I love poet Nikki Giovanni and this discovery of her interview on the internet by Scholastic students in 2002 was simply wonderful.
How long have you been writing? Since college, a long time, 30 years.
What inspired you to become a writer? How do you teach children that poetry does not have to rhyme?
I'm fascinated by people, by human beings, and that's what got me interested in writing. I think students already know that poems don't have to rhyme. You just have to remind them that poems are about beauty and emotion; in other words poems are about feelings.
Where do you get the inspiration to begin writing your poems?
Once you begin writing do you find it easy to finish a poem? Yes, I do. Like most writers it's more difficult to begin a poem than to end one. But I have to have the information; it's information that begins a poem.
Where did you grow up in Ohio? Lincoln Heights.
What was your childhood like - did you enjoy reading and writing poetry as a kid? At what age did you write in hopes of being published?
I had a really nice childhood; I had great parents. I earned my allowance by washing dishes, and in the summer I earned my allowance by working in daddy's garden. I'm not good in the garden; I once pulled up all the peppers - I thought they were weeds. I definitely enjoyed reading, I didn't write much poetry when I was a little girl, but I've always been a big reader. I did not think about publication until after college.
The information you use to write poems, is it based on personal experience or other things such as facts? I hope it's based on facts, but I've personally experienced it to some degree. I think it's important to do research, and research mostly is going to come from books, so all of your reading is potentially helpful to your poetry.
Why do you mix poetry with music? Poetry and music are very good friends. Like mommies and daddies and strawberries and cream - they go together.
Did you dedicate a poem to Tupac Shakur? What was the name of it? Why? Yes, the name is "All Eyes on You." I thought it was such a loss to the art community, the black community, and the American community. I wanted to grieve.
You said you wanted to grieve for Tupac. Did your poem entitled "The Funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr." come from the same place of wanting to grieve or was it more of a statement about how so often African-American leaders are more admired dead than alive?
Those poems come from two different places and the King poem is much more a political poem in my opinion, but I'm not a critic.
Who or what inspired you to write? I'm just totally fascinated by people.
What is the most difficult poem you have written? Is it your favorite? Which poem has been your most popular?
My most popular poem is "Ego-Tripping." I've worked on all of them, and just hope they all turn out well.
What inspired you to write "Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day?"
I think life is cotton candy on a rainy day. For those who grew up with cotton candy the old-fashioned way, it is very delicate. Pre-made cotton candy that has preservatives is not nearly as good or true. True cotton candy is sugar, color, and air and it melts very quickly. That was the metaphor - it can't be preserved, it can't be put aside, it can't be banked. It has to be experienced, like life.
Do you sit down and think about writing, or do you just get sudden inspirations? I sit down and think about writing specific poems at specific times.
Which of your books is your personal favorite?
I like them all.
What do you like to do in your free time?
I play a little tennis; I like to cook; I like to read, and I love listening to music. I'm also a bird watcher. I spend a lot of time learning about bird watching.
What books did you read growing up?
I read from my mother's library mostly. So I read a lot of romantic novels, but I've also always been a lover of science fiction and those are two main areas, science fiction and Victorian novels.
Can you give us some suggestions to increase students' interest in reading and writing?
My main suggestion, and don't laugh, we should read to the students. My students and I in my Introduction to Creative Writing Class (college level) read Tim O'Brien's In the Lake of the Woods. I had thought they wouldn't want to hear a story being read, I really did. It turned out to be one of our really wonderful experiences. If you want students to read - read to them.
Do any of the artists you listen to inspire your poems? Yes, but looking at my earlier work you will see the Gospel influence; I grew up in the Baptist church. And moving into My House poems you'd see the jazz influence.
Have you worked with any other choirs after the one with James Cleveland?
I worked with the New York Community Choir under the direction of Bennie Diggs. I had the pleasure of knowing Reverend Cleveland, and he used to say I stole his song (laughing). James is a great man.
How old were you when you wrote your first poem? Sixteen? Seventeen?
A teenager.
Why did you write "Ego-Tripping?"
Because I wanted to give something to girls. Boys have everything to support their independence and area of wonderfulness; they have baseball players and astronauts. I wanted the young women to know that we too are wonderful, everything that happened we did it. I love that poem. I must add if I may, the joy has been that the boys have liked it also. Hearing boys recite it has been wonderful to me, which means that things that are born of love - bring love. That poem came from a lot of love.
What do you like about poetry? I like being able to express my thoughts. That's what I like most about it.
On the average, how long does it take you to write a poem?
I'm a professional writer so I don't want to approach a young writer on that level; it gives them a false sense of possibilities.
What part of poem writing do you like the most?
The anticipation.
What was your first published poem?
I don't remember the first poem, but the first book was Black Feeling, Black Talk.
How did you go about getting your first poem published?
I think I just submitted it to the magazine or newspaper. I formed a publishing company to publish the first book; it's a business situation. That's how we did it, and sold the books. You have to separate business and art. I didn't want to go to a publisher because I didn't want to be rejected. I still don't have an agent. I'm a poet - poets don't need agents.
Do you write a "rough draft" or do you submit your poetry as it first comes to you?
Probably right now, neither, I work on the computer so I make the edits right there. I'm not in school, which makes a difference. I don't write drafts; I write on the computer.
As an African-American poet, did you face any problems with getting your work published? As an African-American poet I avoided the problem by creating my own company, so if there was a problem, I didn't know about it.
Who inspired you to start writing?
I don't believe in role models and inspiration, I just don't believe in it. I never did, but I had a terrific grandmother who was always very interested in what I was doing. I know my grandmother was a great influence and inspiration in that degree, but I reject that notion that someone winds you up and starts you on your way.
Why do you write poems for young people?
Because I was once young (laughing). I have a great respect for young people. And I wanted to share what I remembered that might be interesting or helpful.
Did you read the Harry Potter series? If so what do you think about them?
Every one of them twice. In Quilting: The Black Eyed Pea, there is a review of the Harry Potter movie. I'm a big Harry Potter fan; the books are great. I wanted the werewolf to come back. In the battle, we knew that Dumbledore was going to make peace with the giants in the struggle, but I want the werewolves too. I think the werewolves were on our side.
Why did you pick Ashley Bryan to illustrate "The Sun Is So Quiet?" Is he your favorite illustrator? How do you work together if he lives in Maine and you live in Virginia?
Ashley and I share a mutual friend; her name is Connie Harris and she was formerly the head of the Children's Library Section in Cincinnati. It's probably fair to say that Connie brought us together. And I do love his work. I've worked with a lot of people, but Ashley is one of my favorites. Distance doesn't matter. There is no distance - long distance - especially with the Internet.
How do your children influence your poetry?
I only have one child. His name is Thomas, and I think my relationship with Thomas encouraged me to look again at the needs or interests of children.
What are some of your goals for the future?
I hope to travel more. I enjoy traveling, that is a goal. I'm interested in retracing Darwin's steps - the naturalist, that's a goal. Everything else is a hope. I would hope to go to Mars, but it's not likely.
Do you prefer teaching poetry or writing it yourself?
That's like asking if I prefer cooking or eating, they are part of the same process.
Do you sometimes get frustrated when you are writing?
Yes. I think everybody does, it's not something to be unhappy with yourself about either.
Was there anything else you wanted to be besides a poet?
Not actually, maybe if I'd been a little better I could have been a professional tennis player, like Venus Williams. That would've been a dream. I also liked to paint, but I had to recognize that I would never be a professional painter. You have to recognize these things and move on. But if I were 12 years old today, I'd want to be an astronaut.
What are your favorite movies, poems, and books?
My favorite movie is one that your parents probably won't let you see - The Godfather; it's a terrific film. One of my favorite books is The Lies of the Cell by Louis Thomas. But I also like Sula, by Tony Morrison, a lot.
Do you get nervous when your poems are about to go out to the public? No (laughing). By the time they are about to go out, I know they are ready.
About how much time a day do you spend writing your poems?
Quite a bit lately because I'm working on a book, but once the book is finished less because I'll be working on my research. I don't write every day.
Did you go to college for this? Or did you plan on doing something else?
I went to college as a history major, liberal arts. I made preparations, not plans. I still think that's important.
Do you think you will continue writing throughout the years?
I hope so.
Who is one of your favorite poets?
I like a lot of poets. I loved the work of Robert Louis Stevenson when I was growing up because I love children's literature, but now, I don't even know who I DON'T like. I read a lot and enjoy it.
What advice do you have for young people who want to be poets today? The most important thing is to pay attention. The next would probably be to read; it's so important to pay attention. It keeps you from being bored, and I might add it keeps you from being boorish.
How would you encourage middle-school students to feel comfortable writing poetry as a form of creative expression?
I'd be sure to praise the creativity because even on the college level, which I teach, praise is going to get you better work. Its not that you don't want better skills, like spelling, but it can't be the divining decision. Try to look into what the children are sharing. Start every sentence with, "That's really good. Now tell me . . ." Kids are very nervous about being criticized, start them off from a very positive point. I'm pleased that you all asked questions today - that's not easy to do. I'm glad we had an opportunity to interact closer.
March 2008.
Nikki Giovanni's favourite poem
EGO TRIPPING
--------------------
I was born in the Congo.
I walked to the Fertile Crescent
and built the sphinx.
I designed a pyramid so tough
that a star that only glows every
one hundred years falls
into the center giving
divine perfect light.
I am bad.
I sat on the throne
drinking nectar with Allah.
I got hot and sent an ice age
to Europe to cool my thirst.
My oldest daughter is Nefertiti.
The tears from my birth pains
created the Nile.
I am a beautiful woman.
I gazed on the forest and burned
out the Sahara desert.
With a packet of goat's meat
and a change of clothes,
I crossed it in two hours.
I am a gazelle so swift,
so swift you can't catch me.
For a birthday present when he was three,
I gave my son Hannibal an elephant.
He gave me Rome for mother's day.
My strength flows ever on.
My son Noah built an ark and
I stood proudly at the helm
as we sailed on a soft summer day.
I turned myself into myself and was Jesus.
Men intone my loving name.
All praises all praises,
I am the one who would save.
I sowed diamonds in my back yard.
My bowels deliver uranium.
The filings from my fingernails are
semi-precious jewels. On a trip north,
I caught a cold and blew
my nose giving oil to the Arab world.
I am so hip even my errors are correct.
I sailed west to reach east and had to round off
the earth as I went.
The hair from my head thinned and gold was laid
across three continents.
I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal.
I cannot be comprehended except by my permission.
I mean...I...can fly like a bird in the sky...
Friday, October 3, 2008
Poetic Enlightenment
MOOD
--------
Mood is defined as a created atmosphere or context. In the movies mood is achieved by special lighting, sound effects, selected music, and the tone of the actors’ dialogue and actions. In poetry, to create mood, the writer must rely on his/her use of words and phrases to "paint the right scene" - in other words, create the right mood. The mood may be somber, light-hearted, "other worldly," comical, silly, or thought provoking. It is up to you, as the poet, to consider your theme and purpose. Then create the mood that best relays those two elements to your reader. Let’s look at some poems and practice identifying theme, purpose, and mood in the following poem
Days
------
Karle Wilson Baker
----------------------
Some days my thoughts are just cocoons--
all cold,and dull and blind,
They hang from dripping branches in
the grey woods of my mind;
And other days they drift and shine--
such free and flying things!
I find the gold-dust in my hair,
left by their brushing wings.
--------
Mood is defined as a created atmosphere or context. In the movies mood is achieved by special lighting, sound effects, selected music, and the tone of the actors’ dialogue and actions. In poetry, to create mood, the writer must rely on his/her use of words and phrases to "paint the right scene" - in other words, create the right mood. The mood may be somber, light-hearted, "other worldly," comical, silly, or thought provoking. It is up to you, as the poet, to consider your theme and purpose. Then create the mood that best relays those two elements to your reader. Let’s look at some poems and practice identifying theme, purpose, and mood in the following poem
Days
------
Karle Wilson Baker
----------------------
Some days my thoughts are just cocoons--
all cold,and dull and blind,
They hang from dripping branches in
the grey woods of my mind;
And other days they drift and shine--
such free and flying things!
I find the gold-dust in my hair,
left by their brushing wings.
Poetry lessons
"Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar."
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), English poet. A Defence of Poetry (written 1821; published 1840)
FORMS - THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
------------------------------------------------------
Just like the body has a skeleton to hold its shape, poems have a structure that hold their ideas together. In poetry, that "skeleton" is called form. Over the next seven (7) lessons you will identify several different types, or forms of poetry such as Haiku, Lantrene, Couplet, Quatrain, Limerick, and Free Verse. As you practice the different forms of poetry, think about which would be most appropriate for your theme, purpose, and mood from Lesson 15, 16, and 17.
Some points to consider when choosing a "skeleton" for your poem are, of course, its theme, purpose, and mood but also think about if you want your poem to be compact or lengthy, rhymed or unrhymed, metered or unmetered.
You may know if words rhyme such as moon, June and which words do not rhyme (or are unrhymed) like city, hill. However, meter may be a new word for you. Meter deals with the rhythm of the poem. As you might clap your hands along with the rhythm of your favorite music, you can find the same type of "sing-song" pattern in poetry (This is especially evident in nursery rhymes.). This pattern, or meter may be built on accented and unaccented syllables in the lines of the poem. Check out this web site for practice finding meter.
Your poem’s form may be very restricted and limited or very free without many restrictions. Rules for form might include number of words, indention, capitalization, number of syllables, placement of rhymed words, and number and/or placement of lines. There is so much to learn about poetic form but the best way to learn is to try to put some "flesh" or "meat on your bones" on your skeleton and experience writing poetry using different poetic forms.
ALLEGORY - al·le·go·ry
----------------------------
The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. A story, picture, or play employing such representation. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are allegories.
BALLAD
-----------
1.Any light, simple song, esp. one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody.
2.A simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.
3.Any poem written in similar style.
4.The music for a ballad.
5.A sentimental or romantic popular song.
CINQUAIN sing-keyn, sing-keyn
--------------
Prosody. a. a short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables. b. any stanza of five lines.
MADRIGAL mad·ri·gal
----------------------------
1. a secular part song without instrumental accompaniment, usually for four to six voices, making abundant use of contrapuntal imitation, popular esp. in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. a lyric poem suitable for being set to music, usually short and often of amatory character, esp. fashionable in the 16th century and later, in Italy, France, England, etc.
3. any part song.
SONNETS
----------------
Prosody. a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes, being in the strict or Italian form divided into a major group of 8 lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of 6 lines (the sestet), and in a common English form into 3 quatrains followed by a couplet. –verb (used without object)
FREE VERSE
-----------------
Free verse is just what it says it is - poetry that is written without proper rules about form, rhyme, rhythm, meter, etc. The greatest American writer of free verse is probably Walt Whitman. His great collection of free verse was titled Leaves of Grass and it was published in 1855.
In free verse the writer makes his/her own rules. The writer decides how the poem should look, feel, and sound. Henry David Thoreau, a great philosopher, explained it this way, ". . . perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." It may take you a while to "hear your own drummer," but free verse can be a great way to "get things off your chest" and express what you really feel.
Here is an example:
Winter Poem
-----------------
Nikki Giovanni
-----------------
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
QUATRAIN ((KWOT-rain)
---------------------------------
HEY!! Does anybody have a quarter? What's a quarter have to do with this type of poetry? Well, a quarter is 1/4 of a dollar. The word quatrain comes from Latin and French words meaning "four." See the connection? The quatrain is a poem or stanza of four lines. It is a very popular form of poetry. Famous poets like William Blake and T. S. Eliot used quatrains. Read these examples:
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
-From William Blake's "The Tyger"
LIMERICK
--------------
A limerick is a five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. If a couplet is a two-line rhymed poem, then a triplet would be a three-line rhymed poem. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a with lines 1, 2 and 5 containing 3 beats and rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 having two beats and rhyming. Some people say that the limerick was invented by soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700's.
Limericks are meant to be funny. They often contain hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns, and other figurative devices. The last line of a good limerick contains the PUNCH LINE or "heart of the joke." As you work with limericks, remember to have pun, I mean FUN! Say the following limericks out loud and clap to the rhythm.
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were caught, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "Let us flee."
"Let us fly," said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
-Anonymous
COUPLET (CUP- let)
-------------------------
You know a couple means two. So a couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that are usually rhymed. We think the idea of the couplet came from the French and English. There are lots of ways to write different types of couplets. Couplets can also be used to "build" other poems, but we'll get to that later! We are going to use a couplet for a "play on words," or a word game. This type of couplet is called a "terse verse." Here's the way you play,
"If turkeys gobble,
Do Pilgrims squabble?"
ACROSTIC
--------------
The word acrostic if formed from the Greek word acros (outermost) and stichos (line of poetry). You can even find acrostic in the Bible in a book called the Psalms. The acrostic is a poem where the first letter of each line form a word when you read them looking downward. A very complicated acrostic would have the last letter of each line forming a separate word as you read downward, also. But let's take one step at a time and concentrate on simple acrostics. Follow the directions for completing your own.
HAIKU
---------
Haiku is a poetic form and a type of poetry from the Japanese culture. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Haiku poets, which you will soon be, write about everyday things. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. Usually they use simple words and grammar. The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables. Haiku doesn't rhyme. A Haiku must "paint" a mental image in the reader's mind. This is the challenge of Haiku - to put the poem's meaning and imagery in the reader's mind in ONLY 17 syllables over just three (3) lines of poetry!
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), English poet. A Defence of Poetry (written 1821; published 1840)
FORMS - THE SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME
------------------------------------------------------
Just like the body has a skeleton to hold its shape, poems have a structure that hold their ideas together. In poetry, that "skeleton" is called form. Over the next seven (7) lessons you will identify several different types, or forms of poetry such as Haiku, Lantrene, Couplet, Quatrain, Limerick, and Free Verse. As you practice the different forms of poetry, think about which would be most appropriate for your theme, purpose, and mood from Lesson 15, 16, and 17.
Some points to consider when choosing a "skeleton" for your poem are, of course, its theme, purpose, and mood but also think about if you want your poem to be compact or lengthy, rhymed or unrhymed, metered or unmetered.
You may know if words rhyme such as moon, June and which words do not rhyme (or are unrhymed) like city, hill. However, meter may be a new word for you. Meter deals with the rhythm of the poem. As you might clap your hands along with the rhythm of your favorite music, you can find the same type of "sing-song" pattern in poetry (This is especially evident in nursery rhymes.). This pattern, or meter may be built on accented and unaccented syllables in the lines of the poem. Check out this web site for practice finding meter.
Your poem’s form may be very restricted and limited or very free without many restrictions. Rules for form might include number of words, indention, capitalization, number of syllables, placement of rhymed words, and number and/or placement of lines. There is so much to learn about poetic form but the best way to learn is to try to put some "flesh" or "meat on your bones" on your skeleton and experience writing poetry using different poetic forms.
ALLEGORY - al·le·go·ry
----------------------------
The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. A story, picture, or play employing such representation. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are allegories.
BALLAD
-----------
1.Any light, simple song, esp. one of sentimental or romantic character, having two or more stanzas all sung to the same melody.
2.A simple narrative poem of folk origin, composed in short stanzas and adapted for singing.
3.Any poem written in similar style.
4.The music for a ballad.
5.A sentimental or romantic popular song.
CINQUAIN sing-keyn, sing-keyn
--------------
Prosody. a. a short poem consisting of five, usually unrhymed lines containing, respectively, two, four, six, eight, and two syllables. b. any stanza of five lines.
MADRIGAL mad·ri·gal
----------------------------
1. a secular part song without instrumental accompaniment, usually for four to six voices, making abundant use of contrapuntal imitation, popular esp. in the 16th and 17th centuries.
2. a lyric poem suitable for being set to music, usually short and often of amatory character, esp. fashionable in the 16th century and later, in Italy, France, England, etc.
3. any part song.
SONNETS
----------------
Prosody. a poem, properly expressive of a single, complete thought, idea, or sentiment, of 14 lines, usually in iambic pentameter, with rhymes arranged according to one of certain definite schemes, being in the strict or Italian form divided into a major group of 8 lines (the octave) followed by a minor group of 6 lines (the sestet), and in a common English form into 3 quatrains followed by a couplet. –verb (used without object)
FREE VERSE
-----------------
Free verse is just what it says it is - poetry that is written without proper rules about form, rhyme, rhythm, meter, etc. The greatest American writer of free verse is probably Walt Whitman. His great collection of free verse was titled Leaves of Grass and it was published in 1855.
In free verse the writer makes his/her own rules. The writer decides how the poem should look, feel, and sound. Henry David Thoreau, a great philosopher, explained it this way, ". . . perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." It may take you a while to "hear your own drummer," but free verse can be a great way to "get things off your chest" and express what you really feel.
Here is an example:
Winter Poem
-----------------
Nikki Giovanni
-----------------
once a snowflake fell
on my brow and i loved
it so much and i kissed
it and it was happy and called its cousins
and brothers and a web
of snow engulfed me then
i reached to love them all
and i squeezed them and they became
a spring rain and i stood perfectly
still and was a flower
QUATRAIN ((KWOT-rain)
---------------------------------
HEY!! Does anybody have a quarter? What's a quarter have to do with this type of poetry? Well, a quarter is 1/4 of a dollar. The word quatrain comes from Latin and French words meaning "four." See the connection? The quatrain is a poem or stanza of four lines. It is a very popular form of poetry. Famous poets like William Blake and T. S. Eliot used quatrains. Read these examples:
Tyger! Tyger! burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?
-From William Blake's "The Tyger"
LIMERICK
--------------
A limerick is a five-line poem written with one couplet and one triplet. If a couplet is a two-line rhymed poem, then a triplet would be a three-line rhymed poem. The rhyme pattern is a a b b a with lines 1, 2 and 5 containing 3 beats and rhyming, and lines 3 and 4 having two beats and rhyming. Some people say that the limerick was invented by soldiers returning from France to the Irish town of Limerick in the 1700's.
Limericks are meant to be funny. They often contain hyperbole, onomatopoeia, idioms, puns, and other figurative devices. The last line of a good limerick contains the PUNCH LINE or "heart of the joke." As you work with limericks, remember to have pun, I mean FUN! Say the following limericks out loud and clap to the rhythm.
A flea and a fly in a flue
Were caught, so what could they do?
Said the fly, "Let us flee."
"Let us fly," said the flea.
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.
-Anonymous
COUPLET (CUP- let)
-------------------------
You know a couple means two. So a couplet is a pair of lines of poetry that are usually rhymed. We think the idea of the couplet came from the French and English. There are lots of ways to write different types of couplets. Couplets can also be used to "build" other poems, but we'll get to that later! We are going to use a couplet for a "play on words," or a word game. This type of couplet is called a "terse verse." Here's the way you play,
"If turkeys gobble,
Do Pilgrims squabble?"
ACROSTIC
--------------
The word acrostic if formed from the Greek word acros (outermost) and stichos (line of poetry). You can even find acrostic in the Bible in a book called the Psalms. The acrostic is a poem where the first letter of each line form a word when you read them looking downward. A very complicated acrostic would have the last letter of each line forming a separate word as you read downward, also. But let's take one step at a time and concentrate on simple acrostics. Follow the directions for completing your own.
HAIKU
---------
Haiku is a poetic form and a type of poetry from the Japanese culture. Haiku combines form, content, and language in a meaningful, yet compact form. Haiku poets, which you will soon be, write about everyday things. Many themes include nature, feelings, or experiences. Usually they use simple words and grammar. The most common form for Haiku is three short lines. The first line usually contains five (5) syllables, the second line seven (7) syllables, and the third line contains five (5) syllables. Haiku doesn't rhyme. A Haiku must "paint" a mental image in the reader's mind. This is the challenge of Haiku - to put the poem's meaning and imagery in the reader's mind in ONLY 17 syllables over just three (3) lines of poetry!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Autumn Haikus read around the world
These three autumn haikus have been read by thousands around the world. They are my favourites and always evoke autumn scenes, of fluttering leaves, of yet to be realised dreams, of memories... of the days in Tokyo when days turned shorter than the nights I dedicate them to friends around the world;
depth of autumn
a few leaves on the tree
dancing
autumn leaves
the girls talk about
christmasautumn
from the
gnarled trees
fluttering birds
depth of autumn
a few leaves on the tree
dancing
autumn leaves
the girls talk about
christmasautumn
from the
gnarled trees
fluttering birds
Susan Kiguli the Woman's Voice from Africa
Uganda: Dr. Kiguli to Recite Poems at Literature Festival in Berlin
New Vision (Kampala)
Sept 14, 2008
Harriette OnyallaKampala
UGANDAN poet and writer Dr. Susan Kiguli is set to recite 12 poems at the International Literature festival in Berlin, Germany, later this month. The festival, which attracted over 34,000 literary enthusiasts in 2007, is focusing on Africa this year.
In a press statement, the event organisers, the Berliner Festspiele in conjunction with the Peter Weiss Foundation for Art and Politics, said Kiguli will recite 12 poems during three sessions of the festival which opens on September 24 and ends on October 5.
"She is regarded as one of the most interesting and promising young African poets who compose their poems in the form of oral tradition. The four sections of her African Saga, namely Poems of Protest, Relational Poems, Poems of Nature and Existential Poems perfectly illustrate the range of her themes," the statement said.
African Saga propelled Kiguli into the ranks of the most exciting recent African poets when it made literary history in Uganda by selling out in less than a year.
The collection of poems also won the National Book Trust of Uganda Poetry Award the year after its publication.
Kiguli, a lecturer at the Literature Department, Makerere University, said she will have at least 20 minutes in each session to recite poems off her African Saga collection written in 1998 and some poems from the Anthropology of poems she is soon to publish.
She told The New Vision on Wednesday that Back Home a poem which was distinguished by the Stan Journal of Leeds University, UK, is among those she will recite.
The festival will also feature Lebogang Mashile, whose approach to issues like diversity and unity in South Africa; the status of women; violence and the fragility of individuals with a sense of urgency; humour and sometimes sadness has placed her among the Rainbow Nations most popular artists.
Zimbabwean poet Chirikure Chirikure - a critic of the political elite and advocate for the disadvantaged people of Zimbabwe, will also recite a series of poems.
Kiguli and Grada Kilomba will share their experience as members of the African Feminist Movements in which Kiguli has long been known to hold strong sentiments.
Kilomba is a writer, researcher and psychologist from the West African Islands of Sao Tome e' Principe who is now teaching at the Free University of Berlin.
Because of Kiguli's literary achievements, she has been labelled a 'woman poet'.
"Why do you have to emphasise that a writer is a woman when she can ably find her place among her male counterparts," says Kiguli, who is also the chairperson of FEMRITE, Uganda Women Writers' Association.
Relevant Links
East Africa Arts, Culture and Entertainment Books Europe and Africa Uganda
The festival will also include a panel discussion on African writers and their public responsibility to cause change on the continent. Kiguli has recited her poetry at international book fairs, literature festivals and
conferences.
New Vision (Kampala)
Sept 14, 2008
Harriette OnyallaKampala
UGANDAN poet and writer Dr. Susan Kiguli is set to recite 12 poems at the International Literature festival in Berlin, Germany, later this month. The festival, which attracted over 34,000 literary enthusiasts in 2007, is focusing on Africa this year.
In a press statement, the event organisers, the Berliner Festspiele in conjunction with the Peter Weiss Foundation for Art and Politics, said Kiguli will recite 12 poems during three sessions of the festival which opens on September 24 and ends on October 5.
"She is regarded as one of the most interesting and promising young African poets who compose their poems in the form of oral tradition. The four sections of her African Saga, namely Poems of Protest, Relational Poems, Poems of Nature and Existential Poems perfectly illustrate the range of her themes," the statement said.
African Saga propelled Kiguli into the ranks of the most exciting recent African poets when it made literary history in Uganda by selling out in less than a year.
The collection of poems also won the National Book Trust of Uganda Poetry Award the year after its publication.
Kiguli, a lecturer at the Literature Department, Makerere University, said she will have at least 20 minutes in each session to recite poems off her African Saga collection written in 1998 and some poems from the Anthropology of poems she is soon to publish.
She told The New Vision on Wednesday that Back Home a poem which was distinguished by the Stan Journal of Leeds University, UK, is among those she will recite.
The festival will also feature Lebogang Mashile, whose approach to issues like diversity and unity in South Africa; the status of women; violence and the fragility of individuals with a sense of urgency; humour and sometimes sadness has placed her among the Rainbow Nations most popular artists.
Zimbabwean poet Chirikure Chirikure - a critic of the political elite and advocate for the disadvantaged people of Zimbabwe, will also recite a series of poems.
Kiguli and Grada Kilomba will share their experience as members of the African Feminist Movements in which Kiguli has long been known to hold strong sentiments.
Kilomba is a writer, researcher and psychologist from the West African Islands of Sao Tome e' Principe who is now teaching at the Free University of Berlin.
Because of Kiguli's literary achievements, she has been labelled a 'woman poet'.
"Why do you have to emphasise that a writer is a woman when she can ably find her place among her male counterparts," says Kiguli, who is also the chairperson of FEMRITE, Uganda Women Writers' Association.
Relevant Links
East Africa Arts, Culture and Entertainment Books Europe and Africa Uganda
The festival will also include a panel discussion on African writers and their public responsibility to cause change on the continent. Kiguli has recited her poetry at international book fairs, literature festivals and
conferences.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
What they say about American Literature
STOCKHOLM, Sweden - The man who announces the Nobel Prize in literature says the United States is too "insular" and ignorant to compete with Europe when it comes to great writing.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Horace Engdahl said Tuesday that "Europe still is the center of the literary world."
Engdahl is the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which selects the literature prize winner. He is expected to announce the winner in the coming weeks. Engdahl says the U.S. "is too isolated, too insular" and doesn't really "participate in the big dialogue of literature."
Since Japanese poet Kenzaburo Oe won in 1994, the selections have had a distinct European flavor. The last American winner was Toni Morrison in 1993.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Horace Engdahl said Tuesday that "Europe still is the center of the literary world."
Engdahl is the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, which selects the literature prize winner. He is expected to announce the winner in the coming weeks. Engdahl says the U.S. "is too isolated, too insular" and doesn't really "participate in the big dialogue of literature."
Since Japanese poet Kenzaburo Oe won in 1994, the selections have had a distinct European flavor. The last American winner was Toni Morrison in 1993.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Surprise from the United Kingdom and Canada
My poems have given me so many surprises every year I have been posting them on the net. This year, a Canadian designer took a line from my Memoir of a Geisha for the earrings she designed and sold on the internet. Someone also posted the poem on Marie Osmond Fan Site and along with it real beautiful paintings of Geisha at their best.
And I was also most surprised when two community sites in the United Kingdom took to promote my poems to the public there. Thank God, this would help the sales of my poetry collections when I eventually publish my books there. This community site in Scotland published one of my favourite autumn haiku poems depth of autumn/a few leaves on the tree/dancing on its poetry page:
Renfrewshire Community Website - Poetry
(John Tiong Chunghoo). A selection of poetry websites. BBC poetry page · Poem Hunter · Poetry Archive · Poetry Library · Poetry Society · Poets' Graves .
Sometime ago in July the Somerton Community Website (United Kingdom) also recommended its poetry society members to study one of my poems about the eerie world: ww.somerton.co.uk/page/thursday_17th_july The poem to study is "Of things Eerie" by john tiong Chunghoo. ... Issues, Courtyard Music with Gregory Wells King, Organ Recital by John Bodiley.
Of things Eerie, the Poem
-------------------------------
Of the unfrequented storeroom
Opposite the unlit kitchen you
Inevitably face while making
Your last drink for the night
Two unseen eyes staring at you
From the room that seems to
Have become the hideaway
For cantankerous spirits
Of the uneasy silence at early
Dawn in a forlorn lane near
An accident Spot which had
claimed a life, his soul crying
out for aids to fulfil his dreams
Of the minutes in a quiet
Moonlit night when the bus
Had stopped right in the
Shadows and gate of a vacant
House you know is haunted
Of the disturbed sleep in a
Small hotel where your bed
Faced a bathroom which
Seemed to harbour someone
Constantly watching over you
Of the swing in a lonely park
That moves and creaks in the
hairaising chill of a cold night
Memoir of a Geisha a poem
---------------------------------
between tokyo skyscrapers
her brilliant white powdered face dazzles
fancy of a thousand samurais
charming dainty seductive
unobstrusive sakura
first snow in summer
all year spring song
between the clinks of sake
heartstirring samisen driven ditties
she cheers up globe trotting
samurais now armed only with wads
of yen for ammunition
geisha a fragrant night bloom
opens tokyo to its riveting and
colourful past
her acuity is sharp as
a samurai sword
mellifluous vocals and
and dance gaits graceful
as spring swans
she softens the staunchest
of hearts warms, lightens up
their winter years
converting jaded souls
to a new morrow
her poems, haikus, tankas and
ancient tales put back the
lost souls into the modern samurais
in suits and ties
between jokes and heartfelt praises
her fame grows
between their laughters, joy
she rests her years
geisha.......geisha...her dainty steps
echo in the hearts of modern folks
her knowledge of old and new japan
should scales the sky
The Japanese kanji for “geisha” translate to artisan, apropos for the exquisitely costumed women who historically performed, sang, and danced for their male clients in 17th-century Japan. Today, Kyoto’s Gion district is one place where you might catch a glimpse of geisha apprentices, called maiko, as they wander narrow streets lined with craft shops, traditional inns, and temples. john tiong chunghoo
Comments about this poem (Memoir of a Geisha by john tiong chunghoo)
Sayuri Nitta (8/15/2008 6:05:00 AM) this is a wonderful way to describe a geisha. you can proberly tell i am a fan of the book, and film from my name. sayuri nitta, its not my real name, its the geisha name from memoirs of a geisha.
Ana Monnar (7/30/2007 8:52:00 AM) John, this is a beautiful poem. Thank you very much for sharing. I enjoyed it very much. The words are soooooooooo rich.
Raynette Eitel (11/21/2005 8:19:00 AM) This is lovely, John. The image of the tiny geisha with dainty feet juxtaposed with the skyscrapers of Tokyo is memorable. Good poem. Raynette
Max Reif (11/21/2005 7:40:00 AM) I know very little about Japanese traditions, but this is quite beautiful.
And I was also most surprised when two community sites in the United Kingdom took to promote my poems to the public there. Thank God, this would help the sales of my poetry collections when I eventually publish my books there. This community site in Scotland published one of my favourite autumn haiku poems depth of autumn/a few leaves on the tree/dancing on its poetry page:
Renfrewshire Community Website - Poetry
(John Tiong Chunghoo). A selection of poetry websites. BBC poetry page · Poem Hunter · Poetry Archive · Poetry Library · Poetry Society · Poets' Graves .
Sometime ago in July the Somerton Community Website (United Kingdom) also recommended its poetry society members to study one of my poems about the eerie world: ww.somerton.co.uk/page/thursday_17th_july The poem to study is "Of things Eerie" by john tiong Chunghoo. ... Issues, Courtyard Music with Gregory Wells King, Organ Recital by John Bodiley.
Of things Eerie, the Poem
-------------------------------
Of the unfrequented storeroom
Opposite the unlit kitchen you
Inevitably face while making
Your last drink for the night
Two unseen eyes staring at you
From the room that seems to
Have become the hideaway
For cantankerous spirits
Of the uneasy silence at early
Dawn in a forlorn lane near
An accident Spot which had
claimed a life, his soul crying
out for aids to fulfil his dreams
Of the minutes in a quiet
Moonlit night when the bus
Had stopped right in the
Shadows and gate of a vacant
House you know is haunted
Of the disturbed sleep in a
Small hotel where your bed
Faced a bathroom which
Seemed to harbour someone
Constantly watching over you
Of the swing in a lonely park
That moves and creaks in the
hairaising chill of a cold night
Memoir of a Geisha a poem
---------------------------------
between tokyo skyscrapers
her brilliant white powdered face dazzles
fancy of a thousand samurais
charming dainty seductive
unobstrusive sakura
first snow in summer
all year spring song
between the clinks of sake
heartstirring samisen driven ditties
she cheers up globe trotting
samurais now armed only with wads
of yen for ammunition
geisha a fragrant night bloom
opens tokyo to its riveting and
colourful past
her acuity is sharp as
a samurai sword
mellifluous vocals and
and dance gaits graceful
as spring swans
she softens the staunchest
of hearts warms, lightens up
their winter years
converting jaded souls
to a new morrow
her poems, haikus, tankas and
ancient tales put back the
lost souls into the modern samurais
in suits and ties
between jokes and heartfelt praises
her fame grows
between their laughters, joy
she rests her years
geisha.......geisha...her dainty steps
echo in the hearts of modern folks
her knowledge of old and new japan
should scales the sky
The Japanese kanji for “geisha” translate to artisan, apropos for the exquisitely costumed women who historically performed, sang, and danced for their male clients in 17th-century Japan. Today, Kyoto’s Gion district is one place where you might catch a glimpse of geisha apprentices, called maiko, as they wander narrow streets lined with craft shops, traditional inns, and temples. john tiong chunghoo
Comments about this poem (Memoir of a Geisha by john tiong chunghoo)
Sayuri Nitta (8/15/2008 6:05:00 AM) this is a wonderful way to describe a geisha. you can proberly tell i am a fan of the book, and film from my name. sayuri nitta, its not my real name, its the geisha name from memoirs of a geisha.
Ana Monnar (7/30/2007 8:52:00 AM) John, this is a beautiful poem. Thank you very much for sharing. I enjoyed it very much. The words are soooooooooo rich.
Raynette Eitel (11/21/2005 8:19:00 AM) This is lovely, John. The image of the tiny geisha with dainty feet juxtaposed with the skyscrapers of Tokyo is memorable. Good poem. Raynette
Max Reif (11/21/2005 7:40:00 AM) I know very little about Japanese traditions, but this is quite beautiful.
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