Poetry blog 1

I normally try to avoid History classes and English classes because of all the assigned readings that I find hard to be interested in. I enjoy reading things that interest me, but I really struggle to read things that I have no interest in. I'm a big fan of poetry, so when I saw this class on the APR under the AEX distribution, I knew it'd be a class that I would like. When you start writing your own poetry, as this class requires, you respect the difficulty of the task that poets have. Writing poetry isn't as easy as people think and now that I've written a few poems myself, I understand that. I hope that we get the chance to watch some video of poetry readings because there are some very talented artists on a show called Def Poetry Jam that I watch a lot of. Watching that inspires me to write my own stuff and the creativity of the poems that those people have is amazing. Many rap artists that I listen to are poets in their own right. They tell their stories through written rhymes that is basically spoken poetry over music. When you combine beautiful sounding instruments with meaningful words, the outcome is something special.

Poetry Class

I want to write poems that mean something, not only to me, but to other people. So far in class, I feel like I already have a good start to making my poetry substantial and significant. I am a grammatical, analytical, and philosophical writer-- which is why I am an English Literature major--, but Techniques of Poetry and what it demands from me is a little bit different. I'm pretty sure I don't need to use these analytical skills while I write a poem, just when I read poetry, I think, so I'm excited to keep writing simple phrases that are on my mind. It's different for me to just write what's on my mind, because I think too much about things, like what I say and what other people say, and the philosophy and reasons behind it. It's almost exhausting. The other day my friend actually threw a journal at me and told me to write what was on my mind, just because something bothered me and made me anxious. I followed her advice, and for the first time in a long time, dating back to when I owned a diary of my own, I wrote my thoughts down... they wouldn't actually make sense to someone else or maybe even to me if I read them again, but at the time it was cathartic and felt good. So in poetry class, I already feel a little bit of catharsis in reading other people's work and reflecting on my own. Even though this is a distribution credit for me, it's also my most fun class to take.

a ramble on poetry and class

Poetry class so far is a lot of fun. Poetry is really interesting and I like it because it is an entirely different way to write creatively. There is no other style of writing where two words or even one word in a line are so powerful that they can summarize an entire poem. It is a way to write about a fish, a concert, a person or being in love with that person, and doing, usually, in an indirect way. If a poem is broken down enough though it is easy to look past those indirect messages and find the real meaning, which is usually really eye opening. The eye opening part of it is the most impressive side to me because when reading the poems we have read so far it has not been clear to me what those hidden messages and themes are. It has really taken me sometime to figure out these hidden metaphors and when they finally are revealed it brings an entirely new look to the poem. When I sit in class and hear people give their two cents on how the poem resonated with them I am usually suprised because I haven't thought of it that way or I haven't been able to see the obvious signs about what the poem actually means. I think with every poem it gets a bit easier to see the true meaning the author is expressing but it has still been quite hard to get everything out of each poem. So far, I think I have come to the conclusion that I enjoy writing poetry more than reading it but I hope as time goes on both sides of poetry will become of equal liking to me.

Week 1 Blog

Hmm... Where to begin...

We've only been to class a week and a half and already I feel like I’ve learned quite a bit. I’ve never taken a poetry class before, but boy let me tell you, it’s a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. Not that I don’t find poetry to be very beautiful and creative, but I guess I never really sat down and thought about how CREATIVE poets really are through their poetry. In the few class discussions we’ve had so far I’ve been truly enlightened by the purposeful forms and concepts poets use to convey a certain kind of message. It’s much more complex than I ever gave it credit for. I also found completing the poems for assignment 1 to be somewhat difficult because I found myself feeling self-conscious about what I was writing because I’m so “new” to poems. I’ve realized through out class discussions though, there really isn’t a “right” or “wrong” way to write a poem per say, but I definitely found myself questioning the words I read on my screen as I prepared both poems. I think writing poems have turned out to be a much more personal and intimate experience than any other form of writing I’ve completed, which I find to be very interesting. Maybe it’s just me, but I would be curious to know if others felt this way. Hopefully as the semester continues I’ll grow more confident in my writing though.

How poetry kicks my ass

I’ve started to see a lot of overlap between this poetry class and a few of my other classes… as a creative writing focused English major, I suppose this isn’t too surprising, but it has led me to ask myself a few questions. In most of the other writing forms that I have dabbled it, the one thing that seems necessary is a fairly overt “so what.” If the reader reaches the conclusion, and its left wondering what that “point” was, then most would agree that the short story/narrative essay/flash fiction had fallen short of its aim. So far, I have found myself reaching the end of a poem, and not so much asking myself, “so what?” but his slightly more disgruntled cousin, “HUH?”. I have to work to find the meaning. And sometimes what I come up with is completely different than everyone else’s solution. And I think that might actually be ok. I am getting more comfortable with the idea that no word in a poem is accidental. Being able to accept this has perhaps helped me to pick apart other’s poems, but I don’t think I’m quite past being wasteful with my own words. Maybe I’ve been sloppy with my other creative writing as well; why did I think I could get away with arbitrary word choice? The focus and close reading demanded by poetry analysis has made me look and other genres of creativity with a fresh critical eye. What a useful intro class. TOOLS. I love tools.

Week 2 Post

I think posing the question of what inspires you in your poetry, while seeming simple and cliche, is actually a really interesting idea to look into. For me, inspiration is never static. It changes from day to day-minute to minute- and can be found in really diverse situations. I think one of the greatest things about poetry is that it doesn't have to fit any mold and therefore allows the writer to be free as well. I wrote my first poem about the image of a goat slaughtering that I witnessed while in Kenya. Later that day I went to go read through it again and possibly make some revisions and I found that I was completely turned off from the idea of it. I let the poem be and turned it in as it was. Poetry is beautifully raw in that way; if you allow it to affect you, it can keep records of your life. It can capture the tiniest moments in the biggest ways. I think that is what inspiration is really about; being able to let insignificant happenings, images, or sounds effect you in significant ways. It will be exciting to read the different authors and pick up on their styles, language, and syntax and watch a transformation occur in our own poetry.

blog 1

It’s been very interesting reading the poems we have read so far. I feel like I have learned a lot about how to put more imagery into my poems and writing. I bet throughout the rest of the semester I will further develop my poetry skills. When I first sit down and try to think up the topic of my poem, I sit and relax on the couch. I think what I did that day or what I am looking at. When I wrote my first poem for this class, I found it was kind of hard to think of what to write about. I was sitting on my side of the couch, the right side. I started looking around my room for something I thought would be somewhat interesting to talk about. Hanging around our room Frank (my roommate) and I have fishing poles. So I decided to write my poem on fishing. I believe the rest of my poems will be constructed the same way. Unless I learn in class a better way to think up of a topic.

Kurt Malkames - Week 1

This assignment was my first time writing poetry in a long time and I have to say it was an enjoyable one. The words flowed pretty naturally and it was a bit surprising. I focused on a moment that was pretty easy to describe – a trip on a speedboat. There were so many details that could have been pointed out. I made it my goal to almost be scientific with how I described the ride. When writing a lab report it is critical to say things exactly as they are and I’ve gotten used to that. It was easy to translate that kind of writing to a poem and then add some flashy adjectives. Like the old saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. I think that statement certainly has value and I’ve begun to realize it. With one simple mental image a person can gather so many details that go beyond the obvious. I tried to model my poem after “The Fish” by Emily Bishop that we read the first day in class. Her poem was detailed enough that it begins to play to senses other than visual ones. At some points in that poem you can virtually feel the “ancient” scales of the fish.

First Week: Matt

For this first assignment I had a difficulty trying to think of a subject at first. I could not think of something at first and nothing came to mind. I think simply looking at some point in my room or anywhere was the best approach for me. I felt like this assignment had to be something like a snapshot in which you would take with your words. Something a mundane as a spot on the wall might be more interesting if described through words. I simply tried to stare at something and see how I could describe it to give it more life. So I wrote about an electrical outlet on the wall and tried to let my imagination soar with how I could make it seem like a photograph. A photograph can be something that seems uninteresting, but is given life the more you look at it. I really liked the poems by Kevin Young. I thought it really amusing to think of "The Hideout" as a film noir.

Blog 1

Although I haven’t had much experience with writing poetry, for our first imagery assignment I found myself drawing inspiration from past memories and experiences that I want to hold on to. At first I tried just looking around the room to get inspiration, but I realized that it’s important to write about something that matters to you in some way or another. Eventually, I chose to write about swimming because it was a big part of my life until college when I stopped. Before this assignment I had never really thought about the experience of swimming in such vivid terms. But when I was forced to break down each movement and describe the feel of the water, smell of the air, and pressure of the waves it actually helped to solidify the memory for me and made it feel like it was just yesterday.
I think that’s one of the most captivating things about the type of imagery poetry that we have been studying, as it has the power to truly capture the essence of a moment. It forces the poet and the reader to think about ones experiences more detail than ever before, which makes common events suddenly become uncommon and interesting. I think this is helpful because it makes poetry accessible and relatable to everyone because any topic is fair game to write about…even if it seems too simple.

Week 1- Subject

When you sit down to write a poem, where do you derive your inspiration? Where does your mind wander first? To your personal convictions, to your values or beliefs; or is it more superficial, from certain events that you recall, or from a vivid image that you recently encountered? I often think of my sources of inspiration, and how I derive intuitive energy from such.

As for me, I tend to seek what I value the most, or explain conflicts that I encounter. It allows me to reevaluate my perspective, and possibly derive greater appreciation.

Week 1 Blog

For our assignment this week, I had trouble coming up with just one particular image that I wanted to write about. It seemed easier to create lots of images that I could put in my poem but tough to come up with one sole image that I could work with. I tried to use many different senses to draw the reader in and while I am used to putting more visual senses into poems, it was good for me to try to work with other senses. This assignment was helpful to me because I rarely focus on just one image while writing poetry so it made me come up with more specific details.

Out of the poems that we went over this week, I really enjoyed the ones we read by Kevin Young. I think his poetry is a good example of how a writer can draw a reader in by using detailed images and does not feel the need to be wordy while describing them. It was interesting to compare his work to the other poems we read in class because the techniques are so different. I like the way Kevin Young creates his stanzas so the sentence continues on to the next one, making the feel of the poem very slow, which is appropriate because of the speakers state of mind.

First Blog Entry

My name is Josh Sharlow. Most girls call me Josh; most guys call me Sharlow. I'm a senior here at SLU majoring in Psychology and minoring in SSES. I originally wanted to go to school for business management, but being a liberal arts school, there isn't much of a focus on business here. So my next choice was psych. I find many of the topics in different psych classes to be very interesting and as a psych major, I find myself evaluating and analyzing everything in my life. I don't plan on really doing anything with my psych degree; it's more of something to fall back on if I need it in the future.

I was born in Miami, Florida but I grew up in Norwood, New York, which is about 20 minutes from Canton, just outside of Potsdam. It's a very small town - smaller than Canton - and it's a rural area, as most areas are around here. After I graduated high school back in 2003, I took 3 years off from college and moved to Miami to live with my Aunt and get to know my father's side of the family as I had grown up my whole life with my mother and her side of the family. Miami is as different from Norwood as you could imagine - city life is much more fast paced and crowded than life here in upstate New York. When I lived in Miami, I was working in South Beach and was living in Miami Beach. Life was good. For different reasons, I moved back up here in late 2005 and talked to the basketball coach here about playing college ball. The paperwork got sorted out and I began attending SLU in the fall of 2006.

I love playing sports. Basketball, soccer, football and baseball. It's been a major part of my life since I was toddler. I watch a lot of movies and I listen to a lot of music. Hip-hop has had major influences throughout my life. The music, the culture, the whole lifestyle. It seems like I relate to and learn from rappers more than I do from teachers and professors. Poetry is one of the foundations of hip-hop. Spoken word is a beautiful and powerful art that gives rappers and other artists the ability to share their experiences with the world. I hope to learn more about the history of spoken word and poetry in this class.

I haven't taken very many literature classes in college so I don't really have any experiences with getting feedback on my work. In high school, we covered a poetry section in my English class and the feedback I received on during then I found to be very helpful. The more positive and negative feedback you can get on poems and written work, the better your final product will turn out to be.

I listen to many hip-hop related poets such as Saul Williams (who I think is coming to SLU in the spring), The Last Poets, and Gil Scott-Heron. I have a strong background built on Jazz and Soul music, so I'm fan of a lot of old school artists as well as the new young & talented artists. Also, there is an HBO show called Def Poetry created by Russell Simmons which spotlights both up and coming poets as well as established, famous poets and allows them to recite their poems and literature on a grand stage for the world to hear. There is so much untapped talent that the show has been able to expose the world to and I have been a big fan since the first episode.

I probably sound like a broken record as I keep mentioning my musical influence in relation to poetry, but through this class, I hope to learn about things like rhyme schemes and word choice when writing lyrics, or how to be effective with delivery and vocals involved with spoken word.

I ultimately want to have a more thorough understanding and a deeper knowledge of everything to do with poetry when May rolls around. That'd be ideal.

Week 1

Does anyone else think of something to write just as they are falling asleep? Last night, I was lying in bed, trying to fall asleep when I began composing a poem in my head. This is not the first time I have done this and I know that if I do not finish it then I won't be able to sleep.
Of course, the light was out and my roommate gets...annoyed...when I disrupt her sleep so I didn't get up to locate a notebook and a light so I could write the poem down. Now, I have no clue what the poem was about or what is said. I vaguely recall partial similes that I used but I can't reword them. I do know that I was very pleased with whatever the final product was... UGH.
So that is my little ranting question for the week...
On another note, I agree with Erika. It is great to be reading and writing poetry again (although I admit to being rather uninspired while writing the first poem). I found shorter of the two poems more challenging than the longer. Getting a provoking image out of only a few lines is difficult, especially when you keep changing your mind about what you want to write.

Weekly Blog 1

I am really enjoying reading the poems that are using vivid descriptions of objects and their movements to convey an idea. I think on a personal level these types of pieces are more interesting to me and make me want to keep ready. In addition, I have found that in reading the details it has helped me to deconstruct the poem and make it easier to understand or interpret what I am reading. In deconstructing each description phrase by phrase, I am finding that each line can have multiple meanings and therefore tell many different stories. I find it fascinating the many different ideas we can get from one line. I think that is the great thing about poetry, the fact that it has the potential to tell so many different stories depending on who is reading or writing it.
For this week, the assignment to create two poems about a single moment in time I think was a great way to start our personal writing. I like how in our writing we are able to explore the many different moments in our lives and express them like we never thought possible. To be able to express a moment in such vivid detail that the person reading our work feels like they are there in that moment with us. This type of writing/ work is what is interesting to me personally and I am glad we will be able to explore these techniques in out writing.

Kailey's First Blog

Hi Everyone,

Sorry this is so late... I had a heck of a time figuring this blog thing out...

My name is Kailey Pestka and I’m a junior here at SLU. I’m a Psychology major/Exercise Science minor and I’ve always loved poetry. I was born and raised most of my life on the island of Kauai, the smallest of the Hawaiian Islands. Living in Hawaii was a dream come true – Beautiful beaches, tall palms trees, paradise. That all changed though the day my parents told us we would be moving to Oregon because of my father’s job. I spent my four years of high school living in Forest Grove, Oregon and when graduation rolled around I was ready to once again pack up and move somewhere new. My parents would have never guessed I would have chosen a place so far… Or so cold for that matter. Canton, New York definitely took me by surprise. Canton is possibly the coldest place I’ve ever been – A snow day where I’m from is a centimeter or less of white slush on the roads and no school. Since coming to SLU I’ve definitely learned to appreciate what one does have. I never really saw Oregon as my home and I used to be very resentful after our move from Hawaii, but I’ve realized that wherever my family is, home is as well.

St. Lawrence has also given me a sense of independence I’ve never had before. I’ve done more growing up in the last two and a half years than I have in all my other years of life. This is another reason why taking this creative writing poetry course is so exciting because these are the years I’ve been most inspired by.

Aside from writing, I’ve always enjoyed playing sports. Athletics have always been a big part of my life. Since I could walk I’ve played softball and soccer. I even play softball here at SLU. Besides that I’m an active member of S.O.U.L. on campus and I am currently undergoing the process of becoming a founding mother of a multicultural sorority, known as Delta Xi Phi, coming to SLU’s campus next year.

I’ve always had fairly positive feedback on my writing, but I really don’t have much experience in the field of poetry. I used to play around with it in grade school, but whose actually going to tell a 3^rd grader their haiku could use some work? This is one of the reason’s why I’m taking this course. I would really love to gain some kind of foundation in writing poetry because I’ve always enjoyed reading it.

One of my all time favorite poets would definitely have to be Shel Silverstein!!! I used to be very sick as a young child and I can still remember when my mother gave me his book of poems while I was in the hospital. I love how he is able to captivate his reader and take them into a different world. His work makes me feel free and happy. He has this amazing ability to make all that read his poems young again. I want to be able to make my poetry not only a pretty series of words strung together, but also an experience, like Silverstein does.

I think the kinds of poets who can make you not only hear their words, but also feel them as well are the greatest kind. This is what I would really love to learn how to do through taking this course. I want to inspire people with my own inspiration. I want to reach people on an emotional level through my writing. I want my poems to be an experience and by taking this class I hope to be able to gain some foundation in being able to do just that.

Jon Piccirillo

Greetings! My name is Jonathan Piccirillo, however, my friends usually call me either Jon or Pickles. The origin of my nickname Pickles still eludes me, however I suspect it is some derivation of my last name Piccirillo. I hail from southeastern Connecticut from a small town named Lyme. Lyme, despite being located in the heavily populated state of Connecticut has an approximate population of only 1,000 people. My family moved to Lyme from London England when I was five years old. Although I have many fond memories of my life in England, moving to the United States was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to me. In Lyme I was exposed to vast amounts of untamed woods, the ocean, and plenty of room to pursue childhood games. It was here that my love of nature and the wilderness was realized and the opportunity to pursue this love was readily available. Now, almost 14 years after moving to Lyme, my love of the woods has only grown in strength and has helped shape who I am as a person. Besides a love of the woods my extra-curricular interests include chess, running, skiing, Frisbee, soccer, hiking and kayaking. I have always been an active person, never one to stay indoors when I could be exploring outdoors. I believe my love of physical activities comes from a desire for friendly competition and an addiction for challenges.

As a freshman here at St. Lawrence my academic interests are still varied and not entirely settled upon. My true passion is biology; however, I also love philosophy, history, and government. Thus, I have declared a biology major and I am actively exploring other subjects. As you might have realized by my varied academic interests, I love to learn. My sole desire in obtaining an education is to become as knowledgeable as possible in every subject-one of the key reasons why I attend a liberal arts institution. My love for biology is not born from a desire to purge the world of its magic and mysticism, as many people view biologists’ aims, but rather is born from a love of nature and the belief that the interactions within nature are beautiful, magical, and powerful.

Growing up, my literary influences have been Frost, Emerson and Tolkien. These three figures can almost sum up my entire character and my interests. Frost: my love of nature and the woods, Emerson: my belief in the power of self and the individual, and Tolkien: my love and pursuit of adventure and challenges. These three writer’s not only represent who I am, but all three have very different styles of writing that I strive to emulate. Frost’s writing is artistically structured and delicate and exact in its description of nature, Emerson is bold, well reasoned, and aggressive in its approach to the reader, while Tolkien is the master of plot and the development of a story.

My experiences with poetry are elementary and I have never taken a course that focuses solely on poetry. The main reason why I am taking this class is to learn more about poetry and to gain a better understanding of literary techniques. I find that good poetry utilizes powerful metaphors, and uses dramatic representation to signify simplistic action or thought. For dramatic representation makes a poem seem important and truthful.

First Blog Entry

My name is Kim Cooper and I am from a small town in New Hampshire called Wolfeboro. I've lived in Wolfeboro my entire life and have seen little change occur. When I'm home I tend to resort to my high school antics and end up sliding down hills with trash bags in the rain, driving around the town completing the "Wolfeboro 500", or just simply sitting around in my house and enjoying the company of my family.

Writing has always been an interest of mine since I was old enough to articulate a story-poorly or successfully- on any sheet of paper. When I came to St. Lawrence I had no doubt that I wanted to major in creative writing. I love how vulnerable it can get and how brave authors have to be in order to master some of the most difficult content that most people try hard to cover up. Writing comes in so many different forms and offers protection, support, and excitement to any kind of person that is willing to let it in. Majoring in English definitely means that I want to improve on my writing and a huge aspect of that is critique. I've always welcomed critiques as openly as I can. I don't let my feelings get hurt over suggestions for better writing so I find that the worst critiquing situations I've been in are the ones that are sugarcoated with euphemisms. The only way to get better is to recognize where the flaws are.

When I'm not focused on writing, I'm usually out on the lacrosse field or singing with the Sinners here at St. Lawrence. Athletics have been an equally important part of my life all along and although I played many different sports growing up, I decided to focus on lacrosse at the collegiate level. Every day is challenging and a bit harder than the past but I enjoy the demanding circumstances.

Robert Frost has always been a favorite poet of mine. He lived in an area close to where I grew up and I could always relate to his scenic details. When I was younger I was convinced that Frost was writing poems about my house and my woods. As I've grown up I've been drawn more to poems that deal with philosophical questions and ideas about the greater importance in life and less towards poems with nature as a main theme. One of the aspects I admire about poetry is that it gives people a chance to contemplate some of the most controversial and complex issues in their world and forces them to simplify it on the paper, offering up a whole new perspective on that issue. Poetry enables a person to essentially have a conversation with themselves, creating an ally way towards simplicity even with the most unique and confusing situations.

I hope to broaden my ability to think between the lines of poetry in this class. I want to be able to look at a few lines that at first leave my head spinning, and eventually come up with a meaning that I never thought would relate to the words I first read. Improvement in preceptive thinking is always a plus. I also would love to extend my vocabulary and learn new ways to use words I have previously known in different ways and learn brand new words and insert them into my writing repertoire.

TJ Hauske's first blog

My name is TJ Hauske, short for Thomas John. I am from Milwaukee Wisconsin, home of beer and cheese. I love Wisconsin, and all the seasons, it’s much like canton weather wise, just 900 miles away. I am thinking about studying sociology. So I can better understand people, then go to a business school, so I can work for my dad hopefully. Besides writing I like to ski, play tennis, go fishing, shoot some guns, and play video games, all while hanging out with friends. My favorite video game is call of duty, best video game there is, I play it way too much though. My little brother also plays call of duty, he plays so much it’s disgusting. When I was home over break he didn’t let me play on his account because he thought I would wreck his stats. At one point he was ranked top 10,000. He would eat and sleep in the basement, doing nothing but play this game. Thankfully I am not like that.
In the beginning of high school my writing always lacked descriptive words. That’s what my teachers always told me. Thought out high school I think I have gained the skills to write with clarity and description that I had lacked before. Besides that I think I can write well.
I guess I would have to say my father influences me the most in my life. He has always been there for me and really is the only one who tells me information about life and lesions.
I really don’t know much about poetry. The only poet that first comes to mind is Robert Frost. I am taking this class so I can learn more about poetry and to help my writing skills out. Through reading descriptive and informative poems I feel I will be able to gain a better understanding of how to make my papers more intelligent sounding.
I really like in poetry how descriptive everything is. It is like reading a short story but there is just so much going on in each stanza. In order to really understand some poems one has to tear it apart. Taking time thinking about how each word is being used and what words come next. I find that very interesting, and I would like to learn how to properly take a poem apart, and learn what the poet is trying to say.

Alyssa Halton

I came into St. Lawrence with the intention of majoring in Biology to prep for a future in medicine. Sophomore year, my interest migrated towards philosophy, and my major intentions followed. Then I took my first English course, and here I am—an English major, with a dual minor in French and Biology, with a third concentration in Philosophy. My greatest consistency as a student is that I like learning things. The subject, as it turns out, isn’t terribly important, as long as it’s fresh. When I learn something new, I want to talk about it. When my friends tire of listening to me (which happens on a regular basis), I can at least get my fix down in writing. Within the English major, I have found the space to let my mind be indecisive without punishing it. I can write about something new every day. I like that.

On to my second subject (with no graceful transition, because I don’t have one), I am from Ithaca, NY. What’s it like there? Pretty awesome. My house is over one hundred years old and still not finished. I live far away from everything, with 150 acres of space and I like it that way. My dad’s friends live in a yurt in one of our fields; my grandparents made the paper for their off-the-grid lifestyle. I miss lakes and gorges and Subaru’s and all six—yes six—of my cats when I’m at school. It’s not enough to keep me from coming back, but it’s the only thing that even comes close.

When I’m home, I just sit around and feel happy. Here at school, I don’t have time to sit around, and that makes me happy, too. I’m on the men’s crew team, which takes up what I hear is called free time. They let me boss them around in return for steering their boat around ice bergs on the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Good feedback is constructive, even if it comes in a harsh wrapper. My worst feedback experiences have usually been related to a lack of feedback. I like getting suggestions for how to improve something I’ve written. Even if I choose to ignore the advice (which I will freely admit I’ve done before) I at least gain a sense of conviction in my taste for my own style. No feedback= no good.

I’m a big fan of Whitman and Dickinson. A lot of this is because I like the kind of people I imagine them to have been: they were breaking all of the rules—even if Dickinson had to do it from the safety of her house. They were rebels, talking about sex and capitalizing random words and inventing punctuation. I respect the rules and traditional forms, but these cats keep me on my toes. Yeats gets me with “The Second Coming”-- those “slow thighs” just stuck with me for some reason. So there that is.

Good poetry makes me want to read it out loud. It makes me want to roll the patterns of thoughts and words around in my mouth to make some sense of them. It should say something beyond the most obvious and literal. I would like to try and avoid the heavy-handedness or forced and farced depth that I might fall subject to as an immature poet. I’m good at saying a lot; I’m good at using 500 words to describe one detail. I’d like to learn how to reign in my excitement and make something worth contemplating; something a bit above a hot mess of words.

Jon Ignatowski

Presently, I have declared an Environmental Studies and English combined major with an Outdoor Studies Minor. I am particularly attracted to Environmental Studies, for it incorporates a broad scope of relationships within the natural environment. I am invested in the sciences, but I must find "significance" within the science, applicability to present issues. I took biology 101 in my freshman year, and found to be a parochial pursuit. I desire the relationships science establishes to every other form of study (anthropology, sociology, philosophy), resulting in my profound interest in Environmental Studies.
In addition to the sciences, I am also largely invested in written language. I appreciate literature, but I find that writing/composition has the inherent powers of liberty and individual expression. I feel that it is necessary to study the work of our ancestors and contemporary literati, but the ability to express genuine thought and sentiment is a much greater ability. I enjoy the study of writing, for it allows me to develop powerful communicative faculties.
I am a resident of South Chili, NY (Southwest of Rochester by about eight miles). My home is located in a pastoral setting, composed of horse farms, hay fields, and an abundance of wildlife. My homeland has historical significance, for it was once the rich hunting grounds of the Seneca peoples. They were slowly eradicated from the land in the early 19th century, and replaced by ardent, weather worn farmers. Their work is still engraved in the landscape today.
Aside from writing, I am athletically inclined, particularly running and Nordic skiing. However, I mostly regard myself as a denizen of the outdoors, my "permanent address" per say. I have spiritual and physical relations with the natural world that I cannot replace with our human fabricated institutions, even if the institution is relatively benign. I find happiness in the outdoors, and my interests run in infinite directions.
I enjoy receiving feedback, particularly critical feedback. Complements are beneficial, but I find the greatest value in critical comments. My work has and will never achieve completion, for thoughts and expression are continually refined by experience and wisdom. I need critical feedback to show me improvements that can be addressed, and improvements that are possible. In general, I tend to favor critical comments rather than compliments.
I find great influence in the well-known American poets; Frost, Longfellow on occasion, Whitman especially. I also admire the fluidity and passion in Pablo Neruda’s pieces, albeit they are translations. However, I believe Thoreau inspires me the most, mainly due to his emphasis on simple thought and expression.
I find that poetry allows the writer to break the confines of typical prose, and use the paper as a canvas. Words are not only words, but “paints” that can be applied in particular sequences and patterns. I admire poetry that can be readily interpreted, poetry that paints a vivid picture, and inspires the reader to continue his journey into written language. I seem to avoid poems that make little sense or seem to exude spontaneity rather than skill. I like to understand a poem, not pick through jargon for hours.
In this class, I hope to expand my appreciation of poetry, as well as improve my poetic faculties. I often feel that I am inconsistent and rather sporadic with my writing habits, and I hope this class will give me impetus to express my thoughts poetically. In all, I am looking for a greater reason to utilize poetry, to adopt it as a formal though process.

Assignment 1

I’d like to start with a rhyme

To show you what I’ve got.

I’ve only written a few

A poet, I’m not (yet at least!).

So I will agree with you that my poetry skills need a little work. But my name is Melissa and I am just a sophomore here at St. Lawrence. I am an intended Psychology major and working toward a sport and exercise minor. This field is interesting to me because I am more of a critical and analytical thinker, always wondering why people chose to act out in certain ways or why they may be experiencing different kinds of feelings and emotions. I have always found the study of the brain to be fascinating in the sense that we each behave and think in dynamic ways, but the real question is why. And as an athlete, the study of sport and exercise science is somewhat intriguing to me, especially combining the two fields. After my four years here at St. Lawrence, I hope to go to graduate school with plans to pursue a career as a therapist or sport psychologist. But plans can change…

I grew up in a small town of New York just outside the Utica area where there is more open land than houses and probably more cows than there are people. I guess you could say Canton was not entirely a drastic change from Vernon, the town I’m from, but it could it blow the North Country out of the water. I have all the pleasures of living in the country but what I call the city surely is not comparable to Potsdam’s three traffic lights. See where I come from, you could spend hours driving through the back roads of the country side and still be a mere ten minute drive to the mall, cinema, and the countless restaurants that line the boulevard. And the greatest thing about living here is that most of my family and friends live within a 20 mile radius. How can you go wrong?

Aside from spending time with family and friends, I really enjoy playing sports and they became a big part of my life throughout school. I actually play golf here at St. Lawrence but used to play basketball and tennis. I’m no ace server or free throw champ but I like to dabble from time to time. Mostly I like to keep active and wish I had more time to. If the weather allowed me, I would spend about every day at the golf course if I could. But really I enjoy just about doing anything from staying in to going out and having fun.

For the most part, I have had fairly good experiences getting feedback on my writing. I am in no way a scholarly writer but it is something I love doing on the side and find it easier than most to use my creativity to author something that is both expressive and my own. I am open to any kind of critique or constructive criticism that can improve my writing.

I have to admit, reading poetry is uncharted territory for me and my experience with it ended at Dr. Sues. I can drop a few names like Robert Frost and Edgar Allan Poe but its ends there. But I have plans to change that this semester!

Besides for the poems that rhyme, good poetry to me is the kind that makes you look a little bit deeper to draw conclusions about what the author is really trying to say, about why the author chose to write in a certain way. It allows me as the reader to gain a sense of creativity with the poem. I am really excited to jump in and expand my horizons.

I am sorry to admit that my experience with poems begins with “roses are red and violets are blue” but through the semester I hope to gain a sense of confidence in my writing ability. I also want to learn how to write a poem that does not rhyme, that is original, personal to myself, and those that is memorable to my classmates. Gotta start somewhere!

Assignment 0

My name is Meggie Ryer, and I am an English major and Spanish minor. I like English because I enjoy analyzing literature as well as reading authors' works in depth. It's nice to be able to find aspects of literature that I can relate to as well, thus allowing me to understand different forms of writing and critical reading. Some poets such as Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, and E.E. Cummings have also been easy for me to relate to throughout my English studies, as these writers aren't too abstract for me to understand where their ideas are coming from. I think there's a lot to be said about poetry, but what I find great about it is readers can relate poems to themselves in any manner they want. When I read a poem, whatever the poet meant by it, I personally read between the lines to get a feel for what the words mean and can relate them to my own experiences. If I write poetry, I try not to rhyme for the fun of it, but I just want to write simple phrases down as a means of saying something more profound. In this class, I hope to be able to analyze poetry on a more accurate note, rather than thinking too much about the abstract quality of it. Also, I want to be able to write poems that don't sound corny but can affect other people in some sort of way.

Aside from English, I like Spanish as well, because it helps me to understand another culture through speaking the language and studying the history and contemporary aspects of Hispanic culture. I plan to travel abroad to either Spain or Kenya, where I can use my ability to speak other languages to my advantage, immersing myself in other cultures.

I'm from Cumberland, Maine, which is a small town just 15 minutes north of Portland. Maine is not like what many people from far away think it is-- Southern Maine is not rural as is Northern Maine, as there are many small towns located around the greater Portland area. I spend most days in the spring, summer, and fall at the ocean, where up along the coastline there are great seafood restaurants and hotels. It really is the Vacationland.

I would say my interests and hobbies at school include photography, soccer, and lacrosse. On a more relaxed level, I like to spend time with family and hang out with friends, the usual.

Generally I have had good and bad experiences getting feedback on papers and other forms of brainstorming. Throughout high school and my first year in college, I have had mostly positive feedback on papers, whether it involved inspiring remarks or positive criticism on how my paper could improve. I appreciate honest criticism, and the more criticism I have received, the more I was conscious about my work and what it meant to outside sources; however, last semester I did receive negative feedback on most of my paper, forcing me to reconstruct my thesis. Because a professor rewrote my thesis for me, I didn't think it strengthened my ability as a writer-- I couldn't work off of my own mistakes but rather had to use his new idea of a thesis.

First post-Lauren

My name is Lauren Kramer and I am a psychology major. I came to school knowing that I wanted to major in this and have found all of the courses to be quite interesting. I like it because I have always like to try to read people and figure out how they think and how people decide their actions. I have also always been very interested in the mental disorders that people develop such as bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia.
I come from a small town called East Aurora. Its about twenty minutes away from Buffalo but is quite different from the city. My town is known for being historic, as the people there seem to hate change. Our town is known for having the famous toy company Fisher Price, and being home to the former president Millard Fillmore. Despite the historic feel, the streets are also lined with small boutiques, ice cream places, and pizza parlors. Over all it’s a quaint town and a perfect place to grow up.
Besides writing, I also I also love swimming, running, and animals (mainly puppies). I used to swim on my high school team but now I just do it for exercise whenever I get a chance. I also really love to run outside when the weather is nice enough. And I have a love for pugs even though I do not have any pets of my own. Some day I hope to be an owner of several.
Overall I have had pretty good feedback on my work in terms of written assignments. My professors have so far had positive and helpful things to say about my papers, which not only encourages me but also lets me know that there is stillroom for improvement. One of the most frustrating experiences in terms of getting feedback on my work is when my teacher did not return a final project, which I had worked extremely hard on. Instead of letting me know what she liked or didn’t like about my project, she merely emailed me my grade. This was quite annoying for me because after spending so much time on an assignment I felt like she didn’t take the time to really look at it, which is unfair for any student to experience.
One of the poets that I really admired when I was little was Shel Silverstein. Even though his poems were simple and always had a great rhyme scheme, it taught me that poetry could be fun and silly. As a little kid this encouraged me to try making a few poems of my own, because I realized that I could talk about anything I wanted. If playing with Barbie’s or getting along with my sister is what mattered to me at the time, then it was perfectly acceptable to write about. Overall, I was able to experience the freedom and power that poetry had, even if it was from my own simple experiences.
One of the things I like about good poetry is that it really makes you think. The answers and the meaning of it aren’t just spelled out for you, and it often causes you to really challenge yourself to figure out what is being said. One of the pitfalls that I would like to avoid is being too literal with my poetry. I would like to make people think and interpret for themselves what they think I’m talking about. Overall in this class, I would like to learn how to use the little details to make my poems stronger. The placement of a hyphen or ending a line at a certain point all influences how the poem is interpreted, and I would really like to learn how to take advantage of these little details to make my poetry as strong as possible, as I am very new at it.

Kurt Malkames

My name is Kurt Malkames and I am a sophomore Biology major with a tentative minor in Chemistry. Biology has always come natural for me and I find its intricacies fascinating. Biology is life – literally. Genetics is my favorite area of study and I think the future has lots in store for what can be done with gene mutation the like. I am from Allentown Pennsylvania, sometimes known by the semi-famous Billy Joel song, and attended a medium size private school in center city. Allentown is a hub for many commuters to Philadelphia (45min), NYC (1hr), and DC (4hrs). It is the third largest city in the commonwealth and is known for its extensive parks system. Aside from writing I enjoy competing in multisport events such as the biathlon (run/shoot) and duathlon (run/bike). I also play squash and xc ski for fun. I host a radio show on KSLU and am active in the college republicans.
For the most part feedback on my writing has been helpful. Though I have never taken a poetry specific class, other courses I have taken such as Medical Ethics have increased my awareness to constructive criticism. My first year program was also heavily based around giving and receiving criticism. Over time I think my writing improved because of it and I was able to make more poignant suggestions for others. Scientific writing for Biology and Chemistry also relies a great deal on peer review.
Though I haven’t followed a specific poet over the years there are certain geographic areas that tend to produce poetry that I enjoy more often. Classical poetry from China has always interested me because of how different (on a basic level maybe not a technical level) it is from the typical European-influenced readings I always saw. The poems always seem to teach something virtuous and have. As for naming a poet I would have to go with someone famous like Li Po or Tu Fu. Though I’m no expert on them I have read some of their stuff before. I’m taking a Chinese literature course this semester which I hope gives me more insight into them.
I think good poetry should teach you something. After reading it you should be rethinking something. I think a good poem should be able to do something that a normal paragraph could not. In terms of pitfalls I’d have to say that a poem that doesn’t grab your attention is something to avoid. By taking this class I hope to increase my self-awareness as to what is out there in the literature world and expand my range of writing. As I said before I have never taken a poetry specific literature class and I look forward to having a great experience.

First Entry

Here at St. Lawrence I have been studying psychology and education. The main reason why I like my psychology major is because a lot of the classes are interesting and applicable to everyday life. I think my psychology background is going to aid in my goal to be an elementary school teacher after college. Therefore I enjoy my education classes here because they give me the opportunity to work with young students.

I am from a small town outside of Syracuse, New York called Manlius. Someone could compare Manlius to Potsdam, same weather, same small town feel but minus all the farms. Instead of the farms we have a lot of suburban neighborhoods. There isn’t a whole lot that would attract someone to my town, but home is home and I love it.

My main hobby is playing the violin. I’ve played since I was in the second grade and spend my summers teaching young kids how to play. I’m also a dancer. I have danced for over 10 years now, and have pretty much danced most styles, such as ballet, pointe, modern, African, belly-dancing and more.

I’ve had a mix of good and bad experiences getting feedback on my work. I think the most difficult challenge I have when I sometimes get work back from peers is there is a mix of opinions on certain areas of my writing. One student might think I should change a certain part while another thinks it was good. Such a mix of ideas makes it hard for me to decide what to modify or what to keep.

One poet that has stuck in my mind has been E.E. Cummings, specifically his poem “I Carry Your Heart With Me.” The poem is a little cheesy, but I like how the messages in this poem and in his other poems always have a positive feel to them. All of them flow very nicely in an almost a light, airy way.

For me, good poetry is one that has good rhythm to it. Along with a nice flow of words, I enjoy poetry that has connected their underlying messages of the poem in a continuous fashion. I would say by biggest challenge with poetry is trying to think of unique metaphors that convey the message of the poem.

In this course I would like to learn more about and read more poems from current authors. Even though the poets generally studied are classics, I would like to experience some other poets who may touch upon more current events that our generation might be able to relate to in their poems.

First Blog Entry: Matt

My name is Matthew Gadziala. I am a senior and a history/ Asian studies combined major. I chose history as my major simply because I like it. I have always liked studying history and my college experience has contributed greatly towards a better understanding of history. As for Asian studies I became interested after my advisor recommended that I study abroad in China. In my spring semester of junior year, I participated in the Shanghai program. It was a challenging semester, but perhaps the most rewarding experience ever. Combining the two subjects seemed very logical. Since graduation for senior is very soon, I am trying to figure out what I will do afterwards. I am currently applying to several graduate programs at the universities of Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany in a Master degree in History. I hope to move on to a PhD afterwards and perhaps teach at the college level.

I am from Rochester, New York form the town of Brighton. It is a suburban environment fairly close to the city. It is perhaps a five minute drive to downtown Rochester. My house happens to sit on the boarder of Brighton and the town of Pittsford. Because of this it is easy to go between both towns. I would not say there is that much to do. Although there are usually only a few places that my friends and I go to. Because my friends and I are usually laid back, we typically just hang out with each other.

I don’t recall any instance of receiving bad feedback on my work. I think it is very important to listen to constructive criticism. I think that everyone feels a little reluctant to accept criticism of something such as a written assignment that they feel they have worked hard on. I think it is natural to feel that someone is tearing your hard work apart, but it is necessary to be able to see how someone reads your work. If I would consider criticism to be bad, it would be something where the person reviewing your work does not give any feedback because they did not pay any attention. . I am open to criticism if it helps me develop my writing.

I cannot say that I am very exposed to poetry. Aside from my studies of Chinese culture, I have not had many classes that focus on poets or poetry. Poetry within Chinese culture was considered a very high form of art in which both scholar officials and members of the gentry could take part. There are many famous poets such as Du Fu who is called the “poet sage” and Cao Cao, leader of the Wei kingdom during the Three Kingdom period after the fall of the Han Dynasty. I think with poetry I would be able to focus on the more creative aspect of writing instead of the more analytical method associated with my major.

First Blong Entry

As a sophomore at St. Lawrence, my government major nearly completed (it’s a particularly east major to finish). Though I have no real intention of going into either law or politics, I think the study of government and political science is incredibly interesting. Though I worry part of the St. Lawrence government major is just a preparation to work within the beurocracy, I find the way peoples organize themselves in political systems to be fascinating. I love exploring the interactions between nations, as well as the different systems, all leading to a greater understanding of the way people operate, as well as to how the world operates -- on a political level at least.
I hail from a Lenox, small town in western Massachusetts. As far as year round residents, it is a haven for yuppies looking to raise families outside of the city environment. And in the summertime visitors flock from the city to see our galleries, theaters, music, and other tourist attractions that appeal to those over-the-hill New Yorkers who clog the streets. Thought, that’s not to say that I didn’t love growing up there with a great group of friends coming from a small, but good, public school. Also, I love to brag to my eastern Massachusetts brethren about how much better western Massachusetts is than the suburbs that most mass residents live in.
Growing up in this somewhat rural area definitely fostered many of my passions – most of which involve the outdoors. In the warmer months, I love kayaking, playing tennis, rock climbing, hiking, as well as having a few beers on a porch on a beautiful even. In the colder months, I can usually be found snowboarding or Nordic skiing.
Most of the poetry I have written (and I actually write quite a lot) serves as a way for me to vent and get stresses off my back – I find that I write the most when I am angsting out the most. Though most of my writing is unstructured, unorganized, and not really meant for the eye of others. So as far as peer review and feedback, I have gotten very little except from the trusted eyes of a few friends. To be honest, I have very little experience reading poets, and can hardly choose any sort of influence, but from my limited exposure, a couple of my favorites are Nathanial Mackay and Rich Berlin.
Poetry is a means of expression that breaks from the limitations of structured prose or academic writing. When I write poetry, I feel like I am really putting myself onto the page. When I can’t put myself on the page, I feel like it is because I am obsessing over words and specific choices that impede my writing. I hope that this class can bring my poetry-writing to a organized form- one that allows me to express myself, but also allows readers to understand my emotions on the same level as I can when I review my work. I also look forward to gaining a much broader basis to work from, discovering many new poets.

First Blog: about me

My name is Sam Fulmer and I am a sophomore here at St. Lawerence. So far I really enjoy going to school up here in Canton and I am having a great time studying English--it's my major. I am definitely more interested in creative writing as opposed to constant reading of literature in my English classes, but so far I seemed to have found a good balance of doing both and enjoying both. Creative writing is fun for me because I have found a way to make my non-fiction writing entertaining, at least to me, and also be able to write papers on things that I love. For some of my writing classes I have been able to write about my family and friends and the adventures we make, and also I have been able to write about music and what music I love to follow. For me, these types of papers and writing pieces are not homework, they have really grown to be fun for me.

I am from Rye, New York, a small town about half and hour outside of New York City and I have lived there my whole life--only in two different houses. I've been really close with my friends from home forever and even now when we all get back into town from school and work we have a great time as if we've been with each other all along. Rye provided a great place to make good friends, play sports at a fairly high level and link up with people who share the same passion for music as me.

Besides writing my hobbies include sports for the most part, watching them (go Giants, Yankees and Rangers) and more importantly playing them. I was a football player and lacrosse player in high school and played two seasons of football here at St. Lawrence, however I do not play anymore. Recently I've found myself playing different kinds of sports like softball (intramural champions last year) and I've become a big fan of playing paddle tennis. Besides sports I guess my favorite thing to do is to see live music. I've been going to all sorts of concerts and festivals since I was in 7th grade. This would kind of be my dream job, that is, going to shows and other events and being able to write about them maybe for a magazine or some other form of print.

At school I have done workshop classes and I really have had only good experiences with them. Not only do you learn to be politely honest with other people, you also learn how to take criticism and use it for your own benefit.

As far as poetry goes, I have never really been a person who reads poetry on my own time, but because of the direction my academics have gone I have been introduced to many poets and authors who have helped me grow to like poetry and see that it is a lot more than just rhyming.

I've learned that poetry is a great way to express an event or feeling a person has experienced without being so blunt or obvious about what it is. Poetry is almost like a puzzle sometimes and I like that. You really have to break down and look deeper at a poem to see what its all about. I really like this fact because it forces writers and readers to be really creative.

I'm excited for this class and although I'm not sure exactly what I am in for, I feel as though I;m definitely going to enjoy it and learn more about writing and poetry. I guess what I really hope to learn is how to make poems interesting for readers, and how to make small phrases resonate with people on a larger scale. I'm pumped to start the class, it seems like it will be an interesting course for sure.

First Blog Entry

I am a Junior here at St. Lawrence and I am majoring in Sociology. I decided to study Sociology because I felt all of the classes involved a wide range of topics on the study of different groups of people and social institutions that affect them. Taking Sociology courses here at St. Lawrence have gotten me interested in possibly working and getting involved with some type of social service after college.

I am from Manhattan in New York City. It is a much different environment compared to here at St. Lawrence. Everything and everyone moves much faster in New York City and in general there is a lot less space to do things and everywhere always seems crowded. I enjoy living in the city because of all the opportunities it has to offer and how there are always chances to meet new people. I still enjoy the outdoors and the country though, which is why I chose to come to a school like St. Lawrence. I am interested in sports including soccer and snowboarding and enjoy reading as well.

I felt much less comfortable giving and receiving feedback in high school but since I have come to college, I have been asked to do it a lot more and have found it to be helpful. I think students that gave me feedback in other classes so far really tried to help out my work and it has been constructive in improving my writing.

I would not say that I have one specific influence in poetry but one of the poets that I do remember from a young age is Shel Silverstein. I had the book Where the Sidewalk Ends and really enjoyed that particular poem as well. I always admired and still do how he was able to make his poetry fun to read and how people both young and old enjoy it. I also enjoy Robert Frost’s poetry and his ability to involve nature and create a story through his descriptions. The best thing about good poetry is how you can almost picture the people or objects in poetry by reading the detailed descriptions. Poems sometimes make me look at situations or objects differently than I might have before and I admire how good poems can say a lot in only a few words.

In this class, I hope to discover more poets’ work that I will enjoy and expand my knowledge about the work they have written. It will be helpful to learn different techniques that are used to write poetry. Since I have not written much poetry since high school, I hope to discover what things in my life I will enjoy writing about and wish to make my writing a little more fluid.

All About me.....

I am in my sophomore year here at SLU and I am studying Biology, but really have an interest in all sciences. I like science in general because I get to use what I have learned and apply it to everyday life and describing how things/organisms work and move. In being involved with science I have been able to take advantage of many different resources here at SLU and have worked with a wide range of equipment that most people dont get to use in their life time.
I am from the small town of Peru, NY. Its one of those towns where everyone knows everyone and all the kids are friends and grow up together. We are a very quaint town and have many activities or festivals going on all the time. Peru does happen to be considered an apple town, so our biggest event all year is Applefest. I honestly can say ive only been a few times, but always a great thing to do. Weather wise, it is very similar to the weather here in Canton, but even though I've grown up in the cold and snow I'm neither use to it nor do I like it very much.
My interests include running and hiking. I am a very outdoor oriented person, but on the off chance that I am inside I love movies and reading.
I have had both good and bad experiences when getting feedback on my work. I am very respectful of others views and very open to criticism, but I do take things to heart and sometimes they seem to get to me more than others depending on how involved I got or what the work meant to me personally.
I admire the work of Robert Frost. There are many poems that he has written that seem to speak to me on a personal level. There are many obstacles and challenges I've had to overcome throughout my life and sometimes its hard for me to be able to express what I am feeling. When I read the poems by Frost it seems like he gets me, like he knows what I am feeling and conveys to everyone else what it is that I am trying to say. In a more general regard I think that personally I am drawn to poems and poets that are able to convey my thoughts and feelings about topics that I necessarily wouldn't go out and tell everyone else, the thoughts I keep to myself.
The good thing about poetry is it ability to be able to describe almost every emotion or feeling or describe anything you can think of just by the words that the author chooses to use.
From this class I hope to be able to express my thoughts or feelings or even describe something in so much and vivid detail that I am able to capture the reader, and make it seem like they are right there next to me living what I am.

First Blog: All about me...

I am finishing up my last semester as an English major. I have focused mostly on British literature with a smattering of American literature and little fiction writing. I love reading and am one of those people who can read a novel (or two) in a day, hence the literature focus. Math and science never made any sense to me but I can spend hours upon hours reading and daydreaming about literature. I am minoring in education at the secondary level, which means I will graduate with certification to teach 7-12 English in NYS. Having just completed my student teaching in which I taught a unit on poetry to sophomores, I am very interested in poetry...a form of writing I haven't focused much on since high school. I loved teaching and during my search for poems to teach, I realized I really don't know that much about poetry other than what I learned in high school (not much). This encouraged me to search out new poets and styles that may appeal to the modern teen.
I come from a small town in the Adirondacks, on Lake Champlain. Westport thrives mostly during the summer and my school had about 270 students K-12--my graduating class was 21. I adored the small town atmosphere while growing up, and still do. Currently, the town is gaining a slightly larger population of 'younger' folks but it is still very small and friendly.
I greatly enjoy writing but am not all that confident that what I write is any good. I have had mixed reviews of both my poetry and short stories, of course the people who generally tell me my stuff is good are my friends...I have a tendency to draft when I write anything. I cannot spit out a finished product in one sitting by working from an outline. I would rather write the entire thing over. Because of this time-consuming writing process, I prefer to edit others' work. Here on campus, I am an editor for the Laurentian Magazine (submit your work!!) as well as an editor for the SLU yearbook. I enjoy sports, particularly soccer and basketball but my enslavement to the bookstore keeps me from playing very often.
Who are my influences? Damned if I know. I get inspiration from many sources: television, novels, poetry, people, classes, bumper stickers, and theater. I admit, I am not well versed in poets but I admire Robert Frost and I love "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes (I am strangely obsessed, in fact). I admire anyone who can write using a specific rhyme scheme or structural pattern. I try but don't do so well... Generally, my poetry is abstract and occasionally morbid. I write whatever comes to mind, sometimes it rhymes, although usually not. Ironically, I prefer not to read abstract, free verse poems.
I believe one of the biggest challenges I face writing poetry, is the use of cliches--especially when rhyming. I try to avoid them but I usually can't think of a replacement until several years later. Or, I think of it just before I fall asleep and can't recall it come morning.
I have already answered this last question, "what do I hope to learn?" I enjoy writing poetry and I do want to "learn to write better poems" but more than that, I would like to learn new styles of poetry and expand my general knowledge of poets. However, my ulterior motive is finding material that I may be able to teach in the long run (see, I always write cliches!) and work on methods of critiquing poetry.

First Blog Entry: To be completed before class, Thursday, January 21

Length: at least 450 words

• In the upper right-hand corner, you’ll see two options: “Create Blog” and “Sign In.” Choose “Sign In.” This will take you to your Blogger dashboard; hit the “New Post” button under our blog’s heading on your dashboard.

If it doesn’t want to let you log in, email me and remind me to add you as a contributor!

• Make your first blog entry. In that entry, please spend at least 450 words answering the following questions:

• What are you studying, and why do you like it?
• Where are you from, and what’s it like there?
• Aside from writing, what are your interests and hobbies?
• Have you had good or bad experiences getting feedback on your work? What were they?
• Who are your influences? Name some poets, living or dead, whose work you admire (and try to articulate what you admire about them). A poet you detest can also be an influence--if you can articulate how you want to write differently from him.
• What’s good about good poetry? What poetic pitfalls do you try to avoid?
• What do you hope to learn in this class? (Don’t be lame and say, “I want to learn to write better poems.” Be more specific than that.)