\"Writing.Com
*Magnify*
SPONSORED LINKS
Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/11554
Poetry: September 14, 2022 Issue [#11554]




 This week: From the Heart
  Edited by: Lilli 🧿 ☕ Author IconMail Icon
                             More Newsletters By This Editor  Open in new Window.

Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Thoughts from Poets on poetry...

*Writer* "Poetry is nearer to vital truth than history."
         ~ Plato

*Writer* "Poets are the sense, philosophers the intelligence of humanity."
         ~ Samuel Beckett

*Writer* "Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary."
         ~ Khalil Gibran

*Writer* "A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness."
         ~ Robert Frost


Word from our sponsor

ASIN: B07B63CTKX
Amazon's Price: $ 6.99


Letter from the editor

Poetry is works that flow from our minds and hearts through our hands.

Between the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th and the 21st Anniversary of 9/11, it has filled this past week with deep emotions for many across the world. Some may find it difficult to reconcile their feelings and find peace amidst the chaos. Reading and/or writing poetry can engage our senses along with our emotions and provide a pathway to peace and have therapeutic effects on the mind.

“Writing poetry requires us to be open and honest about our feelings so that we can voice them through pen and paper, which is the first step to truly expressing ourselves,” explains author Geri Giebel Chavis in Poetry and Story Therapy: The Healing Power of Creative Expression (Writing for Therapy or Personal Development).

Personally, I seem to write my best poetry when I am struggling with my emotions and seeking clarity. This is when the cathartic release of emotions to pen and paper as an outlet calms me, gives me some clarity, and enables me to move forward. Coincidentally, these are the poems I rarely share.

Poetry’s powerful healing qualities have been well documented during both World Wars and the American Civil War: they read poems to soldiers to help them cope with trauma and the brutalities of war. In fact, doctors would write poems for their patients, emotionally connecting with them. A striking example of this is poet John Keats who also trained as a doctor.

I will typically turn to poetry when dealing with confusing situations or when dealing with loss or pain. It has really helped me during difficult transitions in my life, such as dealing with illness, death of loved ones, disappointment, etc. Transforming difficult emotions into words can offer relief and the beginning of understanding.

Here are some suggestions to get you started writing a poem if you find yourself in need of a release.

*Heart* Name the emotion you are feeling and describe it in a four-line stanza

*Heart* Talk about your fears

*Heart* Talk about your losses

*Heart* Talk about your dreams

*Heart* Focus on a powerful image and describe it

*Heart* Write about what inspires you


If you feel that you struggle with writing poetry, try reading poetry. We are often drawn to a poem when we connect with the poet’s feelings, either feeling the same as the poet or empathizing with him/her. It feels like a 2-way dialogue, where there is a sense of mutual understanding. In How to Read a Poem…: and Start A Poetry Circle, Molly Peacock makes a great observation that readers often feel a poem is about them because it captures exactly how they are feeling. This has a profound, almost cathartic impact on the reader.

Wether you choose to read or write poetry, I wish you peace.


Editor's Picks

 
Image Protector
STATIC
"Songs of Angels" Open in new Window. (E)
Angels can sing to you in many different ways!
#2280533 by Legendary❤️Mask Author IconMail Icon


Image Protector
STATIC
Missing you Open in new Window. (13+)
A lonely dialogue with Barb... (Rotten Leaves Magazine)
#1418551 by Ben Langhinrichs Author IconMail Icon


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2280078 by Not Available.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2137067 by Not Available.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#300947 by Not Available.


 Invalid Item Open in new Window.
This item number is not valid.
#2279464 by Not Available.

 
Submit an item for consideration in this newsletter!
https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Word from Writing.Com

Have an opinion on what you've read here today? Then send the Editor feedback! Find an item that you think would be perfect for showcasing here? Submit it for consideration in the newsletter!
         https://www.Writing.Com/go/nl_form

Don't forget to support our sponsor!

ASIN: B07N36MHWD
Amazon's Price: $ 7.99


Ask & Answer


*Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet* Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Newsletter! *Bullet* *Bullet* *Bullet*

This form allows you to submit an item on Writing.Com and feedback, comments or questions to the Writing.Com Newsletter Editors. In some cases, due to the volume of submissions we receive, please understand that all feedback and submissions may not be responded to or listed in a newsletter. Thank you, in advance, for any feedback you can provide!
Writing.Com Item ID To Highlight (Optional):

Send a comment or question to the editor!
Limited to 2,500 characters.
Word from our sponsor
ASIN: B01DSJSURY
Amazon's Price: $ 5.99

Removal Instructions

To stop receiving this newsletter, click here for your newsletter subscription list. Simply uncheck the box next to any newsletter(s) you wish to cancel and then click to "Submit Changes". You can edit your subscriptions at any time.


Printed from https://writing.com/main/newsletters/action/archives/id/11554