Poetry event

NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

A note from our cafe Poet Laureate, Cally Conan-Davies, as we enter week three…

Well, we may be halfway through poetry month, but we-in-the-word-whirl are never half-hearted! Poems for our Poetry Month Competition have been landing regularly in my inbox. Why not wing one my way this week!? If you’re in the cafe, don’t forget to write some impressions in our Cafe Poem box. Be part of the Cafe Communal Poem! Also, there are two more Micro Writing Workshops coming up. Contact me at poet.laureate@fullersbookshop.com.au if you’re interested.

Some people undertake to write a poem every day during poetry month. I’d suggest READING a poem every day. Get hold of an anthology, open at random, place yourself in the hands of serendipity. And here’s a tip: if you don’t like a poem, turn the page. Recently, I watched my granddaughter develop the motor skill to turn the pages of her beloved ‘bookies’, and it struck me what a profound behaviour it truly is. It’s a way of not getting stuck. If you don’t like a poem, turn the page. Poetry is a wide realm. I promise you, somewhere there is a style of poem that will speak to you!

I’ve also been thinking about W. H. Auden’s definition of poetry: “Poetry is the clear expression of mixed feeling.” Clarity and complexity: this is the tension that the best poems hold.

I remember an old teacher of mine used to say “everything is marbled”. Especially emotions. Poetry gives a clear eye to the human murk and muddle.

WEEKLY POETRY COMP PROMPT

We tend not to write letters anymore. But they occupy a notable place in the Great Poem Book. Epistolary poems are poems that read as letters. Write a poem with the title “Dear —”. It might be a letter of gratitude, or regret; of anger, or confusion; of leave-taking; or an invitation, or a celebration. Or, of course, love (in any of its many forms). Or all the above! Look closely. Look for mixed feelings. Let your poem go there. The recipient could be a human, but might be some other creature, or thing, or even yourself. Let your images and your tone speak of the relationship between sender and recipient.

Warmly in the Words,
Cally