Poetry Friday: Perth Writers Festival and Some Observations About Poetry

February 27, 2015 by Sally

It’s Poetry Friday. I love Poetry and I love Fridays, so Poetry Friday is my favourite day of the week. BUT last week, I missed posting on Poetry Friday. Awwww.

The good news is, the reason I missed Poetry Friday is because I was at the Perth Writers Festival – talking about poetry (and other bookish things).

The Festival is an annual event, and always has a wonderful programme, but the thing that made my heart sing this year was the way poetry featured so prominently across the programme – on Schools Day, on Family Day and in the general (adult) programming too. I was fortunate enough to introduce UK verse novelist Sarah Crossan to an enthusiastic audience on Schools Day, and then do an ‘in conversation’ session with her on Family Day. I also read some of my poetry in the Arts Courtyard at a lunchtime event with other poets. On the Friday, where I was a spectator for the day, I went to a well-attended session titled Poetic Sensibilities where Sarah was on a panel with Caitlin Maling, Samuel Wagan Watson and Tineke Van der Eecken.

What delighted me was the way poetry was being spoken about not just during these sessions, but also around the festival – in the green room, at social events, even in lines for the bathrooms.

So, some observations from these conversations and from listening to these awesome poets:

Poetry is important. It’s important for lots of reasons, not the least because it makes us feel.
Poetry should not make you feel dumb. If it does, that’s not your fault. It isn’t a test.
If you don’t believe me about numbers 1 and 2, think back to your childhood and how you loved to listen to Dr Seuss, or AA Milne, or nursery rhymes. They made you feel good – laughing, or joining in. They may have even made you feel like you could read before you learnt to do so, because you could both predict text and also memorise it. Then think about a time when you were asked to answer comprehension questions or write an essay about a poem you didn’t ‘get’. Not necessarily the poet’s fault, but as soon as poetry becomes a test, we lose some (most/all) of the magic.
If you find poem or a poet too obscure, don’t give up on poetry altogether. Just try a different poet. Not every poem will suit every readers, just as not every novel does.
Poetry is not something you have to write/read/discuss in a darkened room or dusty attic. There are other poetry lovers out there – and, if you love poetry, talk about and share it. Spread the love!

I’m off to celebrate Poetry Friday by writing poetry. How about you?

(Poetry Friday is a weekly round up of poetry related blogposts by those who love children’s poetry. This week it is hosted at My Juicy Universe. )

Poetry Friday: Magpies, a Poem That Makes Me Tingle

February 13, 2015 by Sally

When I sat down to post today for Poetry Friday I had no idea what to write about. Then I looked out of office window and saw five magpies playing on the grass across the road, and the words of a poem by Judith Wright came to my head:

Along the road the magpies walk
with hands in pockets, left and right. Magpie

They tilt their heads, and stroll and talk.
In their well-fitted black and white.

( You can see the rest of the poem at AllPoetry )

I’ve blogged before about different poems that make me tingle – that make me smile, or cry or shiver, and that stay with me for years and years. This is one of them. What a perfect extended metaphor, and about a bird I love. I hope you love it as much as I do.

Poetry Friday is hosted today at Merely Day by Day, where you can find links to all the poetry goodness.

Poetry Friday: Post It Note Poetry

February 6, 2015 by Sally

Welcome to Poetry Friday. I’m really enjoying being part of this poetry celebration, connecting with poets and poetry lovers from around the world. I hope you’re enjoying it, too!

February is looking to be a busy month for me. Who am I kidding? With six kids, doctoral studies and a writing career, every month is a busy month. But February marks the release of my newest novel, 1915, and the busyness of celebrating and promoting means an extra level of busy. (By the way, if you’d like to join in the celebrations, you can leave a comment on the virtual launch below, and go in the draw to win a copy of the book.)

Another thing keeping me busy this month is a poetry challenge. I’ve blogged before about how participating in a writing challenge can be both fun and productive. When I heard about the Post it note Poetry Challenge, I had to give it a go.

The rules of the challenge are simple. Every day in February – or on as many days as you are able – you write a poem on a Post It Note (any size, any colour), take a photo and tweet it with the hashtag #postitnotepoetry. The poem can be any form and on any subject, the only limitation is in keeping it short enough to fit on the post it note.

Here’s one of my efforts: Embedded image permalink

And here’s another:

Embedded image permalink

It’s not too late to join in with your own poems. The confines of space but can be a good way of condensing your thoughts, and the temporary nature of a post it note means you can use the exercise to draft something that you might rework later.

Poetry Friday today is being hosted by Elizabeth. You can see a round up of all the wonder that is Poetry Friday at her blog.

See you next week!

Poetry Friday: A Happy Poem

January 30, 2015 by Sally

It’s Poetry Friday – hooray! I’m having a busy week, the last one before school goes back here in my part of the world, but I didn’t want to let a Friday go by without sharing a poem that always makes me smile.

I’m Glad the Sky is Painted Blue

I’m glad the sky is painted blue,

And the earth is painted green,

With such a lot of nice fresh air

All sandwiched in between

(Anonymous)

Have a great Friday. Poetry Friday this week is being hosted by These4corners. Head there to see a round up of all the poetry-goodness that is Poetry Friday.

Poetry Friday: A Poem about Writing a Poem

January 23, 2015 by Sally

I went for a walk last week, and was reflecting on how wonderful exercise is for prompting new writing ideas, or for solving an issue. And right on cue, my brain starting working out how to put what I was thinking about into poetry.

At home, I wrote down those first few lines, and left the paper on my kitchen bench. Later, another stanza came, and later still, a third. I love the way that the barn works like this sometimes. And the poem? Here it is:

You Might Think

You might think I’m walking the dog

or, perhaps, he’s walking me

but in my head, while my legs pace,

I’m writing poetry.

You might think I’m in the shower

singing loud, off-key

but as I soap and warble

I’m writing poetry.

You might think I’m working hard

when at my desk I sit

but often times I simply scribe

the words my head has writ.

Do you have a favourite non-writing activity that leaves you inspired to write?

Have a great Friday – and if you’d like to see more posts about poetry, pop over to A Teaching Life and check out the Poetry Friday round-up.

Poetry Friday: Brown Girl Dreaming

January 16, 2015 by Sally

It’s Poetry Friday, and this week I want to talk about a poem I love, in a book I love, even though I only read it for the first time this week.

Perhaps the book first. I bought Brown Girl Dreaming as a gift for myself for Christmas, because I’d heard so many wonderful things about it. Since Christmas I’ve been busy and hadn’t got around to reading it until Myra at Gathering Books shared her responses last Friday, which reminded me to make time to read it for myself – and boy am I glad I did.

Brown Girl Dreaming, by Jacqueline Woodson is an autobiographical verse book cover novel. Woodson allows us to grow up with her, sharing the story of her childhood and what it was like growing up as an African American child in the 1960s. Through the eyes of a child we see the civil rights movement, feelings of difference and a search for identity – as well as good times with family and friends. As an Australian reader I learnt a lot about the time period, and about Woodson’s life, but I also felt that this was not just a book about the United States, or about that particular time period. By connecting with Woodson’s story we also have the opportunity to connect with the experiences of people the world over. It is a universal story just as much as it is a very poignant personal one.

Onto the poem. As well as the themes and subjects I’ve mentioned above, Brown Girl Dreaming also traces Woodson’s early development as a writer – from being given a composition book before she could write, to the joy of being able to write her own name, to her early attempts to write poems and stories. From a young age, she knew she wanted to be writer. My favourite poem of the book, I think (though I bookmarked a dozen) is called ‘When I tell My Family’, and tells of how Woodson’s family react when she tells them she wants to be a writer:

It’s a good hobby, we see how quiet it keeps you.

They say,

But maybe you should be a teacher,

a lawyer,

do hair …

I’ll think about it, I say.

And maybe all of us know

this is just another one of my

stories.

(Jacqueline Woodson, Brown Girl Dreaming, 214, p. 229)

I love the way Woodson shares this moment (I suspect there were many of these moments) through the eyes of her child self. She doesn’t editorialise or tell us that the adults were wrong. She doesn’t say that she was hurt or angry by the adult responses.

Like Woodson, I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a writer, and I had moments like these, too. When I read this poem, I marvelled at how Woodson manages to show us her response so eloquently in those last three lines.

If you haven’t read Brown Girl Dreaming, you are missing out on a beautiful verse novel.

Want more poetry? This week’s Poetry Friday roundup is at Live Your Poem.

sallymurphy.com.au

Sally Murphy, Australian author