Sleeping on the Wing Poetry Challenge

[Angeline]

Sleeping on the Wing is a book of poems edited by Kenneth Koch and Kate Farrell. The book is intended for high school/college teachers to use in a poetry class. The book has 23 main sections, one for each poet in the book. Each section includes a handful of poems or excerpts of long poems, which is followed by a short essay about the poet, who he or she was, why they wrote what they did, what techniques or characteristics are typical of their writing. That is followed by a poetry exercise that hopes to allow the writer to use some of the famous poet's approaches, to incorporate them in one's own poem.

I think this is a fascinating idea for a challenge. Present the information--the poems and the explanation--and then the exercise. Then we follow the exercise and write. I envision us needing at least one full week per poet, so this challenge will go on.

Here are the poets:

Walt Whitman
Emily Dickinson Week Four 3/30/08-4/6/08
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Arthur Rimbaud
William Butler Years
Gertrude Stein
Ranier Maria Rilke
Wallace Stevens Week One 3/8-3/15/08
Guillaume Apollinaire
William Carlos Williams
D.H. Lawrence
Ezra Pound Week Two 3/16/08-3/23/08
T.S. Eliot
Vladimir Mayakowsky
E.E. Cummings
Federico Garcia Lorca
W.H. Auden
Allen Ginsberg
Frank O'Hara Week Three 3/23/08-3/30/08
John Ashberry
Gary Snyder
LeRoi Jones (Imamu Amiri Baraka)
Kenneth Koch

Those would be the poets we'd read and write with. If you choose to stick with all 23 poets you get um a gold star and the scarlet A from Angeline, which indicate er nothing. You get your poems! What's better than that?

If you don't do all 23, we still love you (even if you are weak!), but I'll create a new thread for each poet, so really anyone could jump in when they are so moved to do so.

Anyone in? Any questions?

 

[tungtied2u]

I note 9 views and no replies. Obviously you have intimidated us......
and here I was enjoying a fancy free weekend. Now I will have to slink about until I build up the courage to respond as to my intentions.

I would think you have better things to do than throw a challenge like this at us. It's spring isn't it ? and that new found freedom ? uh-huh. I thought so. ee needs to do a better job at occupying you.....

 

[normal jean]

ok sis, do we write in a style similar to that particular poet? or what....

I'll try, at least

love you

 

[unpredictablebijou]

I am in, dammit, though I will have constant cause to regret it.

cool idea.

bj

 

[Angeline]

I note 9 views and no replies. Obviously you have intimidated us......
and here I was enjoying a fancy free weekend. Now I will have to slink about until I build up the courage to respond as to my intentions.

I would think you have better things to do than throw a challenge like this at us. It's spring isn't it ? and that new found freedom ? uh-huh. I thought so. ee needs to do a better job at occupying you.....

Well, you don't have to agree to do all of it. You have the option of jumping in and out as the spirit moves you. I'm going to try to stick with it and looks like NJ and Bijou are going for it, too. It is one poem a week after all. Who can't leach out one poem per week? And you'll learn something--about the poet, about yourself.

And eagleyez said he might do it. lol. He did but he might change his mind. I'm not nagging him or anyone else about it. We are all responsible for our own poems. And to sweeten the pot I will critique a poem for any participant willing to critique mine.

And he's keeping me occupied just fine, but neither of us are 25 anymore you letch! Sometimes we take breaks and write poems and stuff.

 

[Tzara]

Sleeping on the Wing is a book of poems edited by Kenneth Koch and Kate Farrell. The book is intended for high school/college teachers to use in a poetry class. The book has 23 main sections, one for each poet in the book. Each section includes a handful of poems or excerpts of long poems, which is followed by a short essay about the poet, who he or she was, why they wrote what they did, what techniques or characteristics are typical of their writing. That is followed by a poetry exercise that hopes to allow the writer to use some of the famous poet's approaches, to incorporate them in one's own poem.

I think this is a fascinating idea for a challenge. Present the information--the poems and the explanation--and then the exercise. Then we follow the exercise and write. I envision us needing at least one full week per poet, so this challenge will go on.

Here are the poets:

Walt Whitman
Emily Dickinson
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Arthur Rimbaud
William Butler Years
Gertrude Stein
Ranier Maria Rilke
Wallace Stevens
Guillaume Apollinaire
William Carlos Williams
D.H. Lawrence
Ezra Pound
T.S. Eliot
Vladimir Mayakowsky
E.E. Cummings
Federico Garcia Lorca
W.H. Auden
Allen Ginsberg
Frank O'Hara
John Ashberry
Gary Snyder
LeRoi Jones (Imamu Amiri Baraka)
Kenneth Koch

Those would be the poets we'd read and write with. If you choose to stick with all 23 poets you get um a gold star and the scarlet A from Angeline, which indicate er nothing. You get your poems! What's better than that?

If you don't do all 23, we still love you (even if you are weak!), but I'll create a new thread for each poet, so really anyone could jump in when they are so moved to do so.

Anyone in? Any questions?

I'll likely miss some weeks. If nothing else, I'll be out o' the country for a while in May. (And out o' Internetliness.) But I can't say no to something inspired by my man Koch.

Well, I suppose I could, but I won't.

Anyway, count on me sorta kinda. Work is really busy this year, so if I can slop around the week-by-week thingie, I'll keep up as best I can.

I wish we didn't start with Whitman and Dickinson. G. M. Hopkins I can do, if periodically parodically.

No Joyce Kilmer? What a shame.

 

[champagne1982]

I nearly volunteered to write an essay on one of those poets. WTF??? I am not an idiot. Bring on the first week and let me come to my senses.

 

[Angeline]

I nearly volunteered to write an essay on one of those poets. WTF??? I am not an idiot. Bring on the first week and let me come to my senses.

So far (I think)

Angeline
Normal Jean
Tungtied2u
Bijou
Tzara
Champagne

I'm not suggesting that you'll all be here for all 23 poets, but we'll see how it goes eh?

I will post the first poet thread (and I'm not saying I will go in order) tomorrow. Let's keep this thread for general discussion. Each poet thread will have poems and critique.

Happy writing O brave band of adventurers. Jami-san? PoeTess? Anna? Fooly? RhymeSmith? Evie? Homie? Eluard? UYS? Liar? Is there anybody else out there.

 

[champagne1982]

So far (I think)

Angeline
Normal Jean
Tungtied2u
Bijou
Tzara
Champagne

I'm not suggesting that you'll all be here for all 23 poets, but we'll see how it goes eh?

I will post the first poet thread (and I'm not saying I will go in order) tomorrow. Let's keep this thread for general discussion. Each poet thread will have poems and critique.

Happy writing O brave band of adventurers. Jami-san? PoeTess? Anna? Fooly? RhymeSmith? Evie? Homie? Eluard? UYS? Liar? Is there anybody else out there.

Oh, I'm in and I'm really looking forward to learning more about the poets and their poetry. Odds are, I'll learn a bit about my own (as well as the other participants'). Bonne écrirer.

 

[twelveoone]

Sleeping on the Wing is a book of poems edited by Kenneth Koch and Kate Farrell. The book is intended for high school/college teachers to use in a poetry class. The book has 23 main sections, one for each poet in the book. Each section includes a handful of poems or excerpts of long poems, which is followed by a short essay about the poet, who he or she was, why they wrote what they did, what techniques or characteristics are typical of their writing. That is followed by a poetry exercise that hopes to allow the writer to use some of the famous poet's approaches, to incorporate them in one's own poem.

I think this is a fascinating idea for a challenge. Present the information--the poems and the explanation--and then the exercise. Then we follow the exercise and write. I envision us needing at least one full week per poet, so this challenge will go on.

Here are the poets:

Walt Whitman
Emily Dickinson
Gerard Manley Hopkins
Arthur Rimbaud
William Butler Years
Gertrude Stein
Ranier Maria Rilke
Wallace Stevens
Guillaume Apollinaire
William Carlos Williams
D.H. Lawrence
Ezra Pound
T.S. Eliot
Vladimir Mayakowsky
E.E. Cummings
Federico Garcia Lorca
W.H. Auden
Allen Ginsberg
Frank O'Hara
John Ashberry
Gary Snyder
LeRoi Jones (Imamu Amiri Baraka)
Kenneth Koch

Those would be the poets we'd read and write with. If you choose to stick with all 23 poets you get um a gold star and the scarlet A from Angeline, which indicate er nothing. You get your poems! What's better than that?

If you don't do all 23, we still love you (even if you are weak!), but I'll create a new thread for each poet, so really anyone could jump in when they are so moved to do so.

Anyone in? Any questions?

I assume we have to buy the book???

This should be interesting, since I could never figure out John Ashberry.


I am amused, I assure you.

 

[normal jean]

I actually can't wait! I finally realize what is wrong with me. I have no structure, no discipline. I need a goal or I don't finish anything and I need the prospect of failure in another's eyes whom I respect, or I rarely even try, lol.

Thanks for this Angeline- was the first thing I thought of when I woke his morning.

 

[Angeline]

I assume we have to buy the book???

This should be interesting, since I could never figure out John Ashberry.


I am amused, I assure you.

You can if you want, but not really necessary. The main info we need will be on the threads.

 

[Angeline]

I actually can't wait! I finally realize what is wrong with me. I have no structure, no discipline. I need a goal or I don't finish anything and I need the prospect of failure in another's eyes whom I respect, or I rarely even try, lol.

Thanks for this Angeline- was the first thing I thought of when I woke his morning.

You're welcome sis. It seems kind of daunting to me on one hand, but a lot of fun on the other, And mainly great exercise.

 

[champagne1982]

I assume we have to buy the book???

This should be interesting, since I could never figure out John Ashberry.

I am amused, I assure you.

You can if you want, but not really necessary. The main info we need will be on the threads.

I think that since this is listed as a text book and this thread is a little like a poor, unfunded one room school, Mr Koch and Ms Farrell wouldn't mind us sharing a single copy. I for one, went looking at Amazon and can get a copy for 2.99, listed as New and shipped within 2 business days for delivery within 10 of them. However, I'm gonna go look for it at the library.

 

[twelveoone]

G. M. Hopkins I can do, if periodically parodically.

ROFL,
Well you are off to a bad start...all for paradox.

 

[Angeline]

I think that since this is listed as a text book and this thread is a little like a poor, unfunded one room school, Mr Koch and Ms Farrell wouldn't mind us sharing a single copy. I for one, went looking at Amazon and can get a copy for 2.99, listed as New and shipped within 2 business days for delivery within 10 of them. However, I'm gonna go look for it at the library.

I agree. I wondered about whether it is kosher to do this before I started this thread, but I think it is very much in the spirit of what Koch (at least, I don;t know Farrell) would want.

 

[twelveoone]

from http://www.kli.ac.at/theorylab/Areas/DB.html
"The poet Vladimir Mayakowsky wrote that revoutions (sic) of content require revolutions of structure. And if any science has had a revolution in content, it is developmental biology..."

hmmm

Thanks for a name that looks of interest.

 

[Guest]

............

 

[Angeline]

Particpants so far

Angeline
tungtied2u
Normal Jean
Champagne
unpredictablebijou
Tzara
1201/anonomouse
Jamison

Eight brave souls so far. Who else? Remember the two rules:

1. You are not committing to doing all 23 exercises, but it'd be great if you can hang in there. This challenge will go on for months and I hope will stimulate some interesting conversations as well as poetry.

2. If someone critiques your poem, you must return the favor and critique theirs. The are no set criteria for what a critique should include, but here's a guideline we've had on the site for a while:

Guidelines for Feedback


1. Say whether or not you liked the poem overall and why.

2. Name at least one specific thing you liked about--
____subject
____language use
____format

3. Is there anything you just don't understand in the poem? What?

4. Can you think of a better way to say anything in the poem. If you can, suggest it!

5. Do you know of another poem or link that you think would help? If so, include it.

Always try to make specific suggestions for improvement. Ranting that a poem doesn't work or raving about it without saying why doesn't help the writer. Above all, be truthful but kind. Write the kind of review you'd like to get.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

Will come back and read this all better tomorrow when I havent got distractions!

 

[happypeekers]

I think I will give this a try

 

[Angeline]

Sounds great folks! Just remember to put your poems in the other thread, that is in this one here.

There'll be a new Sleeping on the Wing challenge beginning Sunday.

 

[champagne1982]

Y'know, I can't help but imagine a high school lit teacher moving through these works and exercises wincing every time I write a poem in mimicry of the poets who created them. In my mind I liken these instructors to music teachers who must hear their novices butcher the beautiful compositions of the masters with every tangle of fingers or misplaced rhythm.

Here's to you, gorgeous pedagogues, every one.

 

[Angeline]

Y'know, I can't help but imagine a high school lit teacher moving through these works and exercises wincing every time I write a poem in mimicry of the poets who created them. In my mind I liken these instructors to music teachers who must hear their novices butcher the beautiful compositions of the masters with every tangle of fingers or misplaced rhythm.

Here's to you, gorgeous pedagogues, every one.

My son's clarinet lessons forever ruined Clair de Lune for me, but now he can riff on it and weave it into his own music.

I agree. Lots to wince over, but becoming original is a process that develops: it almost never springs full-blown from a vacuumn. Not for me, anyway. So take that Mr. Alito! (My senior year English teacher--who in an odd twist of fate is also the uncle of the U.S. Supreme Court Justice...but I digress as usual.)

 

[Homburg]

Happy writing O brave band of adventurers. Jami-san? PoeTess? Anna? Fooly? RhymeSmith? Evie? Homie? Eluard? UYS? Liar? Is there anybody else out there.

Good lord, you include me in that list like I've some sort of poetic ability.