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Monday, April 25, 2011

A Poemcrazy Giveaway

I can't believe it's already the last week of April! Which means, sadly, the last week of National Poetry Month. I thought it would be fun to spend some of the week exploring how to write your own poems. Though I'm not sure there is such a thing as "how to" when it comes to poetry. (If you've seen Dead Poets Society, you know what I'm talking about- "Be gone,  Mr. Pritchard!"). Anyway, if there is one book that I would recommend for setting aside inhibition when it comes to writing poetry, it is poemcrazy by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge.   
I love this book because it is NOT a heavy dose of academia. The short chapters are chock full of Ms. Wooldridge's own experience with the power of poetry- as writer and teacher. There are exercises, anecdotes, famous poems, as well as, those of her students(who range in age from elementary students to adults). Often, I simply open it to a random chapter, and let the Muse that inhabits those pages carry me. I have found that following her suggestions, playing with words, toying with who I am in poem form, does in fact set me free from a long day of crappy blood sugars or a bout of depression. Sometimes, it's not even troubled emotions that draw poemcrazy into my hands. Sometimes, it is about the moment, about laughter and wanting to find a beautiful way to translate joy into words.
One of my favorite chapters is "Our Real Names." Here, Ms. Wooldridge invites us to play with the idea that our real names aren't necessarily the ones on our birth certificate, rather they are made up of our passions, our fears, our wildest dreams. She says: Poetry can be about naming ourselves. And creating a name can be like writing a poem. As part of the prompt for discovering our real name, she also incorporates the idea that it can change over time. Here's a (slightly embarrassing) example of my own name searching.

Yesterday, when you asked
 I offered only sugardrenched and hopeless
Today my name is horsedaughter wild as wind
Just try and catch me-
Tomorrow my name
Begins with
Belly
Swaying-hip poet
Hopedancer

Poemcrazy has inspired me to connect the dots of my life with images and words. It has helped me uncover magical places I didn't know were hidden away and acknowledge the darker corners, illuminating them with a bit of starlight.
Because this book is so wonderful, I would LOVE to give away a copy! To enter yourself in a random drawing, simply leave a comment below and sign it with one of your "real names." Be sure to post your comment by midnight(CDT) this Friday, April 29th. I will announce the winner on Sunday, May 1st!




 


6 comments:

  1. i have spent a greater part of my adult life "staying far away from" poetry. both reading it, and of course, writing it. but lately? it seems to be swirling around me, asking me to take notice. so. i am leaving a comment after all.

    i love your new nameness... powerful! :o)

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  2. oh ... you must have peeked into my heart and saw the words yearning to break free ... recently I realized I've held myself back from poetry, this crazy idea being that true poets were born with poetry books in hand, scribbling lines in the margins of their high school notebooks ... then I thought about how I still doubt myself as an artist even though I did similar things with drawing (well, I wasn't born with a pencil in my hand ... but I coveted my mother's art supplies early on) ... this rambling all to say, I throw out Doubt and pick up what I love - words, writing, that alchemical transformation of the mundane into the the magical, the magical into the everyday ...

    okay, too much coffee ... oh, I love your names! Horsedaughter - yes!

    Today I am feeling rather rebellious, aching to come out of my winter den and frolic in the high grass, seeking sunlight and following interesting scents ... yes, I am Wolfsister and I want to howl! (and yes, I too am slightly embarrassed but actually, more than slightly thrilled)

    I promise not to nip at your heels :)

    xo Lis

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  3. Delighted that you are dipping into poetry and that poemcrazy has helped. At one point I thought of naming the book "It's only my whole heart and life!" Blessings to all of you, check out my website www.susanwooldridge.com to see if you can join me at a workshop! I'll come your way. Love and hugs, susan (Newer book is Foolsgold (about creative process....)

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  4. it seems an awful lot like cheeky to comment for a giveaway when i'm the new kid here -- so please don't include me in the draw -- but i didn't want to come here and not comment...LOL

    i wandered over from Tracy's blog...and i see Lis comes to this gorgeous place too (it's okay, Lis knows i follow her around...;))

    anyway...love this space - LOVE poetry...i don't write it nearly as often as i think i should but playing with words is how i move through the world without losing my mind altogether....

    :D

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  5. Poemcrazy is a fantastic book! I've read it twice and a third read is forthcoming. Lots of poems coming from after the delicious inspiration

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  6. Hey Renee, thanks for the kind words. Check my website y'all, www.susanwooldridge.com for poemcrazy or foolsgold events near you....Or gather a group together and I'll come.... reasonable fees. xoxoxo Susan

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