to be reassuring because sometimes I think I get caught up with examples of excellent poets and I compare myself too much to them. It was nice to have a reminder that there is no competition in poetry!
Journal #6 – Taking Inventory
I am looking over my collection of ten poems so far and I’m finding it really hard to believe that I’ve written all of these. While looking at these poems all together, I’ve written about some very mixed topics. I don’t think any poems really share a common topic. Some of the poems were really strictly written to a prompt and for others I let myself dig deep and molded the prompt to my own life experiences and feelings. These poems feel like they’re mostly an expansion of things I wish I could say out loud. Because of that, I think that some of the poems all share a theme of vulnerability. Poems 2, 5, 8, and 10 are all honest and raw. I think these poems might be interesting together because they all show a deeper part of me. I have no idea what kind of artist book these could make, since there isn’t a common theme but instead a common feeling. I hope to expand on these similar feelings as I work through revisions of each of these poems.
Non-journal Journal:
Initially, being in the art building was incredibly overwhelming. We were shown so many different styles and designs, which I found helpful to get ideas going but at the same time it gave me too many ideas. We were also shown all the materials we could use and the tools that were available. This was overwhelming because I didn’t know any of the techniques to use the tools or produce the look I was going for. I came into the art building with one design idea I thoughtwas pretty solid, but once we started to work on our books, I realized that the thing I had chosen was quite complicated. I had hoped building this book would be simple and quick, but the design I thought I was set on would make the project anything but. I also realized I hadn’t prepared nearly as much as I should have. I was being asked about dimensions for my book covers and I realized I should have thought about that in advance – to be fair I did know that I wanted it to be small but I had no idea what proportions or even what shape I wanted. By the time I got front and back covers cut out and I was feeling ready to start, it was time to go!
The next steps for my artist book are going to be to get a really solid design idea before the next time we go to the art building, so I don’t waste more time trying to make up my mind on an idea. I know that drawing is not my forte and I don’t want to waste time trying to draw something only for it to be subpar, so instead I am trying to give my book meaning in the way it’s constructed. My poems are all very vulnerable and raw, so I wanted to represent that somehow in the book itself. My plan is for the book to be small (representing what percentage of my thoughts I share with the outside world) and when it opens up, it becomes this larger thing than was anticipated based on the cover (representing all the thoughts I have in my head). I want to accomplish this illusion of it being “bigger on the inside” through folding the pages accordion-style. I also had the idea of making the front and back covers of the book (the outsides) lighter to represent the way I put myself out to the world, with the inside pages being darker to represent the depth and darkness that is sometimes inside my head.
Journal #8 – What’s Next with the Artist’s Book?
I think as far as my artist’s book is concerned, it is definitely back to the drawing board. I still have a lot of details to iron out, but I have a general idea. It is super frustrating to have an exact image in your head of what you want your book to look like, but not be able to replicate that! I think I will scrap my vertical accordion fold idea only for the sake of simplicity, but I hope I can still create the “bigger on the inside” or “deeper on the inside” effect from just having a horizontal accordion fold for my pages. I am considering exploring different mediums, as well. I’m wondering about the effect that painted pages may have on the general “feel” of the book. I also need to make a decision about the cover, but I am leaning toward doing a neat, lighter cover to represent how I present myself to the world. This would be contrasted with darker inside pages to represent the depth/darkness of the thoughts that the world doesn’t get to see. A lot of my poems were inspired not necessarily by things that have happened to me personally, but rather from the feelings that some of my favorite songs give me. I think to get inspiration for my artist’s book, I might revisit some of the music videos for specific songs to get ideas for color schemes, etc. I hope I will successfully merge genres. I am not trying to create drawings for my poems that will reflect the subject of the poems, but rather a general mood through the whole book via color schemes, textures, size, etc.
Journal #9 – Peer Review
Henry:
First poem:
Without a title, I had caught on to what the poem was about, so I think your message was clear through the imagery! I like the use of the lowercase letters; it really adds to the overall feel of the poem. I enjoyed the imagery and figurative language in this poem, particularly “boredom dripping with excess.” I did notice a minor spelling error in the last line of the last stanza, so just keep an eye out for that. This poem kind of gives me anti-establishment vibes, which I enjoy. I would say that this poem is pretty much done. DONE
Second poem:
I am sensing a theme with the usage of lowercase letters throughout the poem – I like it, it’s almost like your signature. With this poem, the feeling came through to me before the meaning. I’m interpreting it as a poem about loss (unclear what kind). That interpretation is still a little blurry to me, as the meaning feels a little hard to hold. I guess I like that, though, because loss (if it is about that) feels different day by day. I really enjoyed how you personified this emotion. I think this poem could benefit from a little more context/connotation because I’d like to pin down what emotion I’m feeling! I do like that shorter fourth stanza in the middle of the poem – it feels like a separation between the first half which references sinking and the second half which references “bringing you up.”
Third poem:
The imagery is really solid in this poem. Some lines that stood out to me were “There are several lines that stood out to me, particularly the third stanza. You’ve created a certain feeling in this poem, but the exact meaning is hard to decipher for me. I like how the poem seems to move from dark to light, even though the “light” in the last stanza may not actually be a reprieve from the dark, if that makes sense. As with the poem above, I think some more context/connotation would be beneficial here to help the reader determine what exactly is happening here. I do like how the poem has a distinct sense of drowning/sinking. I think overall this poem could just use a little more context or connotation and then I would consider it done. DONE
Fourth poem:
The “what is it” in this poem is unclear but there is a very distinct feeling that I get from it. To me, this poem feels almost like looking in the rearview mirror at something (from your use of “realization” and “it never turned out the way you wanted it”). It’s not clear to me what you’re experiencing hindsight about, but maybe that was done intentionally? It’s nice that I can almost insert myself and a certain situation into this poem and make it fit. I think the structure of this poem is nice. I like that it has a stanza with two short lines followed by a stanza with two longer lines. The word choice in this poem is really pleasing, it flows nicely. I’m thinking you maybe intentionally didn’t title any of your poems, but I think it would really help to clarify the meaning. DONE
Delaney:
First poem:
I really like this poem!! To me, it reads as a whirlwind romance/one-night stand. I think the structure of the poem, or lack thereof, really helps to solidify how quickly the events in this poem take place. I love the use of sensory language in this poem, like “salt dried on our hands” and “the heat of the radiator.” I particularly love the tenth stanza with the contrast of being far from home and close to being convinced. The poem overall has a very intimate vibe, to the point where I almost feel as if I’m intruding on a private moment between the two subjects of the poem. 6 – done
Second poem:
To me, this poem is about an encounter between two strangers who are quite different. It is unclear to me what exactly the relationship between them is. It seems to me like photography/videography are involved in some way. I particularly like the sixth stanza and I think it pairs really well with the fifth stanza. I really like the way this poem gives me a window into a brief moment in time and despite the period of time being short, the poem is long enough and detailed enough. I also thought it was unique and interesting that you used dialogue. I feel like I never see poems with dialogue, but I liked the way you had the right amount of “storytelling” and dialogue between the two subjects. I think with some more context I would be able to give a more informed opinion on the title. I did look up “printemps” and I think it would be a unique title, but it would probably need context within the poem for readers to understand it. 6-done
Third poem:
Right off the bat, I’m intrigued by the title. I thought the imagery throughout the poem was strong. Some of my favorite parts were “sepia toned nightmare” and “their legs // black, spiny, spindling // peeling back the // corners of his lips.” I know there is a correlation between the title and the reference to beetles in the poem, but it’s not quite clicking for me. I think this poem has a really neat vibe to it that you reinforced with the use of the word “nightmare.” I like the contrast between the totally normal setting and the way these beetles are coming out of this man’s mouth. To me, this poem has elements of a dream/nightmare (“swimming” at a bar). The one suggestion I have would be to sharpen up the meaning of the poem a bit, as it’s still a little fuzzy for me.
Fourth poem:
This poem also feels like I’m looking into a really private moment between two people. Although you don’t explicitly say what the relationship between the two people is, it feels like the kind of conversation that would happen between people who are romantically connected. The many conversation topics within this poem suggest to me that these two people are dancing around a subject. I really enjoy the imagery in this poem, particularly the sky that looks like yogurt and the pock marks in the person’s skin. I like the title; I just think that maybe one more reference to waves could be beneficial to the reader to make it stick. I was initially thinking ocean waves, but now I’m wondering if it’s more like waves of emotion. I think this poem feels pretty done to me.
Journal 10 – Reflection
Dear past self,
Over the course of the semester, you will grow as a person through the curriculum of your poetry class. I know you only picked this class to fulfill your creative arts requirement and that you hate poetry, but you will find that by December, you have a soft spot for it. I also know that based on your first poem you wrote for this class, you are convinced you will not be able to succeed in this class and keep up with everyone else. I am happy to tell you that you are wrong! Your trajectory as a poet is not defined by the work you did in your very first week. You will find a way to make a poem uniquely yours – believe it or not, you will have a voice in your poems. You will find that you are able to write poems about situations you have never been in. This will be a great talent to make your poems interesting and exciting. Your signature structure will change over time from one long stanza to multiple stanzas composed of 3 lines each. You will also strengthen your revision process after you realize that completing a poem can take several days of revisiting it.
You will have a hard time talking about poems in workshop in the beginning. I know that you will feel unqualified to be critiquing anyone’s work when you hardly feel like you can write a coherent poem yourself. I have great news – workshopping other people’s poems will become your favorite part of class. You will find it so fun to hear about how your peers interpreted the same poem in different ways and you will enjoy meaningful discussion about the content of poems. Your nervousness to have your own poems workshopped will disappear by the halfway point of the semester and you will find instead that you actually look forward to the feedback from your peers. At the end of the semester when everyone reveals themselves after workshop, you are excited! You are excited to be recognized for your work as well as excited to match faces to poems. You value the feedback you get from your peer review group and for the first time in your life, don’t take their criticisms personally!
I think the most important things you will gain are an appreciation for a new form of art and an appreciation for your ability to try new things. I know you’ve spent much of your life despising poetry, but you should be proud of the fact that you were willing to try it for yourself!
I’m so proud of you,
Present-day me
