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This week: To Punctuate or Not to Punctuate Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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Hello! My name is Crys-not really here and I'm happy to be your guest editor for the Poetry Newsletter this week. Poetry was my first love, and I'm sure you'll find my Poetry newsletters full of passion and fierce opinions!  |
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To Punctuate or Not To Punctuate
That is the question. I've been writing and studying poetry for many years; the debate over whether or not to use proper punctuation in free verse poems has always been a part of my life as a poet.
There are a couple of different opinions about punctuation. One school of thought says that poems must be punctuated according to conventional grammar. After all, why did we learn punctuation, if not to use it? Some people believe that poor usage of punctuation in any circumstances leads to sloppy, unprofessional writing. They have a good point. There is no way most of us would put up with reading a ten page short story without periods. (Except for those of you who have read Ulysses at any length. I commend you.) So, why should we put up with a poem without periods, where the lines run all together and we have no idea where one thought ends and another begins?
Another school of thought says "Poetry has no rules. It's all about expressing myself, and I like to express myself without punctuation." Those poets are just wrong. Even free verse poetry has rules. (See "Poetry Newsletter (May 19, 2010)" ) Despite what we like to believe, poetry is also not just about expressing our emotions. It's just as important how we say something as it is what we say. (See "Noticing Newbies Newsletter (May 26, 2010)" ). Not using periods or commas may convey your message the way you'd like it to, or it may just tell your readers that you're a sloppy poet.
Personally, I believe that the poem itself dictates to what degree the poet should use punctuation. Get a good feel for the subject matter and form of the poem. Are you writing a serious poem, maybe in long stanzas that rival sonnets? Then you probably need to use punctuation, or everything will run together when read. If you're writing a short poem with short, fleeting lines, or a poem that is meant to be ambiguous, then perhaps you don't need to use periods. Think of e.e. cummings' poems, where some of the words at the end of lines could be used on the lines they're on, or be pushed down to the next, creating multiple meanings. With periods at the end of lines, the poem would be less complex. You probably wouldn't even know you were reading cummings, would you?
Remember: never break rules just for the sake of breaking them. If you're driving sixty miles per hour in a thirty mile per hour speed zone, you're probably going to get pulled over, because you have no good reason to be going that fast. But, if your pregnant wife is in the car and about to give birth, you might have an excuse. You know the law, but you've chosen to break it for a good reason. The same hold true for punctuation. We all learn how to use punctuation in school because it's an important foundation for our education. Once we've learned the rules, used them and mastered them, that's when we as writers have a right to break them. I'm sure even e.e. cummings had an English teacher who taught him how to use punctuation and capital letters.
If you do decide to break the rules of punctuation, please be consistent within your poem! Many poets will punctuate one stanza, and then not the next. The result is a sloppy poem that thrusts the careful reader into a state of confusion. Consistency is key.
I cringe when I read "I wrote my poem without periods because I don't like periods and it's my poem so it doesn't matter if you understand it." When you're putting a poem out there for the world to see, you have an audience, and your poetry should be written for that audience as much as for you. |
The poems I chose to highlight this week may not be perfect in terms of punctuation. That is why I chose them. I encourage you to take a look at this poems with a critical eye, and review them the best you can. Ask yourself, "Should this poem have/not have punctuation?" and "Is the punctuation consistent throughout all of the stanzas?"
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Thanks to everyone who wrote in about my last Poetry newsletter, on the subject of Performance Poetry! It's obviously that most of you value how your poetry sounds aloud, but not all of you understand how performance poetry differs from reading a poem to an audience. I hope the following analogy will help you:
Think of poetry as music. Most poetry that you write would probably be considered "classical" music. It has the traditional rhythms, rhymes and conventions of poetry. Your poetry may also be more like pop or rock, and therefore brings to mind those rhythms when read aloud. Think of Performance Poetry as hiphop or rap. Different rhythms and cadences, right? But still music, and still poetry. The subjects might differ, as well. Performance poetry often takes more risks than traditional poetry, examining subjects like violence or drugs, and with a more in-your-face approach.
A very interesting subject. I have never differentiated between performance or slam poetry and any other kind of poetry. I have always imagined myself reading my poems to an audience, and I have had the opportunity to do that at a local coffee shop. However, I did not specifically write them just to be read aloud.
As for slam poetry, I am not quite sure what that refers to either, but I remember my Grandmother just coming up with poetry off the top of her head. It was wonderful, and I wish I had written it down, but it was so spontaneous that I never did. I think that might be what slam poetry is. -Cynaemon
I was so excited when I saw that this newsletter was about performance poetry. I just knew that had to include "spoken word."
To add to my excitement, I was reading through the comments and saw my name! I was shocked to be included in this. Thank you so much for adding my question. I'm so glad my questions gave you inspiration for this newsletter, which by the way is great. I really hope this newsletter will bring a greater understanding and respect to this genre.
Thanks again. -imjustme
I propose an anthology or posting place for "Poetry for Dummies" or even "Poetry for People Who Don't Like Poetry." Any form (or no form) is acceptable. The contributions must be plain spoken. Symbols and/or metaphors are OK, but they must be explained in the poem. Sorry, those would be the rules. Any thoughts? -Doug Rainbow 
Very interesting newsletter...You should really check out Kayla Sullivan She does live poetry reading all the time and most of the poetry in her port has been done that way.
I also do it, and did 1/3 of my senior project (triple major-had to work same project in 3 different incarnations) on stage which was a one person show using much of the work in my 'Placesettings' folder in my port.
Honestly, much poetry translates exceedingly well to the stage. Think Shakespeare *smile* It is all in the presentation, I think. :) -Fyn-elf 
Interesting newsletter today. I feel, however, that any good poem should come alive when read aloud, and that doing so is a good way to check the flow and sense of one's work. Not always easy, I admit, because so many of us are charmed by our own words and do not like to cut them for something more pertinent to the context, but reading any poem aloud is a great way of improving it. One sees immediately what does not work. -alfred booth, wanbli ska |
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Poetry: September 08, 2010 Issue [#3951]
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