How to Write Nice Poems
You want to write poetry? Read as many poems as you can access—which, as we shall soon see, is millions of poems.
Of all the poets I know and have read, not one—that I’m aware of anyway—writes without reading a lot of poetry and other creative writing.
You don’t need to spend a bankroll at the franchise bookstore (unless you want to), and you don’t have to sit in a too-quiet library perusing the pieces and poems of the ancients (though before you die you should read the epic poets, Shakespeare, Milton, and others…). Rather, since you have some degree of Internet access, since you are reading this article, you can, with a click, find and read hundreds—no, thousands—of poems by poets of any era, writing in any style and framing in any form.
The best sites are the indexes and databases, which are easy to navigate, which render your search term or phrase in seconds, and which present clearly laid out poems that you can read with facility online…without even having to print them on paper (unless you wish to, of course).
The only thing you have to tolerate is the occasional obnoxious pop-up window. Find and click the furtive little x…NOTHING else.
Here are some fantastic sites that have provided hours of information and other support and elements for my students:
Poem Hunter – poemhunter.com – as with most poem databases, Poem Hunter allows you to search by poem, poet, word, phase, song, and more. The site also features new poets who have recently submitted a piece….
The Academy of American Poets – poets.org – a premiere site, poets.org also has audio capabilities for numerous pieces, so you can hear the poet’s speaking voice as you read his or her poetic voice! Further, the site has a section of interviews with well-known poets, and offers a section for educators and one for researchers.
Representative Poetry Online -- http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display/ indextitle.html – this site is comprehensive in its features, which include a poet index, a poem index, a calendar, a timeline, a glossary, a bibliography, a special Canadian poets section (the site is Canadian…), and a nifty random function which enables you to receive a surprise piece—if you get overwhelmed by the choices of what to read first or where to start with which poet in which era of which form.
Poetry 180 -- http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/p180-list.html -- this site is a more concentrated one, focusing on poems for high school students to read a poem a day during the school year. In all respects, though, it is a useful database, one which teachers or Homeschoolers will appreciate as well.
And the pièce de ré·sis·tance…Wired for Books -- http://wiredforbooks. org/poetry/ -- with its ample poetry section all in audio accompaniments, which you can hear for free, this site is a must-visit.
If you still need more after this—when, say, you are in your eighties or nineties—do a google search for online poems or online texts. When you get to The Guttenberg Project, you will never again be able to say you have “nothing to read” or that you (a poet) don’t read other poetry.
|
|
|
Navigation:
|
|
