Workshop lessons and messages

Welcome to the Workshop on writing Emotional Poetry.

Let's hope that after this week, which could turn out quite intensive, you all will feel more confident to express your emotions in the powerful form of a free style poem or perhaps in a more poetic form, if you wish.

It was Gabriella's idea to have a workshop on emotional poetry, focusing on letting emotions flow freely and have nothing stand in the way of that. No poetic rules and no tendency to write formal, precise and correct should hinder expressing emotions. When I understood what Gabriella wanted, though she let us completely free, I was afraid that there is not much to teach on this subject. After all: a free style poem knows no rules. You can write it in whatever way you want or you can add a bit of meter, but more than that can hardly be taught on the poetic front. And the free flow of emotions? Anne and I searched internet to see what could be found on that and we came up with a handful of links on creating the right mood. Soft stuff in my opinion, but nevertheless with a few useful exercises which we will put on your plate during these lessons.

So here we are with a workshop in which there is not much to teach, but do not despair! We still have your wishes to start writing poetry about your emotions, our forum and our good intentions....so we will make it work by giving you some simple tasks and a lot of encouragement and interaction. And that may very well prove to be enjoyable and effective in making you all (and us?) write! It will be the efforts of all of us that could lead to great results!







Emotional Poetry


Emotional poetry is also being called "Confessional Poetry" or sometimes "Neurotic Poetry" and it has always been surrounded by some level of discussion. Is it right that a poet should make the "I" so important and writes directly about his feelings and experiences? Is that poetry? Can (or should) the poet be trusted, that what he writes is the truth? Just to name some of the issues that arose.

Wikipedia has an interesting article, if you like to read more about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessionalism_%28poetry%29



One of the most famous emotional poets is Sylvia Plath. Below you'll find one of her poems and you may notice that she has seemingly simply expressed whatever came to her mind and she did not follow any poetic rule in doing so, apart from using a bit of meter (10 or 11 syllables per line).


I Am Vertical

But I would rather be horizontal.
I am not a tree with my root in the soil
Sucking up minerals and motherly love
So that each March I may gleam into leaf,
Nor am I the beauty of a garden bed
Attracting my share of Ahs and spectacularly painted,
Unknowing I must soon unpetal.
Compared with me, a tree is immortal
And a flower-head not tall, but more startling,
And I want the one's longevity and the other's daring.

Tonight, in the infinitesimal light of the stars,
The trees and flowers have been strewing their cool odors.
I walk among them, but none of them are noticing.
Sometimes I think that when I am sleeping
I must most perfectly resemble them--
Thoughts gone dim.
It is more natural to me, lying down.
Then the sky and I are in open conversation,
And I shall be useful when I lie down finally:
The the trees may touch me for once, and the flowers have time for me.

Sylvia Plath

Poem copied from: http://www.poemhunter.com/sylvia-plath/poems/



Assignment for lesson 1

A simple task to start with:
-Sit down where you feel easy to write and where you will be (rather) undisturbed.
-Try to think of something that keeps you occupied nowadays, something where you are more or less emotional about.
-For fifteen minutes, write down every thought that comes to your mind. If your thoughts go fast, just note the keywords. It makes no difference however futile your thoughts may seem, everything is worth writing down during these 15 miniutes.
-Keep your doodle safe for our next lesson.


Discussion:

What, do you think, would be the use of writing emotional poetry? Could it help you to get over certain emotions? Could it help to formulate a problem, make it clear instead of a blur in your heart and brain? Or is it all nonsense and just a, perhaps overrated, past-time?
Please share your thoughts in the forum.



Feel free to share any more or less poetic lines with us already. We're not asking you to write a poem yet, but if you feel like: go ahead. It may be good for some interaction to start...

OK, that's it for now. We hope you'll enjoy yourselves!

Anne and Maria






"Love for all, hatred for none."

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