Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

So I woke up late for work today and now I'm not going...I have a couple hours, why not benefit this grand new forum with some fascinating poemtalk?

Ask about writing it, reading it, resources for either, career advice (triple lol), gossip, technical stuff, theory, or whatever. Trivia will be handled by google.

Go/Go/Go
--GA

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

No offense intended, but how do you make a living writing it? What is your main source of income? Individual poems? Single entries in literary compilations? Teaching?

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

GA,

I was an English major but have never really gotten a good grip on modern poetry. I'm one of those "I know what I like when I read it, which is very, very, rare" types of poetry readers. Off the top of my head, the poets who I've most enjoyed would be Shakespeare, Wordsworth, and Matthew Arnold. The only contemporary poet I can name as someone I think I enjoy is Robert Frost. Any suggestions?

Tangentially, what is the mark of a "successful" poem? For me, a poem that affects me in an emotional way that can't be easily explained is what I'm after. How would you describe the experience of reading a poem that you enjoy?

LFS

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

[ QUOTE ]
No offense intended, but how do you make a living writing it? What is your main source of income? Individual poems? Single entries in literary compilations? Teaching?

[/ QUOTE ]

None taken DAD (yes I know it's you, nice fake sn!)...Is your question how does ANYONE make money via poetry or how do I? I work for a university teaching gifted HS kids online. You have to have an MFA (Master of fine arts) to teach for us. I do lots of techie stuff, so I make a decent living.

Most people with my degree want to be college professors...most end up doing something else, usually coffee-related. Some poets, like the current director of the NEA Dana Gioia, go into the business world and write in their spare time and manage to make a career out of that.

Either way, nobody makes money from the sale of poetry. However, if you want a good teaching career, you have to get published in fancy journals. This is easier said than done, and takes a lot of work, not all of it nice. Also it means working in bumf--k nowhere teaching composition to cheeseheads, which isn't everyone's cup of tea.

I hope that was semi-coherent...
--GA

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

I used to be very into poetry but since I started gambling haven't read too much. Anyway, looking for some recommendations.

I tend to like "lighter" poetry. In college I loved the NY School poets, O'Hara a lot, then Koch much more. Post college I read a bunch of James Tate and Mark Strand. I also read Ammons' "Garbage" which I thought was great, liked Edson a lot, found Dean Young who I thought was by far the best guy going then. Wow. I see he just came out with a new one. Ok, I'm buying that.

Who/what else am I missing?

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

You might have me mistaken for someone else...like your dad. I'm a long time lurker/sporadic poster. I've gone through several screen names in the past, but unfortunately now have to distance my real name from any connection with poker. I'll be entering the legal world in...a terrifyingly short amount of time. And I can't have some 2p2 content popping up in any google searches when someone types in "my name + my law firm."

My main motivation in asking is for my own understanding of several of my friends' lives. A couple people I know do WRITE poetry, and have for several years, but haven't made a career out of it. They also have advanced degrees, though I don't know if they have MFAs or Masters in Publishing, or Masters in English Comp or Lit or something. I just frankly had no idea where the money comes from besides teaching.

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

El D,

I really wish I had known that you were a poetry expert because I was up all night last night analyzing a poem for English class and still have no idea what the hell I wrote. perhaps I can trouble you for some help in the future?

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

GA,

Can you write a poem about the El Diablo forum using techniques you teach in class?

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

[ QUOTE ]
Most people with my degree want to be college professors...most end up doing something else, usually coffee-related.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

GA - Is there a distinction between "Modern Poetry" and "Contemporary Poetry"? Who would you recommend reading, or what anthology to check out? Off the top of my head, era-independent, I like the Romantics alot, uh and for some reason Elizabeth Bishop is coming up in my brain and I think I like her stuff. Also any AZN poets, I want to know about them too.

-Al

Re: Ask me about comtemporary poetry
 

Al- Please check out Li-Young Lee. He is [censored] greatness, seriously.