Firstly, I hope you recover soon. That all sounds extremly uncomfortable and painful. 🙏🏻
As for connections... I probably connect with Ada Limón's methodology the most. I've yet to publish a complete collection. However, I did try several years ago during my first run with college to self-publish a book through Amazon's CreateSpace platform. Needless to say, the resulting product was good enough for a coffee table, but not for the shelves of a bookstore.
That said, I'm literally a thought dumper when it comes to writing my poetry. There never is a cohesive theme in my mind at the time of writing (mostly passing idealizations). All of which have accumulated over the last couple years, and I'm only now trying to hunt through all my Google Doc files and ramblings inside notebooks, to uncover context for what I would consider my first collection.
In all that contemplation, I'm like Ada in that I'm only now searching for what makes sense together.
On the other side of the coin, however, I firmly believe that not all poetry collections need to have one cohesive theme. Call me a rebel, but I'm sure most truly creative thinkers can relate to this thought.
I agree. This has been my strategy for book 2. If nothing else, it has helped me feel that I am committed to exploring a certain territory, more consciously weaving the next thread—anchor poems like the anchor points in a spider's web.
Once again, these authors validate the parallels between the processes of creating poetry and visual art. It's about what brings the creator joy, beyond intellectual solutions. Thanks for bringing these two perspectives to light.
Firstly, I hope you recover soon. That all sounds extremly uncomfortable and painful. 🙏🏻
As for connections... I probably connect with Ada Limón's methodology the most. I've yet to publish a complete collection. However, I did try several years ago during my first run with college to self-publish a book through Amazon's CreateSpace platform. Needless to say, the resulting product was good enough for a coffee table, but not for the shelves of a bookstore.
That said, I'm literally a thought dumper when it comes to writing my poetry. There never is a cohesive theme in my mind at the time of writing (mostly passing idealizations). All of which have accumulated over the last couple years, and I'm only now trying to hunt through all my Google Doc files and ramblings inside notebooks, to uncover context for what I would consider my first collection.
In all that contemplation, I'm like Ada in that I'm only now searching for what makes sense together.
On the other side of the coin, however, I firmly believe that not all poetry collections need to have one cohesive theme. Call me a rebel, but I'm sure most truly creative thinkers can relate to this thought.
Ada Limon's comments are tremendously helpful. Building out from "anchor poems" makes so much sense. Much appreciated.
I agree. This has been my strategy for book 2. If nothing else, it has helped me feel that I am committed to exploring a certain territory, more consciously weaving the next thread—anchor poems like the anchor points in a spider's web.
Once again, these authors validate the parallels between the processes of creating poetry and visual art. It's about what brings the creator joy, beyond intellectual solutions. Thanks for bringing these two perspectives to light.
Thank you for curating parts of these interviews for us. I like how these approaches are more organic than others I've encountered.