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Poetics

Christine

Break Out!

We are all wannabe's. We wannabe the next poet laureate even if we don't admit it. O.K. Start small. Aim for fame among your writers' group. Then go for the City. Then the County, the State and eventually the BIG one - move over Robert Pinsky, here I am! Actually, we have probably all been bestowed with this title. I have been my parents' laureate for years - and just recently have pursued this talent that for years they professed I possessed.

Of course, on the other side of that coin, my children just shake their heads and say "Good, Mom. I'm glad for you" as they back out the door.

Who are your admirers? If you are lucky, your family is behind you (and not just retreating behind your back). Barring that, do you have friends that ask you to compose for them? Are you part of a writers' group, or a member of the fine arts club in your town? These organizations can really work for you if you let them. Do not be afraid to expose yourself. Don't be offended if they do not swoon with emotion at every line you have written - remember, the object is to improve, improve, improve. Ask them what needs to be worked on. Ask them if they understood your poem and find out which lines didn't work. Take their advice and rewrite, then take it back to them a second, third, fourth time. Remember, they represent the people that you want to actually read your stuff when you are published. We all need support and encouragement from our peers. Nothing can beat the feeling that you get when someone whose work you admire reads or listens to your poem, then turns and says "Gee, that's really good! You need to do something with that."

O.K. Now what? You're ready to break out of your cocoon, crack the egg and peek out.

If you want to try something different, write a poem to the editor instead of a letter, or respond to an article with a poem instead of just a paragraph. This works - I've done it. Don't know if they liked what I had to say, or just the way I said it, but they PUBLISHED it! I probably doubled their circulation that month, just to send all my relatives copies with little yellow notes attached saying "Check out page 13!" I confess I do this with T-zero, also. It gets forwarded to all my relatives every time I have a column.

That suggestion is good for new stuff but if you are like me, you have lots of things taking up space in your files or on your hard disk. What about that poem you wrote for that exercise on 'color' that you did for Monday night's class? Certainly, everybody raved about it. Do you feel it has something special?

Enter a contest! I am addicted to them. Whenever I find a contest, I pay my $5 and send in whatever I've just finished, sure it is my best work yet and that it will be recognized for what it is - the poet's ultimate creation. I also admit that I have more canceled checks than awards - but I'm still trying! I figure the law of averages will allow me to break even eventually.

By the way, contests are a great way to focus your writing. Sometimes it is harder to write on specific subject or to fit a particular format than to just let yourself go and write what you feel like writing that day. When writing for contests, you have to discipline yourself if you want to submit something new, or learn how to categorize your stuff so that you are able to find something in your files that will fit the requirements. One word of caution, though. Be wary of contests, especially those that don't charge an entry fee. There are some good ones out there, but a lot of traps for those of us who really, really want to see our stuff in print. Some will send you a letter stating that you didn't win anything, but they are going to use your poem in "the book" and how many copies would you like to order? When you get it you will have a hard time finding your poem in the crowded pages. Somehow, I have a feeling that the number of poems in the book is directly related to the number of books they sold. Just be careful.

Have something a little off-the wall? Go to a poetry slam and boldly take your place behind the microphone. I'm going to expose my age here, but the coffee houses that were popular when I was a teen are making a comeback with cappuccinos and espressos, and along with them the poetry readings and jazz nights. When done right these things are great fun. You can listen to college students, housewives, company presidents, janitors - people from all walks of life who for this night have a common bond. Sometimes they can be very encouraging, and lest I get your hopes up, sometimes they can be very brutal. But pick yourself up, dust your poem off, clean it up a little, and try again! Next week it could be a big hit.

Send something in to your favorite magazine. We all have seen them, those poems that 'fill' spaces on the magazine pages. Well, they got them from someone, why not you? Check out their requirements and, of course, what they pay. Don't be disappointed, but most don't pay much - the contests have larger prizes. But as I always say, it looks good on your resume. When you submit things it is great to be able to say "poetry published in John Smith's Journal, Fish Tales, and Cats and Dogs". It's the old catch-22. The larger magazines would rather publish someone who is already published than break out an unknown, (sort of like companies want to hire a 25 year old with a 7-year degree and 10 years' experience) so start with small ones and work your way up.

Submit it to T-zero. I saved the best for last, of course. We have been getting some great submissions, and would like to see this increase. Variety is the spice of life, so even if you don't see your kind of poetry, send it in - you might be the first! We try for a personal response to every presentation, so check out our submissions guidelines, and show us your stuff!