A Poets View ~ Series of Perspectives V

What Makes Poetry 'Good' to Me?
By Elise

For me personally, poetry is good when it tweaks the imagination, or when two people can read it and see different things. Also, when one's eyes are opened to something new each time it is read. I enjoy poetry that paints a picture or invokes a thought. It doesn't have to be neo or Beat to touch me. In fact, some of that is way over my head! It can be of the 'Bulls-eye, rhyming variety' as well.

I love the sweeping emotion the Romantic English poets create. Poems of the Lord Byron and Christopher Marlowe variety. They swell the heart, and do not leave much to the imagination. Also, I enjoy the simplistic style of Emily Dickinson. Few words to say much. What a talent! I also love ballads of any kind. How clever to tell a story through poetry! Political poetry also interests me and stirs feelings of patriotism, or indignation. Then there are those who impart wisdom, such as Kahlil Gabran... invokingprofound thought.

I greatly respect creativity in poetry. Clever use of words, similes, and metaphors to create images intrigue me. Some of the best I have seen are from our 'Splash Poets'.

The bottom line for me is this: If a poem can touch my heart or my mind and stimulate it in a special way, then to me it is good. Whether Neo, Beat, or Traditional styles.. in the end, it's the use of vocabulary that counts.
~

Wannabe Poet

Gliding sidelong
across
the
page
This wannabe poet
with rhymes in her head
Struggling to grasp
the neo-poet's view
Obliquely stating
what new light is shed

Veering past
bull's eye rhetoric
Rose-colored glasses
and singsongy verse
Profundity protruding
comprehension eluding;
Perplexed and bemused
is this true rhymer's curse.

© 2004 elise

Elise is a Senior SplashHost at SplashHall Poetry.

HapPY BiRTHDaY BaBy

Today is the most-beautiful-lady-in-the-world's Birthday. I think she is forty (hey at least i didnt say 39.) Could you do me a favor and go to her blog I made for her Kentucky Mountain View and wish her a Happy Birthday? Also tell her, her blog is real cool. Maybe I will get lucky later tonight ~wink. Theres is a lot of cool music and stuff there. Thank you.

Here's a little poem i wrote for her. Let me know if i did good, ok?

Dancing Hearts

Hello Darling! My Sweet Sue!
over 4 years ago we took a chance
in that romantic vp chat room.
Music sweet, we did a lover's dance.

This feeling deep inside;
love beats within my very soul.
When you're in my arms
I feel so dog-gone whole.

Happy Birthday My Sweet Sue!
I use to dream of you from afar,
now all I want to do is love on you.
Some count stars; You're my shining star.

Come my Sweet Sue, lights down low;
lets slow dance the night away.
Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday!
Come lets do our lover's lazy sway.

© 2004 cafeRg

Lit Critic "Mick Arran" Gives Rollin Thunder & SplashHall Poetry Chocolate Covered, Cherry Filled Kudos

What a first-class surprise I woke up to this morning. Mick Arran at LitBlog reviewed Rollin Thunder and SplashHall Poetry. You know how critics can be, so needless to say, I was feeling a bit apprehensive. Mick is a cool literary critic, though he writes it as he see it. I have read other reviews by him. Taking a sip of my sumatra coffee I started to read his review of Rollin Thunder.

YAY! Mick likes us. His review is very positive and encouraging. He even did the unexpected and reviewed SplashHall Poetry, as well. You can read the entire review at LitBlog.

The only adjustment I would have to make, is his mention of "There are also links to other cafe rg sites", I would have to point out that "All the credit and inspiration for SplashHall Poetry and Rollin Thunder go to our Poetry Director Witt, our Senior SplashHosts Honestly, Lady Sunshine, Elise, WordWeaver, Mydnight and Rollin Thunder co-editors Witt, Michael and George. Did I mention all the wonderful Splash Members that make our humble poetry community illuminate with creativity? It's the members and staff that make a community. Though I am the founder, I like to have the mindset that I am just the janitor who keeps the halls clean for all to enjoy and enhance their art form.

So 'Hats Off' to all The Splash Poets and members, the Poetry Director with the sharp ax, the diligent SplashHosts and Mick Arran for making SplashHall Poetry and Rollin Thunder a top-class Poetry Community.

Merriam-Webster's Favorite Word Poetry Challenge

Merriam-Webster recently asked on its Web site, Merriam-Webster Favorite Words "What are your favorite words?" click "Read More" for the top ten submissions and poetry challenge:

defenestration
serendipity
onomatopoeia
discombobulate
plethora
callipygian
juxtapose
persnickety
kerfuffle
flibbertigibbet

Ok lets have some fun, write a poem using all the above words and post it atSplashHall Poetry.

Tatter's Block

Tatter's Block

I have been working on a new tatting design and it sure has me puzzled. One end has eight rings and seven chains, and the other end has eight rings and eight chains. They look just alike except when you count it. I fiddled with the thing far longer than it was worth, but I just can't get it out of my head. I don't have time to spend on it now, because my vacation is quickly coming to a close. I have to go back to teaching next week. Have you been in a public school lately? Yikes.
It sure isn't like it used to be. I get up in the morning and work on lessons, I work on lessons all day, I work on lessons when I get home then I am too mentally exhausted to do anything. I retire for the night (I wish I could retire from the job.) just to rise facing it all over again. Oh, I have the blues. I think I will go outside now and see if Nature will take her course on my mood. Someone suggested that I write a blues poem. Let's see, off the top of my head.

Da duh da duh I got the blues.
Da duh da duh the schoolteacher blues.
Da duh da duh Don't want to go back
just stay at home, do the snooze.

Da duh da duh .
Sorry, there isn't anymore. I think I may need to work on that just a little bit more.

Sunday's Poetry Quotes

Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.
~Kahlil Gibran

You can tear a poem apart to see what makes it tick... You're back with the mystery of having been moved by words. The best craftsmanship always leaves holes and gaps... so that something that is not in the poem can creep, crawl, flash or thunder in.
~Dylan Thomas


A poet can survive everything but a misprint.
~Oscar Wilde

Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

I've written some poetry I don't understand myself.
~Carl Sandburg

Poetry is not a turning loose of emotion, but an escape from emotion; it is not the expression of personality, but an escape from personality. But, of course, only those who have personality and emotions know what it means to want to escape from these things.
~T. S. Eliot

Hire Free Poets

Now there's an oxymoron. But it's true. If someone needs a poem for a special occasion, they can hire a poet for free. What a neat idea. If you need a poem for someone's anniversary, for instance, but you're not a poet and you know it, there is someone there to write it for you.

I remember one time on, I think it was, People's Court that this man did just that for a living. He would gather a little personal information and in about fifteen minutes, he had a poem about that person. It was quite cute.

So now there are some poets at SplashHall with the capability to help you with a poem should you ever need one. Serious or silly. Go to SplashHall Poetry, click on Request a Poem, and tell them what you need. There are some great people there who would be glad to help you. Hire Free Poets at SplashHall.

Does Technology "make us" more creative?

...This is also a good topic of discussion:

Does technology "make us" more creative? Or, does it simply allow us to be creative in more ways? Perhaps it enables the 'tapping' of creative potential...yet, how does machinery (interactive, to be sure) allow creativity to unfold?....computers offer us UNLIMITED MEMORY (plus retreival/access), CONNECTIVITY (with other people, other computers), & INTERACTIVITY (with the human brain, and with 'tools')...is this all we need?........
--from Michael R.

Winning

Someone asked me what it was like to be the winner of the NPAC award. I was exhilarated and humbled simultaneously. What does it mean to be a winner? I haven't won too many awards, but I can remember when I won the James A. Rodgers Creative Writing Award. I did not want to go to the awards ceremony because I had plans to go to the World 600 NASCAR race in Charlotte, NC. That was more my speed. Nevertheless, my mother took me by the ear and insisted that I go. I received my trophy and the accolades and put them on the back of a shelf and in the back of my mind. I never thought about what an honor it was until a few years ago when my aunt was being sent to live in a nursing home. As her children were packing up her belongings, they discovered a newspaper article lovingly and pristinely, albeit yellowed with age, preserved in her memory box. They sent it to me. How precious it is to me now. I was surprised that someone had cared enough to save it. How wonderful it was to know that someone appreciated my talent enough to even nominate me for that award in the first place and to actually win it. It gave me the oomph that I needed to start writing again. Since then I have published two books. I would have never wagered that I would ever have the courage to do that if it were not for the fact that someone cared enough to save an old newspaper clipping.
As I wrote in my book TatWitt What I Learned When I Learned to Tat, "All people, old and young, like to be substantiated and supported from time to time for their diligence and industry. Self-satisfaction is prime, but what could be wrong with a big old pat on the back…?"
I am humble yet proud, an antithesis, I know, but being honored is that "pat on the back" that everyone can use. Awards for me are few and far in between, and I accept them, I hope with graciousness.

GREETINGS from Michael Ricciardi

   I would like my first post on RT to serve also as my introduction. I am a poet, teacher, and multi-media artist living in Seattle, WA. I have been perfoming poetry [solo, and with multi-media/live music accompaniment] since 1991 with performances/readings [coffee houses, theatres, clubs, festivals] on both coasts. In that time I also produced three, mixed genre chapbooks ['amer arcana', 1993, 'Zygote Flux', 1998, 'Space Junk', 2003], with one chapbook, 'Emergeometry', published through Warm Mango Press/Danika Dinsmore in 2001. 
    In 1998, I was a member of the Seattle National Slam Team and participated in the National Poetry Slam in Austin, TX of that year.

   I stopped doing the slam after that year to pursue reseach and experimentation into other forms of poetry--specifically visual poetry and hybrid genres such as video/cine-poetry as well as 'cyberpoetry' and other new media manifestations. This culminated in the curating and production of 'Future For WORD' (you can view a ten minute promo doc of the Ex. at www.futureforword.org), a multi-media [now all electronic] exhibition of visual, experimental, interactive, and new media poetry ("poetry by other means...to the extreme." as I like to say) for the Seattle Poetry Festival, 2002, and the Bumbershoot Arts Festival, 2003.

   Recently [March, 2004], I submitted a paper proposal/abstract to the ESA/LEONARDO Conference Bureau for inclusion in the 7th Workshop On Space and the Arts, co-hosted by ESA [the European Space Agency], IAA [International Astronautics Association], and the OLATS/OURS Foundations. My abstract was one of 36 selected [out of 100+] to be presented at the conference in May of 2004, at ESTEC [the main headquarters for ESA] in Noordwijk, NL. My paper is entitled:

'The Exquisite Cosmonaut ~ Towards A Collaborative Poetics In Space'

   ..the paper will be published on the OLATS site at the end of this month, and by ESA [in print form] at the end of the summer. I have included a section form the introduction below, and I welcome any comments and suggestions...oh, if you wish me to send you the entire paper [8 pages] I can do so, in either WORD or PDF formats.

Thank you, and I hope to engage a few poetic minds while I'm here!--Michael Ricciardi


[intro to my paper]


The Exquisite Cosmonaut
Towards A Collaborative Poetics In Space

Michael Anthony Ricciardi
National Poetry Association
Marz62@yahoo.com

"They should have sent a poet." --From the novel Contact, by Carl Sagan


   So, what was Carl talking about? Perhaps, confronted with the immense and stunning beauty of the cosmos, and compelled to describe or express this experience, scientific language alone just doesn't cut it. For however abstract or intellectually complex our descriptions and representations may be, there is yet a profound and continuous emotional experience connected with the [long-term] scientific exploration of space.

   Although astro-physicists, space engineers, and cosmo/astronauts alike may think in terms of science and mathematics--can even communicate vast and complex knowledge in the form of equations and technical information--they still find the need to communicate this knowledge through language. Scientists still find the need to visualize their understanding, and hence the need for metaphor and imagery in scientific writings, especially those geared for a wider, educated audience. Verbal and textual metaphor is the stock in trade of the poet. Poetic expression is a bridge between the intellect and the emotional self. Poetry is capable of expressing [simultaneously] both complex understanding and profound emotionality. The poet does not so rigidly separate thinking and feeling. Science teaches us how to think about space and time, not how to feel about it.

   Unconsciously, we are all poets, or engaged in poetics, every moment, in the sense that we are 'making' [the meaning of poietes] reality, through myriad sensorial and cognitive/sub-cognitive processes, constructing a world. Indeed the sheer act of being is a poetic experience. Reciprocally, we make and are made by existence. When we consciously see this, we can participate in this existential poetics. Its expressions are endless.

Encountering the Unexpected

   As we continue our explorations of the cosmos, does anyone doubt that there will be surprises? Our universe has had 13 billion years to evolve its macro-scale features and its sub-quantum logic. Astronomers and astro-physicists have only recently verified the existence of varied sized black holes in our own galaxy. What marvels await us beyond that star cluster, or upon some distant moon? And when that moment comes again, when the science has not caught up to the perception, to the experience, how will language serve us in our descriptive imperatives? The momentous perception, the profound experience, will have made its mark on the psyche before its proper [or conscious] significance--in relation to what is known, in relation to the self and its awareness--is understood. If 'Language is the sin qua non of that experience we call mind' [The Tree Of Knowledge, Maturana/Varela], then poetry is its 'lingua franca'...'poiesis': making. As we speak and write, so we do build. And wheresoever our human destiny takes us, poetry, in some form, will go with us.

A Space Station Is a Space Habitat

   The ISS Alpha is not merely an orbiting laboratory [how many earth scientists do you know that have spent 128 days in the lab?], but a home in space. As such, it must also satisfy/fulfill all those human needs that we associate with a 'living space', including the human needs for transcendence, beauty, enjoyment, and inspiration. Thus does this paper assert: the right of people everywhere to seek inspiration, that is, to participate in the poetics of being.

ASTRONAUTS/COMSONAUTS AS EXTENIONS OF HUMAN CURIOSITY

  'I wanted to be a spaceman / that's what I wanted to be / But now that I am a spaceman / Nobody cares about me' --Nielson

   In 'Understanding Media ~ The Extensions of Man', culture guru Marshall McLuhan posits all media and technology as 'extensions of our senses'. This makes intuitive sense. And so we may take this theory and extrapolate it to space exploration, that is, that our space probes, telescopes, satellites--and especially for our purposes, astronauts--are like-wise extensions of our senses. But even more than this, when we reflect on the 'what' and 'why' of things, we realize that the cosmonaut is an embodiment of a fundamental human trait: curiosity, the drive to know. Perhaps this helps elucidate that profound connection we have with those who risk so much to explore space, which is to say, the future.

   In this sense then, astronauts can be viewed as "remote sensors" or extensions of human perception, intellectual striving, and, in the context of our search for life beyond earth, a deep, psychological longing. Indeed, the sheer state of being in space is an extraordinary human experience. We do in fact care greatly about our space explorers; we want to know. Through our astronauts, we all participate in the exploration of space, and through a 'collaborative poetics' we all can share in the creative expression of this experience.

   In 'The Unexpected Universe' anthropologist and science literati Loren Eiseley wrote: "Spider thoughts in a spider universe--sensitive to raindrop and moth flutter, nothing beyond. What is it we are a part of that we do not see?" This is a wonderfully apt and poetic observation. And if Walt Whitman was alive to ponder it, I sense he would respond with his poetry:
 
"my words go after what my eyes cannot see, with the twirl of my tongue I encompass worlds, and volumes of worlds"

   And that is it, really. Poetry is an aid to human imagination. It gives us the means to describe what is not yet known, not yet 'in view'. When what is hidden is suddenly revealed, we are surprised. This is as true for a poem as for a pulsar. So, in considering the place of poetry in space exploration, and in light of Whitman's tongue twirling, what are we more 'a part of', that is yet beyond our [normal] senses, than the cosmos itself?
 
Unexpected Affinities

   In attempting to understand how an astronaut might feel about poetry, or whether astronauts or cosmonauts actually wrote poetry, I commenced with a 'google' search on 'Poetry By Astronauts'…and got thirty thousand pages [that's 300,000 sites] of links of poetry FOR the astronauts, or with astronaut themes; many of these memorializing the Challenger and Columbia disasters...some touchingly naive or woefully unskilled, others more learned, and more artful. Some possessed that rare combination of qualities that make for excellence, that is, deeply moving poetry. But whichever, I beheld a vast poetic outpouring of grief and loss and renewed hope. We may not answer here the question of the role of poetry in space, or space in poetry, but there is abundant evidence of a profound connection between the poetic soul and the habitation and exploration of space.
 
   Poets have a special [perhaps transcendent] affinity for astronauts. We earth-dwellers hear of their doings from time to time amidst the daily deluge of war, injustice, and tragedy, and suddenly, there they are again: cosmonauts walking in space, astronauts repairing a defective panel [repairs remind us that where ever we go, we will always be doing maintenance]...and we are reminded of both how far we've come, how far we've yet to go, and we rededicate our earthly, human hopes/dreams to those brave men and women who do not simply dream, but who physically engage the actualization of this dream.

BEYOND SOLITUDE / BEYOND COOL

   Though traditionally held to be a solitary endeavor, poetry--be it spoken or written--can be a powerful and effective means of bringing people closer and enabling a sense of shared purpose and understanding. Thus this paper focuses on collaborative poetics--poetry created not in isolation, but in nearly continuous communication.

   Also, collaborative poetics in an orbital environment, or between space and earth environments, needs to be more than simply something 'cool'; some slick new configuration of technologies or the latest-greatest display interface [though these do have a place]. We can propose myriad ideas and uses of technology for poetry in earth orbit, but ultimately, we must decide what all this fancy, literary 'techno-ism' is doing--what we are doing. Are we doing this just to see if we can, merely to say that we did it? Yes, there is some value in doing something for the sheer joy of doing it. John Cage has said, "The greatest purpose is to have no purpose". But how can we propose collaborative poetry [a time-consuming, technically challenging endeavor] for the 'purpose of no purpose'? And what then is the purpose, value, and meaning of such poetics? If it is to be 'omni-inter-accommodative' (a Bucky Fuller concept) to the astronauts and their environment, if it is to offer the possibility of shared, creative work, and at the same time, be a source of, and a means for, granting insight and/or the revealing of purpose and meaning, then it has potentially great value in my view.

   Supposedly, we have the technology to laser project onto the moon, and laser write on the atmosphere [ionosphere]. And one could argue, that the day is nigh when such technology will be exploited for commercial purposes [visualize this: as the sunclipse unfolds, a slow fade-in of gigantic text condenses amidst the purple, pink, and gold vapors: Try New & Improved PO-EX...]. And so, we should therefore preempt commercial use with artful use, though this is likely to be as controversial as the commercial use. This 'art first' viewpoint may have some validity, but again, I must always ask: what is the purpose of such a use--to do something radically, technologically new ["I did it first"]? To make a really impressive addition to one's resume? And then, there are the 'political' concerns: whose poetry? What language, what form, and what content? The moon and sky belong to no one, to everyone. Space art must strive always to balance the personal with the universal.

A Cautionary Note On 'Other People's Poetry'

    In The Hitch-hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adam's outrageous take on space exploration [and exploitation], we are given the cautionary example of "Vogon poetry"—-an alien poetry so vile and offensive that anyone unlucky enough to hear it is immediately convulsed with nausea and/or the sudden impulse to commit suicide. In considering the creation/displaying of 'other people's poetry', I like to remind my self of this fictional poetic form, and so, espouse collaborative works which have multiple authorship, and are, at least interesting [in terms of process and contributing thought], if not of 'stellar' quality. Collaborative poetry does not guarantee quality poetry, but, due to its collective nature, it is often profoundly revelatory, and nearly always, great fun.

SplashPoets Win In NPAC Contest

The scores for the Net Poetry and Art Competition (NPAC), are in. The NPAC is a monthly poetry and art competition among several boards on the internet. Witt, SplashHall's Poetry Director, took First Place. WordWeaver, Senior SplashHost, placed 8th. SplashHall Poetry placed 4th overall as Top Poetry Board.

Poems are scored by an independent panel of three judges. Scoring is based on creativity, cohesiveness, impact, craftsmanship, voice, and form/structure. Complete scores, winners and top 3 poems can be seen here at the NPAC.

Top Ten SplashHall Poetry Activities ~ July 2004

Something is always brewing in the SplashHall ..Here's the current top 10..

First off Tons of Congratulations to "What America Means to Me" Poetry Picture Challenge Winners Elise (First Place) and WordWeaver (Honorable Mention) ..you can read their poems .."Ray Charles America" and "Freedom" Here

Our Next Poetry Picture Challenge is up, I think its a good picture to write, I am sure there will be some interesting preceptions..

cafeRg's ~ Splash Poetry Picture Challenge

A new addition to Splash is Rollin Thunder, Poetry Commentry, Insights and Selected Poems ..it's what is called a "blog" .."blogs" are sophisticated journals or diaries ..they are a web (blog0sphere) within a web (internet) ..they are more personal (taking on the personality of its owner(s), usually, than a webpage ..allowing for commenting from visiting poets ..you can find a detailed explanationat Wikipedia:weBLOGS

Also at Rollin Thunder you will find lots of links to other blogs ..Writers Digest said "blogs" was a great way for writers to get published, while waiting for that BIG publishing deal. Check out Rollin Thunder Today. We are looking for Contributing Editors and our looking for articles from poets. Just email me back if your interested.

ConGrats !! also goes to Witt our Poetry Directory who is Poet in the Spotlight and SplashHost for the Month ~ July 2004. I'm telling ya, can she ever swing that AX. She'll make a Great Poet out of the best.

One of our ..Poets ..SplashHost ..Brother ..has just self-published a book of his awesome poems at lulus.com Bobs Poems. Check it out and show your support.

In addition to daily poetry readings and socializing at the Poets Cafe, we have added for a more sensuous setting the Poets Cafe Erotica. We have a special erotic poetry reading Saturday Night at 10:00 PM EST in Halsoft VP Chat on the adult side. You can come in as a guest for FREE, ( chat.vpchat.com and chat.vpadult.com in your old 163 VP Chat Client ).

Have you read Rus Bowden's Poetry and Poets in Rags .. here's an excerpt, "..This is cool. How about for our back page this week, a poet laureate in a donut shop in a small town away from the east coast ..with two on the decline of reading in America. Of the middle six then, much good stuff, including love poetry. How about erotic haiku? How about Yiddish love poetry? How about a poem from "100 air miles southwest of Kenai" or written in Iraq onto emptied-out cigarette wrappers?" It's very cool stuff, check it out.


Somethings always brewing at Splash !

Happy Writings..

Your Family at Splash!

Writers Block?

I recently read the following letter from Writers Digest.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

A friend of mine recently ran into some trouble completing his novel. Mainly, his plot didn't seem to hop off the page and grab readers' attention.

But--with the help of his writing group--now he's right back on track. He and his writing buddies spent an entire night dissecting his novel; rewriting characters and evaluating the plot line.


A writing group is an excellent source of feedback for any writer--from beginners to advanced. If you're struggling with your writing, try finding some writing friends. Then start picking their brains!

Best wishes,
--Christine Mersch, newsletter editor

That's great advice and a great way to network. At SplashHall Poetry Boards we have created an excellent workshop for poets. Unlike some poetry workshops where all they say, "wow - nice poem or nope it doesnt make sense to me, boring" (I am sure you have been to some), we will actually offer some appropriate alternatives. Help you with ryhyme and metre, if a stanza doesnt cut it, we'll let you know and offer some creative tips.

That's not all you will receive at SplashHall Poetry Boards. You'll find grass roots people and become part of a poetry family that really cares. From showcasing your poetry to a variety of workshops, local and national poetry competitions. InterBoard Poetry Competition, Net Poetry and Art Competition, cafeRg's Poetry Picture Challenge, Elise's Weekly Haiku challenge to name a few. Words games, an Erotica Poetry Tour complete with fine art nudity and music. If you're feeling hungry check out the recipes in the Splash Kitchen. There's always something brewing at SplashHall.

You won't get bored at SplashHall Poetry Boards. If you like a dynamic approach you can join us at the Poets Cafe in Halsoft VP Chat for some down home live poetry reads and socializing. It's like no other chat experience, you will feel and think you are really there.

Check us out today. You'll surely give your creative muse a boost and meet some great caring friends.

SplashHall Poetry Boards

Sunday's Poetry Quotes

When, however, one reads of a witch being ducked, of a woman possessed by devils, of a wise woman selling herbs, or even a very remarkable man who had a mother, then I think we are on the track of a lost novelist, a suppressed poet. . . indeed, I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman. ~ Virgina WoolfI must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce and agriculture in order to give their children a right to study painting, poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain. ~ John Adams

Creativity arises out of the tension between spontaneity and limitations, the latter (like the river banks) forcing the spontaneity into the various forms which are essential to the work of art or poem. ~ Rollo Mays

The same could be said of poetry..

I find working with glass meditative, almost therapeutic. I can leave the world behind, and focus... The simplicity of form, the drama of rich, intense colour, the joy of challenge, and the challenge of endurance... The piece, when it is over, is not what is made, but how it is made. ~ Andrew Kuntz

Cin(E)-Poetry: The Uneasy Writer

Today I was brought the news that a class on Cin(E)-poetry I was going to teach at Asilomar's Writers Conference had been cancelled due to low enrollment. Disappointing since the majority of attendees at this conference tend to be English Teachers from California. I planned on showing them the best the artform has to offer as well as simple, easy techniques to create a cinepoem using a computer and simple editing software. Their excuse?Funding cuts forced them to cut several items from this year's conference. I had been invited to this conference by a person who saw my presentation at the Teacher's of English Conference in Baltimore a few years ago. Here are some pics from that visit.

Days like today force me to think about the successes and challenges of bringing the beautiful art form of Cin(E)-Poetry to schools and the publc. Last month, I was invited to go to Los Angeles and make a presenation and conduct a workshop.

This event was very much like past visits; an inspired person sees a cinepoem (not necessarily mine) and suddenly wants to bring it to his/her community. In this case, it was a pastor who goes by the name 'Sistah C'. A lovely woman who works at the VA hospital as well as conduct her ministry. The presentation and workshop went well and everyone seemed honestly inspired and they talked about creating their own Cin(E)-Poetry Festival in LA for Nov. 2004.

Before I go on, maybe I should give you a brief history of how and why I got involved in being THE advocate for a relatively unknown artform that mixes cinema with sound, music and, most importantly-poetry.

Since graduating from UC San Diego in 1989, with a roll of paper stating my media-making qualifications, I hoped I could find something that my passions and time could take hold. Working as a gopher on commercials or films wasn't for me and I didn't have the means to make an independent film. By chance, I walked into the National Poetry Association office then located at Fort Mason in San Francisco and met Herman Berlandt the founder. This old man looked frail but lightening shot of his eyes when he spoke of poetry and what his organization is doing. His plan sounded so grand and important, 'Uniting the World through Poetry'.

How could he do this out of a small, windowless office with books and dust thrown together on the floor and tables? He pointed to a mound of 16MM film cannisters next to exposed hot light bulbs and foul-smelling chemicals. I put one of the films on the projector and out came something I hadn't seen in school or in any film venue. It was so beautifully simple, elegant and thoughtfully constructed and only 3 minutes long. I watched another and then another and before long I realize I had stumbled onto something very rare and compelling. By that time, Herman had held 15 Poetry Film Festivals,
mostly in small rooms with a dozen people or so watching. I thought, we should bring this to the world not only for its entertainment value, but for its educational and enlightening qualities as well.

For the next 10 years, I produced several of the festivals myself in larger venues and produced a short cable series as well as provided compilation tapes to teachers around the country. Film and video entries grew as well as their quality and expression of unique ideas inherent in a good poem. I, who never read much poetry until I came to the NPA, has now heard, read and seen more poetry than 99% of the people living. (The jury is still out on whether this is a good thing or a bad thiing)

The Internet brought even more opportunity to introduce people to the genre and the period between 1996-2000 was the most productive as more people where able to see these works via cable shows in SF and Philly, through new Videopoery festivals in Vancouver, Chicago and Boston and through the NPA website which was one of the first sites to stream video on the web. Still, the outlets were small, non-profitish types of things and I always feel like this should be on mainstream. But you won't see any cinepoetry on local tv, cable or otherwise for reasons that still escape me. I've come to realize that the artform may take time before it hits the big time, like the way it took Impressionism 80 years to get accepted in the art world.

So I hit the road in 2001 bringing a laptop full of films to rural schools in the Midwest and stopping in various places around the country to finally create my own cinepoems. A dreamy time filled with many revelations and good people along the way. I actually kept an online journal (with pics) during that time covering trips to Peru, New Orleans Spain etc. You can see that HERE.

So what is the state of Cin(E)-Poetry, you ask? The romantic in me wants to say that it is growing in the minds of those thousands of people I've been able to reach over those long, lean years. That people continue to create unique, brilliant works around the world and send them to festivals or simply post them on their website which I only do now. If you'd care to see mine visit http://www.George.Aguilar.com. You'll need Windows Media Viewer.

The Future? Well, I really think VOD (Video-on-Demand) is the place where this should go. I run and maintain the world's largest and richest archive of videopoems, filmpoems and cinepoems(Over 600 titles!) Nearly all have been converted to digital format so that future generations can view and enjoy them. VOD companies must be hunting for new content. Also, I'm working on an initiative to create an online version of the archive that is available to schools to use in the teaching of poetry and film art.

I know that nothing great happens because of just one person which is why I continue to network with like-minded souls around the globe to find a way to make some of that old man's dreams (and mine) come true. Let me know your ideas and thoughts. I'm always open to new things!

Here is an inspiring poem to think about by Andrea Paul currently published on Mosaic Minds

Stay well.

A Poets View ~ Series of Perspectives IV

by Yolanda C.

There's a favorite black and white photograph that comes to mind as I'm writing my viewpoint on poets and poetry. It shows a hard faced, middle age housewife lugging around a shopping cart. Inside is a cheap, framed copy of
Picasso's "The Dream". The first time I saw this photograph, many years ago, I thought the picture was suppose to show the coarseness of the woman
and how art had been cheapen by mass production.

Many years later, I now look at this photograph differently. I like to imagine that the woman in the picture was just hungry for something beautiful in her
life and so she bought the picture, to fill this need.

I see poetry that way now. Like that picture in the supermarket, poetry has always been there to
put in my cart. It's accessible to me, it always has been, not only to read but to write now.

There's so many new voices and techniques in poetry. It just "blows me away." So many ways to be inspired but still find your own voice. The internet has surely made a difference in making the poetry world more reachable. Without the internet, I would not have been able to enroll
in an on-line poetry course offered by a local university. I also would not have been able to have my work reviewed via poetry websites. Like most poets probably, I have a full time job, a house and family to take care of.
My time is more restricted than ever. The internet has enabled me to rediscover the world of poetry and hopefully my place in it.

Yolanda C. is an accomplished poet at both Moontown Cafe and SplashHall Poetry.

Poetry and Tatting

from the book
TatWitt: What I Learned When I Learned to Tat

Tatting is a tactile process, but mysteriously it releases the mind with its rhythm. Its cadence soothes so well that thoughts tend to meander through problem paths. Worries unweave and solutions slither in. The mind miraculously creates a void allowing resolutions to be released and clarity fills the inane. Never before had the written word been so thoroughly appreciated. Somehow ideas coalesce into verse,prose translates itself into poetry. Blessed fingers tend to tat and now to write.

What I learned was that there is poetry in the patterns that we use because they were created in someone's heart. I learned what beauty can be captured in the treasures that we make and in the words that others or we write. Through all of this the heart can become receptive to so many new ideas and different joys that had previously gone unheeded.

A Poets View ~ Series of Perspectives III

by Lady SunShine

I find such uniqueness in the different views and styles of writing, amazing. Reading awakens creative awareness. I enjoy poetry, seeing the different feelings, expressions and ideas that can be expressed, while adding a touch of flair. So many wonderful writers out there. Each one displays their own sense of beauty painting the bark of white with touching words.

The Poets Pen

Full of wishes and dreams
Visions seen
Visions lost
Ink flows from their wells
Sometimes with ease
Sometimes with a priceless cost

It can be splattered with pain
Or painted beauty that overflows

Spilling over the lonely bark of white
Filling it up with pieces of memories


Imagination
Sweet stories

Truth
Reality
Total fantasy
Even nightly screams

Feelings
Inspiration
Can come from anything
But the ink that spills
And fills the well
Comes from the poet's soul

They let the ink gild with ease
Pouring from their
Connected thoughts


As the wisdom clock chimes
You may never know
What one will find
When the ink flows
From the poet's soul

© Sunshinegirl 8-28-03

Lady Sunshine is a Senior SplashHost at
SplashHall Poetry. She also does webdesign with beautiful musical pages at Music World, filled with poetry, music including cin(E)-Poetry.