  Poetry
This week: A Poetry Primer Edited by: JACE  
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Hi, I'm JACE .
Welcome to this issue of the Poetry newsletter. This is my first time as an Editor for the Poetry newsletter. Poetry, specifically form poetry, is a passion I've only recently discovered. I hope you'll enjoy spending time with me as I look at things poetic through the eyes of a virtual child in this wonderful medium.
Please tell me what you liked or didn't like in my column, or about a topic you'd like to see discussed. This newsletter is for eveyone interested in Poetry, Poets and poetic expression. 
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A Poetry Primer
As I stated in my introduction, I'm rather new to poetry. I've always been a short stories man--usually stories with fewer than 5000 words. I like the conciseness of fitting a complete tale within some parameters often highlighted by a reduced word count. I believe it forces one to exercise clarity of thought and creativity ways to reduce the noise in one's head.
The fact is I dicovered much the same thing with poetry, especially in form poetry. Imagine my surprise and delight to find many of the forms I've encountered on my journey require that same brevity and pithy style ... even more so than short stories.
And so, some definitions: (By the way, I love these definitions. They make poetry sound so ... neat.  )
Poetry: The art, theory or structure of poems, using the qualities of rhythm, rhyme, feelings and spirit to pull the poem together. Poetry is the embodiment of these qualities.
Poet: A person who writes or expresses himself with imaginative power and beauty of thought, language, or spoken word. Indeed, a person who writes poems or verses.
Poem: An arrangement of words, written or spoken, traditionally a rhythmical composition. Sometimes rhymed, this composition expresses experiences, ideas and emotions in a style more concentrated, imaginative and powerful than ordinary speech or prose.
Chapbook: A small book or pamphlet usually 10 to 40 pages of poems, ballads, etc.
Definitions are from "Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language," 2d College Edition, pub. 1970
The expressions of poems are as varied as the persons who express them. Re-read those definitions--that's heady stuff.
... expresses experiences, ideas and emotions in a style more concentrated, imaginative and powerful than ordinary speech or prose.
If that doesn't make you aspire to be a better poet, what will?
A poem may follow a specific form. At the beginning of the year, I joined a poetry group called "Poetic Exploration" , whose charter was to explore a different form of poetry each week for 50 weeks. Membership in the group was limited to facilitate the exchange of ideas, writing, and reviewing. Many of the forms are listed on a site called ShadowPoetry.Com, specifically http://www.shadowpoetry.com/resources/wip/types.html.
One new form per week--what a concept. Of course, having other folks to keep me on the straight and narrow really helps. At first I felt like the class dunce; I didn't really know enough to contribute. With their encouragement, I quickly gained confidence in my poetic abilities. Nope, I don't have all the answers, but I sure enjoy the journey. My point is find some like-minded folks who will help, encourage, and yes, stomp on you when needed. 
Since I began this poetic journey, I've written a number of poems that might easily form the basis for a chapbook. Chapbooks may portray a theme or just be a collection of a poet's work. Illustrations or pictures are a nice touch if you can add them. Despite the expense of self-publishing such a booklet, I rather like the idea of having a collection of my own work available for family and friends. Of course, that may just be vanity whispering in my ear.  Perhaps I might enter such a collection into a poetry contest outside WDC. Yep, I've looked.
By now it's become apparent that I'm partial to form poetry. While I have nothing against free verse--I know many fine poets on WDC who excel with free verse--I enjoy the structure that form poetry offers. I love the challenge of massaging what I want to say into a particular form with a set meter or rhyme. I edit ruthlessly, and the dictionary, Thesaurus, and The Complete Rhyming Dictionary are my best friends. What continues to amaze me is that whatever thoughts I wish to convey always seems to fit perfectly with whatever form I select. Always? Well, way more than usually.
Consider stretching your poetic wings into a form that you've never tried before. I know you'll find it as rewarding as I have.
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A few samples of one of my favorite poetic forms, the Villanelle.
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Poetry: August 24, 2011 Issue [#4573]
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