  Poetry
This week: Edited by: Red Writing Hood <3  
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“Teach your children poetry; it opens the mind, lends grace to wisdom and makes the heroic virtues hereditary.”
Sir Walter Scott quotes (1771-1832)
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Continuing Poetry Education
Many of you have either sent yourselves, your kids—or if you’re like me—both you and your kids back to school this month. So how can you continue your poetry education? Let me share what I do with you.
Prerequisites for all courses listed: determination and desire to learn.
COMPUTER ED. 102
You’ve already taken Computer Ed. 101 just by being a member of this huge writing community and signing up for this newsletter. Computer Ed. 102 takes it up a notch. Look for poetry specific groups that both critique and practice poetry actively. There are many here at Writing.com, and at other group and social websites. Find ones that fit your time constraints, your genre interest (like haiku, or sonnet) and are active—and then stick with it.
Create a poetry blog. It can be as public or private as you want. Make a goal and stick with it. If you know you can write a poem every other day, then make it your goal. The hard part is to make a goal that is both doable and challenging at the same time. Don’t forget that these are not written in stone. If you are overwhelmed, reduce your goal slightly, then you will be more apt to stick with it.
LIBRARY ED. 101
Regardless of what your personal finances allow, gaining knowledge from books is the next class on your schedule. If you don’t have the money to increase your home library, go to your local library instead. Read the books there, or borrow them and use them for “homework,” or note taking. If you find one you can’t live without, then see if you can find it for a good price as new or used online. I also like to look through the thrift shops and grab up any old college literary textbooks. These usually include both prose and poetry information and techniques at bargain prices. Don’t forget to check out magazines on writing and poetry, too.
Here are some of the books that are on my shelf and what I like about them:
***Padgett, Ron. The Teachers & Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms. 2nd. NY: T & W Books, 2000.
This book goes more in depth than many other books. It gives some history, as well as some practical application advice. However, it is limited in the amount of forms it covers.
***Williams, Miller (1986). Patterns of Poetry: An Encyclopedia of Forms. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 1986.
This is the first book I ever purchased to further my poetry education. It has a good variety of vocabulary, technique and form.
***Turco, Lewis. The Book of Forms. 3rd. Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 2000.
This one is similar to Miller Williams’ book, but has some things it doesn’t. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily better—I like them both, as many times Williams’ book will have information Turco’s doesn’t. They supplement each other well.
***The New Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics. Edited by Ales Preminger and T. V. F. Brogan. 1993.
This is the most expensive of my books. It is full of encyclopedic essays. Great resource, but not a necessity unless you are getting in depth. Lots of history of poetry, but reads dry. Well, it is an encyclopedia.
***Leiper, Esther M. (2006). Win! Poetry Contests. Perham, MN: WRITERS' Journal Books.
This one is good if you plan on entering poetry contests. The author is a poet, poetry contest winner, and poetry contest judge.
***The last one is Practice of Poetry, which I share why I like it in the Feedback section.
There are other new ones I have, but I haven't gotten to know them as well as the ones above. I also didn't mention the college literary textbooks I use, but for the most part, one is as good as another. I have several to give me a variety of resources. I also have books of poetry by various classic poets, but I have those because I really like their work or they were gifts. The literary textbooks will give you a variety of great poems to study. I have about six of them and the only books that cost me more than a dollar were the ones I had to buy for my college courses.
COMMUNITY ED. 101
Go local. Look for poetry groups in your area. Can’t find one close enough? Start your own. Try taking classes at the local community college, or community center. Look for local poetry readings, or poetry slams. April is a prime time for these, but you can sometimes find them at libraries, coffee houses, art galleries, and community centers at other times of the year.
~*~
The goal here is to expand your poetry knowledge, and to practice what you’ve learned no matter which “courses” you decide to take. Above all, have fun!
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Theme: Hodge podge of groups, essays, and poetry at various levels.
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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
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I've decided to use The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises From Poets Who Teach: ($11.73 from Amazon.Com) in order to hone my skills.
Every month I will share a synopsis of one of the exercises I want to try. If you also try the exercise, please feel free to share it with me and the Poetry newsletter subscribers. If you send me a link to your item, I shall place that link in this section next month.
The exercise I will try this month comes from Part 3, page 68. It is by Christopher Gilbert and it is called "Our Suits, Our Selves." In this exercise you compare yourself to an inanimate object--that is, change our human suit for that of an inanimate object. What I like best about this exercise is what it wants you to think about when you compare. Here is an excerpt:
"What [does] this condensation of yourself into this new nature [mean] for your most precious human abilities--say, your words and language, or, say, your sexuality. What does this new nature imply for your human body parts? Where and in what condition is your heart now? What would your eyes see and your hands touch?"
~*~
Have a question, answer, problem, solution, tip, trick, cheer, jeer, or extra million lying around?
If so, send it through the feedback section at the bottom of this newsletter OR click the little envelope next to my name Red Writing Hood <3 and send it through email.
Comments on last month's newsletter:
Submitted By: JACE 
Submitted Comment:
Thank you so much for featureing my poem "The Midway Beckons" in your NL. I've never considered myself much of a poet, though I've enjoyed flexing beyond my comfort zone with the Talent Pond's Seasonal events and the "Rhythm & Rhyme ~ CLOSED!!!" for which this poem was written.
I guess we all should take time to explore alternate writing realities. Again, my thanks.
Jace
Submitted By: comb
Submitted Comment:
Awesome article. Can you please add more to the editor`s picks next time?
Submitted By: Jamie lee 
Submitted Item: "Ryan's Poem" [E]
Submitted Comment:
Hi I have been a member of writing.com for about 5 years now though i have been in quite the dry spell lately( I don't think i've written a poem in 2 or 3 years i guess) and I have just started getting back into it slowly with the inspiration of your newsletter. I would love it so much if you could please show the last poem I wrote. I need a good kick in the pants to get going again and I want to know that my heart will not be the only one to hear my poetry. there is no point in writing it if it will be. Sorry this was such a long comment :) thank you very much.
Submitted By: peach
Submitted Item: "Invalid Item"
Submitted Comment:
Liked this week's newsletter. However, I did not see very much free verse. I sent you a free verse poem that explores writing as art.
Thanks - peach
Thank you all for your kind comments and insightful feedback! Keep it coming 
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Poetry: September 16, 2009 Issue [#3280]
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