Oh despair!

By weirdelf, 19 April, 2011

Just listened to Alan Ginsberg reading "Howl" again. Why do I do this to myself?

We all need to come down from our own egos now and then, I make myself read Shakespeare, Coleridge, Bukowski again and again I torture myself with the genius I will never be.

But try. I have to. "“If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad.” Byron. But I've never met a good writer for whom writing wasn't torture.

Bunch of fucking masochistic egotists some of us are.

weirdelf

14 years 3 months ago

Funny you should use that phrase

"from the heart", Joe.

I just wrote an outline for a workshop on critiquing poetry and said, only half in jest, that if anyone used the phrase "from the heart" they would be immediately expelled from the workshop.

We all write from the heart if we write poetry, the trick is to use our head to write it in a fresh, original manner so that our readers can engage and maybe even learn.

I don't pretend to know all the answers, we will all learn from each other in these workshops. I can only offer suggestions on methodology and strenuously insist that we need to criticise, not praise each other in order to learn and grow.

And of course, read the masters.

There is a new series of 3 workshops starting soon, all with the same topic "Critique", covered at different levels of intensity. Mine will be called "The Shark Pool". I think you have more than sufficient testes to attend.

Feebie

14 years 3 months ago

Hey Jess

I agree with what you said when you mentioned writing using one's head in order to come up with a fresh style and theme to keep your audience interested and on the edge of their seats literally when reading your work, for i believe that every poet's piece is written from the heart, otherwise why would he/she choose to write in this medium in the first place?

PS: do only those with "Testes" get the seal of approval on this workshop you will be hosting? ;-)

Good to see you here again Jess, i sure have missed the old gang from Neo....

weirdelf

14 years 3 months ago

only metaphorically, my dear

in fact I tremble in the face of ovarically inspired critique!

Hope to see you in "The Shark Pool on Critique", to be announced soon.

pleiades

14 years 3 months ago

any requirements for joining

any requirements for joining the shark pool?
(apart from the obvious ones)

or is it just dive in, and join the feeding frenzy?

weirdelf

14 years 3 months ago

details of all the new workshops

will be posted soon by Dan

Race_9togo

14 years 3 months ago

any requirements for joining the shark pool?

Large teeth and vast hunger.

;)

CCfire

14 years 3 months ago

Have you seen the movie too?

Have you seen the movie too? I listen to Howl, I read On The Road, youtube Anne Waldman with her beat readings and stand back thinking Wow..but 'stream' writing as in a 'stream of conscience is a great thing to try, I often do it, perhaps most of it means nothing but sometimes it comes out and parts are damn poet worthy. Perhaps workshopping for streams might be rather interesting in seeing the poets just 'let go' of their minds and write. We all have an ego, no matter how often we say we're humble poor writers. lol

weirdelf

14 years 3 months ago

My two favourite methods for stream of conciousness

writing are:
Turn off your monitor and just type.
or, this one produces some really wild results,
Walk down a long beach with your eyes shut and describe your "eyelid movies", record them with an mp3 player or recording walkman.

Eduardo Cruz

14 years 3 months ago

Jess

When I hear someone else say it, I think poor stupid bastard. Then I look in the mirror and see myself.
Oh the agony of it, the repetition, and the stupidty I have to go on. I still wonder at times for fucking what.
To say that i'm a poet, When I really know it's not for me to say, but for some one else to explore.
I whole heartly agree with you.