tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43945407753805653642023-11-16T10:09:07.553-08:00The Artful PoetRobin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-74863030732527300032017-05-21T15:04:00.001-07:002017-05-21T15:04:18.188-07:00May ChallengeHere is a fun challenge to excite your poetic imagination. This exercise originated with the Guyer Barn Poets of Hyannis, MA.<br />
<br />
Start with a question.<br />
<br />
I asked the _______________.<br />
moon stone mountain stars forest granite<br />
coal river island air fire galaxy<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
What's in my ________________?<br />
trunk dreams computer purse car<br />
closet hands past heart laundry<br />
<br />
What's in a Goat? by Al Chase<br />
<br />
Weird things like soup cans<br />
and a sense of humor,<br />
the postman's shoe,<br />
grandpa's pipe,<br />
the rare wisdom to be quiet<br />
the serenity to be seen.<br />
<br />Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-12755070710320189722016-07-31T14:02:00.000-07:002016-08-02T13:22:33.136-07:00Learning the Ropes: Book Signings, Talks and Readings<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When my book <i>Legends
and Lore of Cape Cod</i> officially came out on May 23, I had a full
schedule of events from book signings, talks and readings lined up.
The last two months have been busy ones. In the months leading up to
my pub date, my History Press rep, Mercedes, e-mailed me daily with
invites to book signings at local bookstores and talks at local
libraries. The only problem was that as the author of two poetry
books, I had only done a handful of signings and had never given a
talk about my newly published book. I was in panic mode!</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
As a poet, I have
taken part in many readings. These range from open mics where the
poet is limited to one poem or five minutes. Other times, I have
participated as part of a group and usually given more time to read.
Sometimes there is a theme. When our Steeple Street poets went to
Salem in the spring of 2015 to attend the Massachusetts Poetry
Festival, our poems were chosen to explore the theme of a “sense of
place.” Sometimes I have been the featured poet and given fifteen
minutes to read my poems. My favorite reading was the book launch for
my first book, <i>Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter.</i> I read
poems from my book and also heard from fellow poets who read a
favorite poem they had chosen from my book. It was a wonderful
experience!</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now I am doing
something that is quite different – giving talks about my book of
historical non-fiction. My first talk was scheduled for May 31 at the
Osterville Library. To prep for this event, I attended a talk by
fellow writer Barbara Eppich Struna, author of <i>The Old Cape House</i>.
She gave a power point presentation with photos and text that related
to her research of a famous pirate, “Black Sam” Bellamy, the
famed captain of the doomed ship Whydah. She seemed very comfortable
at the podium and I was impressed with her talk. However, I was going
to have to wing my talk as I didn't have a visual component to my
event.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
On the afternoon of
my talk, I dressed in what I hoped were stylish but comfortable
clothes. My husband came to give me moral support and my
sister-in-law, Karen, showed up, too. A fellow poet, Judy Askew, also
was in attendance. It helped to have some familiar faces in the
audience. I had decided to break my talk into several parts. First, I
would give colorful anecdotes from my childhood growing up in an old
house in East Orleans to show my early interest in Cape Cod history.
Next, I would talk about my years working as the newsroom librarian
at the Cape Cod Times and starting my Cape history blog, “Cape
Rewind.” I also wanted to cover the months of research and writing
my book and some of the pitfalls of publishing. For example, the
manuscript I initially submitted was too short and I had to add
19,000 words. The finished text was much richer for adding new
material. I would end with a Q & A session.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had some stage
fright as I approached the podium. My years of teaching helped calm
my nerves since I am used to getting up to speak in front of a
classroom. I had brought old newspapers that covered big events: the
assassination of John F. Kennedy, coverage of Hurricane Bob, etc. My
husband later told me these were distracting to my talk, so I didn't
bring them with me for later talks. The talk was very well received
and I even sold a few books. All in all, it was a good time.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Book signings are a
whole different experience. It is important to arrive early and make
contact with the bookstore owner or manager. I bring promotional
materials: bookmarks, business cards and postcards featuring my
book's cover to catch the public's interest as they walk by my table.
When I gave a signing at Titcomb's Books in Sandwich, I discovered
that I was expected to give a talk as well as sign my books. There
was a mob of people in the store, so I was encouraged by all the
interest. I was also the invited author guest for a local book club
in Chatham. The members had all read my book and peppered me with
questions. The meeting took place in a large house overlooking
Harding's Beach. It was heavenly to sip wine, talk about my book and
take in the beautiful view. The dinner party consisted of foods
inspired by Cape Cod: stuffed clams, clam pie, clam chowder finished
by strawberry-rhubarb pie.</div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I guess my
take-away is to be flexible. Every event is different and the writer
has to adapt to each unique situation. In the coming weeks, I
will be giving talks at the Hyannis Library and the Orleans
Historical Society, as well as signings at Eight Cousins and Market
Street Books in Mashpee. I will bring a good pen, a willing heart,
and a smile. As Judy Blume said, “I meet people on the street or at
book signings and they tend to treat me as if they know me, as if
we're connected. It's great.”</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-38782538056637752902016-06-08T11:53:00.000-07:002016-06-08T11:53:28.737-07:00Legends and Lore of Cape CodI am very excited to announce that my new book <em>Legends and Lore of Cape Cod</em>
was published on May 23 by History Press. This book has been in the works
for at least a year and is a volume of historical non-fiction. Many of
the chapters highlight excerpts from my Cape history blog, Cape Rewind.<br />
<br />
I cover many aspects of Cape Cod history from legendary miscreants,
Wampanoag tales and murders to hurricanes and ill-fated sea voyages. I
also revisit the lives of many famous people who graced our shores from
Katherine Lee Bates to Mercy Otis Warren, from bird carver A. Elmer
Crowell to legendary explorer Donald Baxter Macmillan. I also present
village vignettes, local legends, Cape Cod eccentrics and inspirational
legends. There is even an authentic Cape Cod love story (circa 1855).<br />
<br />
For those who like tall tales, I have included a chapter on fantastic
sea creatures, as well as chapters on haunted places and UFO sightings.
I profile a famous Cape Cod witch, Liza Tower Hill, as well as the
famous Granny Squannit of Wampanoag lore. There is a chapter on medical
maladies (small pox cemeteries and a leper colony), as well as a chapter
titled “Believe It or Not.”<br />
<br />
In keeping with tradition, I conclude my book with a chapter on
“Legendary Hyannis Port” and the special family who has called Cape Cod
its summer home since 1929. I felt my book would not be complete without
a look back at the Kennedys and their influence on this area.<br />
<br />
In the retelling of these stories, I tried to capture the special
quality of living on Cape Cod. This place is only 339 square miles with
fifteen towns that cover three unique sections: Lower, Middle and Upper
Cape. I also include the Penikese Islands, Martha’s Vineyard and
Nantucket in some of these tales. As I said in my introduction, “It
(Cape Cod) is a place rich in culture and diversity and I will try to
offer stories that show its special nature.”<br />
<a href="http://blogs.capecodonline.com/cape-cod-history/2016/05/26/legends-and-lore-of-cape-cod/legendslorecc/" rel="attachment wp-att-1665"><img alt="" class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-1665" height="150" src="http://blogs.capecodonline.com/cape-cod-history/files/2016/05/LegendsLoreCC-150x150.jpg" width="150" /></a>Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-69007506525801839362016-04-26T10:03:00.000-07:002016-04-26T10:03:11.628-07:00April: A Busy Month for Poetry<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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April is National Poetry month. Started in 1996 by
the Academy of American Poets as a way to celebrate poetry and to increase
awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States, this
time of year is a busy one for local poets.
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For me, the poetry madness started on Thursday night, March
24 for a quick trip to Wellfleet to participate in a poetry reading with Marge
Piercy. As an honorable mention in this year’s Joe Gouveia Outermost Poetry
Contest, sponsored by WOMR radio, I was invited to be a guest reader at the Wellfleet Preservation Hall. Since I
had never met or heard Marge Piercy read, this was a real honor. It was also
fun because my fellow poet and Steeple Street member, Judy Askew, was
first-prize winner and would be reading her poem “Talk about the Weather.”</div>
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After the winning poets read, Marge Piercy stepped up to the podium. I was struck by Marge’s warmth, earthiness and
humor. She was clearly comfortable on stage and read from six or seven poems,
including at least one from her new collection <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Made in Detroit</i>. It was a magical evening and a good start to
National Poetry Month.</div>
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On April 7, I traveled down Cape again to the Cultural
Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth for Judy Askew’s book launch. She was chosen
as the first person to win the Bass River Press book contest for her volume of poems <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">On the Loose</i>. A week before the launch,
I published an article in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Barnstable
Patriot</i> on this event titled “Cape poet launches new collection with
Cultural Center’s Bass River Press in South Yarmouth.” It was a gala affair
with editor Angela Howes and Cultural Center associate director Lauren Wolk in
attendance. After I bought my copy of Judy’s book, I sat with friends and
waited for the reading to start. Judy read from her book – funny, moving poems.
Afterward, there was an open mic and refreshments.</div>
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Two days later, I was co-leader for a discussion of “Common
Threads,” an annual publication of seven to ten poems by poets with ties to
Massachusetts. For the second year in a row, Alice Kociemba was the guest
editor. This year’s theme was “Thresholds” and featured poems by Denise
Levertov, Natasha Trethewey, Susan Donnelly, Alan Feldman and others. Rich
Youmans helped lead the discussion as did Alice herself. We had a small group
of about eight people (mostly poets) and it was a wonderful two hours
discussing poems and the poetic experience.</div>
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The following weekend, after our regular Steeple Street
Poetry meeting, our group met at Cotuit Library for a publicized poetry
reading. The librarian (a youthful looking grandmother with her eight-week-old
granddaughter) led us to a cozy back room. It was a packed house but an
enthusiastic one! Each poet read for about five minutes and then we held an
open mic. I opened the reading with two light-hearted poems: “Gretel’s
Complaint” and “Hairball.” I think everyone enjoyed the diversity of poems and
poets.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Spring on Cape Cod this year has been slow in coming with chilly
temperatures and even a frost predicted for tonight, but poetry has kept this
month interesting and exciting. I look forward to new poetry adventures this
year.</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-48887255645182461942016-02-14T08:20:00.000-08:002016-02-14T10:05:32.959-08:00In honor of Valentine’s Day: Writing a love poem<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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During the month of February, over 131 million cards are
manufactured to celebrate Valentine’s Day. The messages may be simple or
elaborate, silly or sentimental. For the poet, however, writing a love poem is
truly a labor of love. It’s hard sometimes to find the right words or images to
express one’s feelings for another person. Perhaps the best way to start is to
read love poems written by the masters.
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One of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda, has written of love
in many forms. In his <i>One Hundred Love Sonnets</i>, he writes: “I love you
as certain dark things are to be loved, <br />
in secret, between the shadow and the soul.” Here love is something honored but
hidden. Sometimes he writes about unrequited love: “so I wait for you like a
lonely house<br />
till you will see me again and live in me. Till then my windows ache.” The
writing is full of longing and loss. These words almost seem too sad to put
into print but the poet perseveres because he has a desperate need to give
voice to his feelings.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many different kinds of love poems. Some are funny
and playful while others tug at our heart strings. Christina Rossetti wrote: “I
loved you first: but afterwards your love <span style="font-family: "arial unicode ms";">/</span>Outsoaring
mine, sang such a loftier song.” My all time favorite love poem is Christopher
Marlowe’s “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” where he writes: “Come live
with me and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove.” He references
“pretty lambs” and “beds of roses.” Love poems have always been connected to
springtime and the awakening of the natural world.</div>
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I often use my journal as a way to harness feelings and
these fragments sometimes work their way into a poem. When my youngest son was
fourteen, we spent an afternoon taking a long walk. I felt a real connection
with him and wrote a poem about the experience entitled “The Power Lines.” I
ended the poem: “Now, you take my hand. You are no longer a child, but you are
my child. A sliver of moon rises over our heads.” This poem expresses my love
for my child in a way a prose piece couldn’t.</div>
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Many times love poems incorporate memories of people we once
loved. In my poem “On Considering Eye Surgery.” I wrote: “When you said
good-by, I saw a globe of light floating away.” My imperfect vision
referenced the splintering of a relationship. In “Missing Person,” I
wrote about my first boyfriend: “Simple things are left. A man and a woman
walked together down a road.” The writing is also simple because I wanted to
strip away the extraneous elements to the essence of our bond.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Don’t be afraid to try a love poem. It is a way to open up
your inner voice and touch on universal human emotions. The poet Ellen Bass in
her poem “The Morning After,” highlights those moments of passion and love that
come to all of us: “I can’t see a trace of the little slice of heaven/we
slipped into last night—a silk kimono floating satin ponds and copper koi,
stars falling to the water.”</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-33938036369261458792016-01-16T14:06:00.001-08:002016-01-16T14:06:30.833-08:00New Year, New Ventures<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5TRnw872s_p3kRTAjHQ-0M0THy0IjfmEvTE1KQFV8UVmKf_yLe_7Mp1s2E3yHx3EiZa0D5vETS9-fugHo1sd9Ayy05_JimqgsjBB4ooq9CSl0MDi7r_LBPUpBUMzXbn33Lj4PYW2kxY/s1600/Gale+Warnings+-+Mar+20%252C+2015%252C+2-12+PM+%25281%25293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk5TRnw872s_p3kRTAjHQ-0M0THy0IjfmEvTE1KQFV8UVmKf_yLe_7Mp1s2E3yHx3EiZa0D5vETS9-fugHo1sd9Ayy05_JimqgsjBB4ooq9CSl0MDi7r_LBPUpBUMzXbn33Lj4PYW2kxY/s320/Gale+Warnings+-+Mar+20%252C+2015%252C+2-12+PM+%25281%25293.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
With the advent of a new year, I make resolutions that never
seem to change from year to year: write more, exercise more, spend more time
with my family, etc. When I reread over my New Year’s resolutions for 2015, I
had vowed to write a new poem a week and work on revisions. I didn’t keep that
resolution but I did average about one new poem a month. I also worked on
revising older poems and sending them out to journals. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My hard work has panned out. I had a poem, “Flax Pond,
Brewster” in the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary issue of the <i>Aurorean</i> (a
literary journal based in Maine). I also have a poem forthcoming in the <i>Cape
Cod Poetry Review</i>. My big news is that my chapbook, <i>Gale Warnings</i>,
has just been published by Finishing Line Press. I am very proud of my slim
volume of poems. It can be ordered from <a href="http://www.finishinglinepress.com/">www.finishinglinepress.com</a> (price
$12.49).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The other big news is that I have a book forthcoming from
the History Press – <i>Legends and Lore of Cape Cod</i> (pub. date is May 23).
This is not poetry but a nonfiction book looking at many of the fascinating
people, places and history that make up Cape Cod. This project comes out of my
work as the newsroom librarian at the Cape Cod Times and my blog Cape Rewind (a
look back at Cape history).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am still attending the Steeple Street poetry group in
Mashpee. Our meeting this morning was hosted by poet Sheila Whitehouse on the
theme of “beginnings.” We have two events lined up for April, National History
Month. On April 16, we’ll be reading at the Cotuit Library. Next, on April 23,
I will be hosting a Common Threads event with fellow poet, Rich Youmans. I am
very excited about taking part in these events celebrating poetry.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What are you planning for 2016? I would love to hear from
you (e-mail me at <a href="mailto:rosmithj@yahoo.com">rosmithj@yahoo.com</a>).
As Brad Paisley wrote, “Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book.
Write a good one.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-85940887048739263582015-11-03T12:36:00.000-08:002015-11-04T13:04:51.258-08:00Away Time<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
For most of my life, I have written poems and stories. I
also love to read and always enjoy having a good book on my bed stand.
Recently, I have been immersed in a project that has taken me away from writing
poetry and reading. This project, still under wraps, has consumed the better
part of six months. It has been hard, exacting and exciting work but I long for
the day I can return to my first love – writing poetry.
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sometimes when writers are suffering writer’s block or stuck
in an emotional quagmire, writing becomes a chore. At those times, it’s good to
step away. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to hear young adult author,
Laurie Halse Anderson (author of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Speak</i>),
at a writer’s retreat in Rhode Island. She urged us to explore other creative
outlets that might fuel our art. She recommended visiting art galleries, taking
a painting class, dancing, acting in a play, etc. The idea is that, as artists,
we should get out of the usual way we see things and jumpstart our art by
dipping into other disciplines.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Although I sometimes feel frustrated that I can’t wear my
poet’s hat for another month, when I finally come back to my notebooks, I will
perhaps have a renewed sense of purpose and a new way of seeing. Like Halse
suggested, my poetic self will come alive having had some away time. I can go
back with fresh eyes and fresh thoughts.</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-47847331990381402442015-09-24T06:01:00.000-07:002015-09-24T06:01:16.947-07:00A Fall Poem<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">Wild Turkeys </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> 1.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> Rumors from the north country</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> favor bobcat sightings.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Here we have neither fat bear</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> nor spindly moose</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> but a family of wild turkeys</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> crosses the driveway</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> at dawn, the young ones</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> scrabbling along the stones --</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> beaks down, eager for</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> acorns or nuts. The two females</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> dull-brown, strut briskly</span><br /><span class="apple-style-span"> as they scan for shelter.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Soon enough they cross</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> over to woodlands,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> a flock of feathers</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> disappearing into brush.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> 2.</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> In mid-October</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> the signs of change</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> are everywhere.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Red ferns, goldenrod,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> shy asters.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> When I burn the leaves</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> of the aster plant,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> I drive away</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> the evil spirits</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> of the cold.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Let the season</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> begin. May the dry leaves</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> leap and spin</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> in the wild air.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
3.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 2.0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> Autumn takes her</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span class="apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> first hostage,</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> my delicate she-cat.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> No cry, no thrashing</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> in the underbrush.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Simply gone ...</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> The shades of coyotes</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> like
the spirits of summer</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> roam the edges of woodlots</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> and forest paths.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> A blackened bush,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> victim of child’s play,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> belies the russet-colored leaves.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Winter when it comes</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> will swallow everything</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> in shrouds of white.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span">
</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> 4.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> When a young turkey</span><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> goes missing</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> the whole flock stops,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> waiting for the little one</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> to return.</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> Like them,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> I search the golden fields,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> the grassy inclines</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> for that one moment</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> when I spot the beloved,</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> the world gone mad</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> with the frenzy of my longing</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> then a stalled breath,
</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> then quiet, then</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> fog lifting</span><br />
<span class="apple-style-span"> over the dark earth.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">(From <i>Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter</i>, published by Word Poetry, 2013)<br />
<span class="apple-style-span">
</span><br />
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Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-75295986111537284332015-08-22T16:34:00.000-07:002015-08-22T16:34:49.943-07:00Poetry Group Update: Planning for Fall<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the magical things about having a poetry group is sharing with my fellow poets. The Steeple Street Poets will celebrate its
fourth anniversary next month and I have the satisfaction of knowing a good
thing when I see it. Our group has grown, adding new members each month, and
the energy and enthusiasm has swelled as the group has gotten larger. We have a
core membership, perhaps ten to twelve poets, with other people jumping in when
they have free time. Since the Cape is a seasonal place, there are also poets
who join us in the summer months but head home when cold weather is on the
horizon.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Our August meeting was a time for meet and greet, as well as
for planning out the coming year. Our group is unique in that we alternate leaders
each month and have different subjects introduced. In the past, we have worked
on persona poems, line breaks, titles that work, etc. For the fall, we have
some interesting projects to tackle. Often, we’ll be asked to bring in poems to workshop that fit the theme for that month.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In September, poetry member Kathleen Casey will talk about her
time taking a workshop with Robert Pinsky on "how do you read a poem." She will
take notes to share with us about her experience. Next, in October, dancers
Samm Carlton and Karen Klein will explore poetry of movement and expression. They may introduce prompts for us to work with during the meeting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will be leading the group in November with poems relating
to fairy tales. This is a subject dear to my heart. In fact, I have a section
of fairy tale poems in my book <i>Dream of the Antique Dealer</i>’s <i>Daughter</i>
entitled “Once Upon A Time.” My hope is that poets will bring in poems either
reworking fairy tales or somehow referencing them in their poems. I plan to
bring in examples by famous poets (for example, Olga Broumas and Anne Sexton)
to share with the group.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In December, co-founder James Kershner will ask us to write
poems of origin (where we come from). He was fortunate to attend a writing
conference at Wild Acres in Little Switzerland, North Carolina, this summer
where he was asked to write an origin poem.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His poem was descriptive, funny and heartbreaking. I already
have ideas for mine.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the end, it’s all about feeling comfortable reading our
poems together, doing an honest critique, and forging a community of
like-minded poets. </div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-83920751408965622932015-07-26T11:05:00.000-07:002015-07-26T11:05:26.248-07:00A Summer's Poem<div class="MsoNormal">
The Art of Levitating</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
-- South Cape
Beach, Mashpee</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In between the swimmers,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and far off, a lone sailboat or two,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
is a man floating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
His face and palms, lifted</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to an orange sun,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
are a supplicant to light.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For many minutes he drifts</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and seems suspended in water,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
as in an earlier century,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Daniel Danglas Home</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
floated in the air eighty feet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
above ground, then glided</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
through an open window</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
and sat to chat with friends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But here there is no Tolstoy,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
no Elizabeth Barrett Browning,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
no applauding princes or queens</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to watch our swimmer</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
weightless in water.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The waves lift, fall –</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
his globed face upturned.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For this moment, he escapes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to lightness, to buoyancy,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
to the moment between lifting up</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
or sinking</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
blissful in the embrace</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
of forgetting.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
(from <i>Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter</i>, Word Poetry, 2013)</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-18217261041292258132015-07-06T12:44:00.000-07:002015-07-06T12:44:12.414-07:00Finding inspiration in unexpected places<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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While cleaning out my desk at work recently, I found a note
penned by my father. Since he passed away in November 2011, I know it was
written some time ago. He writes “Thanks for all the e-mails and poems and stuff. I’ve been doing
some writing and once in awhile I look at past writing. This little story “A
Special Breed” was published in the Cape Codder about twenty years ago in
slightly different form. Maybe you could pass it on to the editors of “Prime
Time.” Maybe they could publish it. Hope so.” (Note: Prime Time is a magazine
for people over 45 published monthly by the Cape Cod Times.)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was struck by how persistent my dad was about his writing.
He was always sending out queries to editors for his stories which he called “Wendell’s
Briefs.” Some of these were published, but many were not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Somehow, he never lost his faith that it was
worth writing and sending out his work.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I miss my father and treasure this small letter I had tucked
away for future reading. Now it’s time to carry on his tradition: write and
keep sending out my writing. As Isaac Asimov said, “You must keep sending work
out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a
drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you're working on another
one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if
you persist.”</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-62330832813733709862015-06-13T11:01:00.000-07:002015-06-13T11:01:31.210-07:00Cape Cod Writers Center Conference 2015<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 200%;">One of the great opportunities for
local writers is a chance to take courses at the annual Cape Cod Writers Center
Conference each August. Once situated at the picturesque Craigville Retreat
Center, the conference now takes place at the Resort and Conference Center in
Hyannis. In the past, I have studied with poets William Wenthe, Donald Baker
and Gail Mazur, as well as taking a young adult writing seminar with Jacqueline
Kolosov. Each class gave me fresh insights on the writing process, as well as
inspiring me to try new writing techniques.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
This summer the theme of the
conference is “Inspired Storytelling by the Sea.” The classes encompass many
genres of writing, including fiction, memoir, screenwriting, and, of course,
poetry. For poets, there are several
intriguing options. Kevin Pilkington will teach “Writing Publishable Poetry”
and “Poetic Techniques for Prose.” He teaches writing at Sarah Lawrence College
and has won many awards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Other classes that might appeal to
poets include “Edit Yourself into Print” with Michael Carr, “A Premier of
Self-Publishing,” with Stephanie Blackman and “Internet eBook Promotion” with Steve Manchester. Local poet and
playwright Gregory Hishak will teach in the Young Writers Program along with
Scott Bladen and James Kershner.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
The 53rd Cape Cod Writers Center
Conference will take place August 6-9, 2015. Keynote speakers this summer are
Marge Piercy, an award-winning poet who lives in Wellfleet. Her most recent
book of poems is <i>Made in Detroit</i> (Knopf, 2015). Claire Cook wrote her
first novel at 45; her second novel, <i>Must Love Dogs, </i>became a major
Hollywood movie. The Keynote Presentations will be held on Friday, August 7
from 7-8 p.m. with Marge Piercy in the Bass River Room and Saturday, August 8
from 6:15-7:15 p.m.with Claire Cook also in the Bass River Room. Both events
are open to the public. . Note: Participant readings will follow Marge Piercy’s
presentation on Friday, Aug. 7 from 8:30 – 10 p.m.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
There will be agents available and
manuscript evaluation/mentoring. For more information and to register online,
visit <a href="http://www.capecodwriterscenter.org/">www.capecodwriterscenter.org</a>.
A limited number of scholarships are available. Among them is the Kevin V.
Symmons Scholarship for Second Career Writers. You may submit a letter by June
19 stating financial need, a ten-page writing sample (send as email attachments
in word or RTF format only) and a registration form indicating your suggested
courses. Requests will be reviewed wiith notication by July 7. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
This conference offers the
opportunity to meet fellow writers, take informative workshops and get help
with manuscript development. There is also a conference bookstore which sells
books by faculty and Cape Cod Writers Center writers. If you have some free
time this summer, I highly recommend this conference as a way to jumpstart your
writing.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-74081386520450933532015-05-30T14:00:00.000-07:002015-05-30T14:00:44.704-07:00My Second Book Becomes a Reality<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; line-height: 13.65pt;">After my
first book, </span><i style="line-height: 13.65pt;">Dream of the Antique Dealer’s Daughter</i><span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; line-height: 13.65pt;">, was published last year, my
brother interviewed me for the Grub Street writer’s blog Beyond the Margins.
The last </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTwcRGw3neBSH_wsa7nvXkUXz-ecr5Fu0eQsgHlLAOR-ZMjdg1mcQVT9OwHlNV5Np5tevLQlMLBbX9Q_d7wNc_X6OhBLXDqSbK6pArUY48Zr3v-vMANttsxP1RjQd-gIE2wEYZOW07xI/s1600/Gale+Warnings+-+Mar+20%252C+2015%252C+2-12+PM+%25281%25293.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTwcRGw3neBSH_wsa7nvXkUXz-ecr5Fu0eQsgHlLAOR-ZMjdg1mcQVT9OwHlNV5Np5tevLQlMLBbX9Q_d7wNc_X6OhBLXDqSbK6pArUY48Zr3v-vMANttsxP1RjQd-gIE2wEYZOW07xI/s320/Gale+Warnings+-+Mar+20%252C+2015%252C+2-12+PM+%25281%25293.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: #f8f8f8; line-height: 13.65pt;">question he
posed was an interesting one:</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<strong><span style="border: none windowtext 0in; color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; padding: 0in;">DS</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: What’s next for you? Will there be a sequel to <em><span style="border: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Dream of the Antique Dealer’s
Daughter</span></em>?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<strong><span style="border: none windowtext 0in; color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; padding: 0in;">RSJ</span></strong><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt;">: I would love to try a chapbook next rather than another
full-length book. And, who knows, maybe I’ll finish my young adult novel. For
now, I’m enjoying being a first-time author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Well, I’m
still working on the novel, but I’m about to have my second book, a chapbook of
poems titled <i>Gale Warnings,</i> published by Finishing Line Press out of
Kentucky. It’s wonderful news and I’m still pinching myself from excitement.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">This
journey began last summer when I returned from a week’s trip to Texas. I had a
few weeks before I started teaching again at the community college and a little
extra time. I discovered that Finishing Line Press was offering a chapbook
contest, so I began preparing a manuscript. The deadline was September 15 and I
had to move quickly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">I
looked through folders of poems and began selecting ones that looked promising.
I already knew I wanted to use my poem, “Gale Warnings,” as the title of my
book. Cynthia Brackett Vincent, editor of the Aurorean, had selected me to be a
feature poet for the Fall/Winter 2014-2015 issue. One of the three poems she
picked to print was this one. As I whittled down a list of possibilities, I
began to see connections between poems (ones of loss, striving. ocean and
nature themes). I also included several of the poems I had written as part of
my Mutual Muses pairings..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">My
full-length book is comprised of seven sections. By contrast, my chapbook is
one long sequence of poems. I sorted by intuition and instinct. When I was
finished, I went over it several times, printed out a hard copy, and sent it
off. Months went by and I never heard another word about my fledgling
manuscript until one day in February, I received the happy news that they wanted
to publish my book! I had not won the contest but I was still in the runnng to
have my book considered for publication.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The
book is dedicated to my three sons and the cover art is from a pen and ink my
husband Greg did in his early years. Like my first book which features cover
art by my very tallented sister-in-law, Liz Smith, this book has personal
connections as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 13.65pt;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Gale
Warnings</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> is now available for pre-ordering at Finishing Line Press.: If
you visit their website – <a href="http://www.finishinglinepress.com/">www.finishinglinepress.com</a>,
you can either access my book at the bookstore site or Preorder Forthcoming
Titles..<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Lucida Bright"; font-size: 10.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-40095761407118597622015-05-09T17:59:00.000-07:002015-05-09T17:59:41.208-07:00A Visit to the Massachusetts Poetry Festival<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
A week ago, I had the opportunity to attend the 7<sup>th</sup>
annual Massachusetts Poetry Festival in Salem, Massachusetts. The festival ran
from Thursday, April 30 through Sunday, May 3. It has long been a dream of mine
to participate in this event, so it was thrilling to get the opportunity to
travel to a place celebrating poets.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
Two Cape poetry groups were accepted to read at the
festival, including our Mashpee poetry group, the Steeple Street Poets. Once
arriving in Salem and receiving my presenter’s badge, I sat in on the Cape
Smackdown. Cape poets, including Lauren Wolk, Chrstine Rathbun and Carole
Stasiowski, donned sparkly capes and squared off against several Cape Ann
poets. The poems were expressive, racy and explosive. In the end, the Cape Cod
poets won by a small margin. It was a great start to my day.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
Then, I attended a reading by young Asian-American
poets called The Poetics of Construction in the Peabody Essex Museum. Using art
from the museum and projecting it on a big screen in the conference room, the
poets presented poems that highlighted their ancestors’ history and current
events. The juxtaposition of visual and oral images was stimulating and
emotional. My friend, Samm Carlton, and I were moved by the presentation.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
Next, we traveled over cobblestone streets to the
Old Town Hall. Our reading was to take place on the 2<sup>nd</sup> floor at 2
p.m. Although the online schedule said our event was filled, the meeting room
could easily have held 300 people. We had about 30 people in attendance, but it
was perfect for our reading. Alice Kociemba, director of the Cape-based
Calliope series, introduced us. Next, I stepped onstage to talk about the
Steeple Street Poets and read a few poems. We had about ten poets reading
including Sheila Whitehouse, Rich Youmans, Judith Partelow, Christina Laurie,
Lorraine Brown, Samm Carlton, Laurel Kornheiser and Maeve Hitzenbuhler.. Since
the theme of our reading was a sense of place, Alice finished by reading a Mary
Oliver poem. We also had a few open mic readers, including David Surrette. The
audience seemed appreciative of our poetic efforts, including a few folks who
stumbled in and stayed to listen.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
After the reading was over, I stepped outside into
welcome spring warmth. I spent several minutes lingering in a local bookstore,
then ambled down the street, perusing the local shops featuring psychic
readings and spell enchantments. I felt as if I had fallen into Diagon Alley.
Suddenly, a woman ran out to give me a hug. It was my friend and fellow poet,
Regina Carreira from Falmouth. She brought me into a coffee shop where she was
up as the next featured poet. I enjoyed listening to her poems about Cape
summers and young love. Another poet, a 19-year-old woman, read from notebooks
she picked up, then discarded as she read through her treasure trove. I loved
the energy and passion of her poems. It was unstructured and electric.</div>
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
Afterwards, I met up with fellow poets Christina and
Judith. We went to a</div>
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reception for poets with wine and food to fortify our
poetic appetites. It was fun to see so many poets enjoying themselves. Now it
was time for the headliners. We joined fellow poets heading to the Universalist
Church to hear Richard Blanco and Rita Dove. We were not disappointed. Richard
went first, reading his three poems written for Barack Obama’s second
inauguration. I found his poems personable and descriptive. Born in Cuba, he
read poems of place that affirmed his sense of geography and sexual
orientation. Next up was Rita Dove. Her poems were powerful and personal. After
a fire destroyed her house, a neighbor offered to take all the people affected
by the fire to a ball. This was her introduction to ballroom dancing and a new
lease on life. It was a magical evening.<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoBodyTextIndent">
Now I feel filled up with poetry. I also think it
was a boon to travel off-Cape and connect with a wider poetry community. With
luck, I’ll be able to go to next year’s festival.</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-38887107843611870472015-04-14T04:35:00.000-07:002015-04-14T04:35:14.375-07:00A Spring PoemIt’s All Music<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My neighbor’s pickup truck,<br />
filled with a winter’s load of garbage,<br />
is a fixed point from my front step.<br />
<br />
Scarecrow men from Halloween past<br />
rest in tipsy poses by the door.<br />
One waves as I collect my Sunday paper.<br />
<br />
You, in the disintegrating overalls,<br />
can you hear my voice?<br />
Is the snow on your head<br />
<br />
a benediction or a sorrow?<br />
Dead leaves rustle the trees.<br />
The sky is painted gray<br />
<br />
as the spring-ready birds cry<br />
<i>wake up, wake up</i>.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
(from <i>Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter</i>, Word Poetry, 2013)</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-82432244658121196342015-03-05T08:11:00.000-08:002015-03-05T08:12:10.531-08:00Judging Poetry Contests<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the advantages of being a writer is that
sometimes you get to critique other people’s work. It is a responsibility and a
learning opportunity. Recently I was asked to be one of three poetry judges for
the PrimeTIme Cape Cod Magazine. This contest is open to writers 45 and older.
When Erin Healy, the magazine’s editor, handed me the big manilla folder, I was
anxious to get started reading the entries.</div>
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I picked a quiet
weekend morning to begin leafing through the stack of poems.. With coffee in
hand, I settled into a comfy chair and read through the 75 or so entries. I was
able to immediately put half of the entries into a discard pile. Many of these
poems dealt with abstractions, had simplistic rhyme schemes, or were didactic. I
used a big binder clip for the maybe/almost there/yes pile. I was drawn to
poems that had an original voice, used interesting language, and moved me in
some way. Somehow, the best poems had a resonance that stayed with me in the
hours after my initial reading..</div>
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Since we were
meeting at noon on Saturday, Feb. 28, I needed to be ready. A few days before
the judging, I pulled out the clipped poems. I read through each poem
carefully. Our judging ballot listed ten choices and we were asked to order the
best poems from 10 (being the best) to 1 (being the weakest). I had
seventeen possible winners, but I had to narrow these down. The best poems were
obvious choices, but beyond that I had to choose between several that had merit
but weren’t as strong as the frontrunners. After much soul searching, I had my
list of ten poems and on scratch paper, I listed five honorable mentions. The
final two poems seemed slight so I added them to the discard pile.</div>
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Our judging
session at the Times was a great time with poets Peter Saunders and Kathleen
Baker, both from the lower Cape. I have known Peter for many years, so it was
nice reconnecting with him. Kathleen was outgoing and positive. I liked her
immediately. Erin served as our moderator and cheerleader. She also provided us lunch (thanks, Erin). We went back and forth on the strengths and weaknesses of our top
choices for almost three hours, but in the end we had our three top winners and
three honorable mentions. Interestingly, we all agreed on the winning poem. It
was clearly the best of the bunch.</div>
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This experience
was a good one for me. Sometimes I like to step back and analyze another poet’s
work. I have also been asked to judge the Emerson College poetry contest as
part of their annual Evvy awards competition. According to the Evvy website, it
is the “largest student-run production multi-camera award show in the nation.”
I’m looking forward to this new challenge next month!</div>
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<!--[endif]-->Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-14931248553351127552015-01-27T14:48:00.000-08:002015-01-27T14:48:10.274-08:00Notes from a Blizzard<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
As I write this, Juno is bearing down
bringing heavy snow and strong winds to Cape Cod. We have upward of
two feet of snow in our yard and a travel ban is in effect for our
region. This is a time for quiet and reflection. I have spent my day
inside except for a brief period attempting to shovel the piles of
snow in the front yard. This afternoon I wrote in my journal and
savored putting words on paper.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Although our power has stayed on, I was also
writing by the flickering of several candles. I felt like a pioneer
woman writing a letter back home, hoping to capture with words her
longing and loneliness for loved ones far away. All afternoon, I felt a connection to those women of long ago and imagined their hidden lives, revealed only through old diaries and letters.</div>
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<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, as darkness falls, I think how
good it is for writers to have a day to do nothing but listen to the
wind and their inner thoughts. Although I haven’t written today
other than in my journal, I feel the stirrings of creation. Perhaps
tomorrow or next week, I'll write a new poem. For now, I want to sit
quietly and dream.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div align="LEFT" style="line-height: 0.19in; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #181818;">“</span><span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Guard
well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them
and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will
become the brightest gems in a useful life.” – Ralph Waldo
Emerson</span></span></span></div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-62397081043490417372015-01-12T11:45:00.000-08:002015-01-12T11:45:09.810-08:00A Winter's Poem<b><br /></b>
<b>Rolling down</b><br /><br />By mid-January, I long for an open door,<br />clear empty light,<br />the rustle of my kitchen curtain<br />and the green breeze off the porch.<br /><br />The drift of dust curling past my bedroom rug<br />and the dregs of tea in a forgotten cup<br />recall me to myself, sleepless nights now<br />fending off the weight of warmth<br /><br />in rooms overstuffed with pillows or<br />overrun with blankets, piles of books<br />tempting me into other worlds.<br />Instead, I dream the lopsided pull<br /><br />down a grassy hill at sunset,<br />five years old and sticky with juice.<br />There's a kind of grace in forgetting<br />or starting at the beginning<br /><br />before storms riddled the dark,<br />before I knew what storm was<br />or sleep<br />or mercy.<br />
<br />
(from <i>Dream of the Antique Dealer's Daughter </i>by Robin Smith-Johnson) Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-6832763923349356292015-01-09T16:41:00.000-08:002015-01-09T16:41:34.981-08:00Starting a Poetry Group: Tales from the Steeple Street Poets<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Bright', Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Note: My brother, Dell Smith, is a member of the Grub Street Writers which has its own blog called "Beyond the Margins." In this interview, he talks with us about starting a poetry group on Cape Cod.</div>
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Bright', Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
Robin Smith-Johnson and James Kershner are Cape Cod poets and founding members of the poetry group Steeple Street Poets. Today we present a conversation between these two seasoned writers about their experiences starting their own group and cultivating a writing situation to suit their needs. They bring their collective years of experience writing poetry and attending other groups to bear with insights into how poetry groups operate and thrive.</div>
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Bright', Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dell Smith</strong>: How did you start Steeple Street Poets?</div>
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Bright', Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Robin Smith-Johnson</strong>: Back in 2010, I mentioned to fellow poet and colleague at Cape Cod Community College, James Kershner, that we should consider starting our own poetry group. We agreed that a group closer to home was a wonderful idea. I was traveling a half hour each way to the two poetry groups I belonged to, many times at night along dark roads after a long work day.</div>
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Since writing poetry is a solitary occupation, it is vital to get together with other poets to share our work and form a social bond. We decided to approach the Mashpee Public Library to find out if space was available for our fledgling group. The librarians were very supportive and offered us a conference room on the third Saturday morning of each month. So, we put our plan in motion. We were on our way!</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">James Kershner</strong>: I had been a member of another group, but I found myself going less and less frequently because it was about a half-hour trip from my house. Robin and I were both living in Mashpee then, so it seemed logical to try a new group in Mashpee. Also, Mashpee had recently built a big, beautiful, new library, and their meeting room is a perfect setting.</div>
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We started out calling ourselves the “Mashpee Poetry Group” but nobody was entirely satisfied with that, so we tossed around a lot of ideas. From our conference room windows, we can see out to Steeple Street, which is named for the steeple on the beautiful Roman Catholic Church across the street. One day, one of our members, Rich Youmans, was reading a poignant poem about soldiers being killed in battle when the bells in the steeple began to chime, as if in response to his poem. I think we all knew by then we were the Steeple Street Poets.<br />Were you as surprised as I was, Robin, at the rapid growth of the Steeple Street Poets?</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Robin</strong>: Yes, very surprised. At the beginning, we might average six to eight poets, but now we’re seeing sixteen to eighteen poets per meeting. Most of the poets are local and include writers with books under their belts: Judy Askew, J. Lorraine Brown, Sheila Whitehouse, Judith Partelow, Rich Youmans, Alice Kociemba, to name a few. I also like that I have strengthened my friendships with the various members of the Steeple Street poets as well.<br />James: And your book came out recently, too, Robin: Dream of the Antique Dealer’s Daughter. The Steeple Street Poets also includes plenty of enthusiastic amateurs like myself. I was a professional journalist and now I teach writing, but I never took my occasional forays into poetry seriously. I am learning a lot from the more experienced poets.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dell</strong>: When you start your own group (as opposed to joining one in progress) do you have a set of rules or guidelines in mind? Or do you let the group evolve organically?</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">James</strong>: When Robin and I started the group, I think we both wanted to keep the guidelines to a minimum and let it evolve. We decided to rotate the leadership, so that a different member gets to be the leader and choose the format each month. This gives the meetings a lot of variety. We meet for two hours on Saturday mornings, and most leaders have included at least an hour of classic critiques. Each of us, in turn, reads a new poem, and then the person to the poet’s left reads it a second time. Then the poet sits in silence while the rest of us comment on the poem. When everyone has had their say, the poet gets to talk, and usually it’s just to say something like, “Thank you very much!”</div>
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But what makes the Steeple Street Poets different is that we do a variety of other things. One time I led the group in silly poetry-writing games suitable for children. We have had members offer lessons on good poetry markets, on the haiku, on enjambment, on movement and poetry, and many other topics. I think that has kept it fresh, don’t you, Robin?</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Robin</strong>: I like having a different poet lead the group each month and it’s definitely a unique approach from other groups I have been in. It’s also a way to highlight different interests within the group. One person might lead a workshop on the pantoum form, for example, while another poet gives a refresher on line breaks or meter. The workshops are often surprising and innovative.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dell</strong>: Do you find having the deadlines imposed by writing groups helps you write at times when maybe the muse escapes you?</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Robin</strong>: I have always found deadlines helpful for me. Since I’m busy with work and family, a deadline allows me permission to sit down and work on my poems. Sometimes, if I’m really pressed for time, I might take in an older poem for critique that still needs revision. How about you, James?</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">James</strong>: We all have busy lives, and poetry-writing tends to fall to the bottom of my to-do list. The deadline of an approaching meeting encourages me to pause and look for that illusive inspiration. Because we are all friends, and everybody is supportive, I’m not afraid to being in a new piece that may not be finished yet. I think of it as “wet paint.”</div>
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When I really can’t come up with something new, I will bring in an older poem of mine, and it is exciting to get a fresh perspective on a piece I thought was finished long ago.</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Dell</strong>: Do you have any advice for writers thinking about starting a writing group?</div>
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<strong style="background: transparent; border: 0px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Robin</strong>: I think you need to throw caution to the wind and plunge in. Also, I’m glad that James and I worked together to form our group. We take turns putting out a monthly reminder (via e-mail and Facebook) about upcoming meetings. Also, if one of us can’t attend a meeting, the other steps in. James maintains the growing list of poets, while I’ve been searching out new venues for our group to perform. During 2014, we had readings at the Cultural Center in South Yarmouth and Sturgis Library in West Barnstable. Of course, starting a writing group is a big responsibility but the rewards are worth it!</div>
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Bright', Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://beyondthemargins.com/btm/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ROBINpicture.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="ROBINpicture" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-31401" height="170" src="http://beyondthemargins.com/btm/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/ROBINpicture.jpg" style="background: transparent; border: none; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 2px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="100" /></a><a href="http://rsmithjohnson.blogspot.com/" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Robin Smith-Johnson</a> grew up in Orleans, Massachusetts where she honed her love of reading and creative writing. She has degrees in English from Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Her poems have been published in various journals, including The Aurorean, CapeWomen, The Larcom Review, Sandscript, Voices International and Yankee Magazine. Currently, Robin works as the newsroom librarian at the Cape Cod Times and teaches at Cape Cod Community College. She is also a co-founder of the Steeple Street Poets of Cape Cod. Robin lives in Mashpee with her family. Her book of poems, <a href="http://www.wordpoetrybooks.com/smith-johnson.html" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Dream of the Antique Dealer’s Daughter</a>, was published in 2013 by Word Poetry press. Read the Beyond the Margins <a href="http://beyondthemargins.com/2014/02/interview-with-poet-robin-smith-johnson/" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">interview with Robin</a>.</div>
<div style="background: rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: 'Lucida Bright', Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px; margin-bottom: 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="http://beyondthemargins.com/btm/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Jim2.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px; color: black; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="Jim2" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-31402" height="137" src="http://beyondthemargins.com/btm/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Jim2.png" style="background: transparent; border: none; display: inline; float: left; margin: 0px 10px 2px 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="99" /></a>James W. Kershner teaches writing at Cape Cod Community College. During a 30-year newspaper career, he was staff reporter for the Providence Journal, city editor of the Carlisle (PA) Sentinel, Sunday editor of the Cape Cod Times, and executive editor of the four weeklies on Cape Cod of the Community Newspaper Co. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Marietta College and a master’s degree in journalism from Penn State University. He is the author of The Elements of News Writing, published by Allyn & Bacon. His interests include writing, meditation, running, hiking, and camping.</div>
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Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-55027673644149822732015-01-04T05:07:00.001-08:002015-01-04T05:10:28.378-08:00Lower Cape Sketchbook<span style="color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Note: This is an excerpt from my father's journal (1961-62). I love his ideas for using his sketchbook as a tool for his art. I also think this could be a lesson in writing using all one's senses ("to feel the feel of it") and making a collage of words.</span></span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Perhaps I have already begun this book with the infrequent entries in a diary started last summer. But what sort of book could I write concerning our life on the Cape? Not a diary simply, for too many books take that form. A chronicle of nature that follows the cycle of the seasons. In some respects it might follow this form. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">Rather I will write a sketchbook of what I see around me from the elbow of the Cape north to Provincetown – Cape Tip – or wherever my travels on the Cape take me. For every few days finds me in a different spot, nosing around; the beaches, the bay, and marsh shores along the tideline rubble, looking for flotsam to add to my beach collages. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">In my collecting trips I look for almost anything that carries the marks of time. Anything characteristic of the environment of sea, bay, shoreline; whether wood, metal, shell, or bone. If they are small enough to carry I take them and dry them out and let them set for a time to make (them, us?) aware of their bounty. </span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #323232; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">So I will record in my sketchbook that which I cannot carry but which is part of the environment – wood, metal, shell, or bone. Indeed it may be part of the scene, the effect of where I am. It will be a collage in words, a searching for the same effect that time-worn objects have—words on paper for wood on wood. Cork on wood. I want the reader to be able to rub his hand over a weathered washed up plank and feel the grit of it, the smell of it. To feel the feel of it.</span>Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-41737636541729392492014-12-31T12:33:00.000-08:002014-12-31T12:33:00.150-08:00Making Resolutions<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Every year I ring in the New Year by writing on the first
blank page of my newest journal. Before I do this, however, I reread the
previous year’s journal. I like connecting with the people, places and
emotional highs and lows that have been part of my life. I’m often too preoccupied
in my busy life to write every day, but I try to update my journal at least once
or twice a week. Rereading is like watching an old favorite movie. I remember
the good parts, cheer for achievements and mourn disappointments.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2014 was a banner year for me since my book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dream of the Antique Dealer’s Daughter</i>,
came out last winter. I took part in a Calliope reading at West Falmouth
Library as one of the featured poets in January, had my book launch at the
Cultural Center in South Yarmouth in February, participated in a Voices in
Poetry event at the St. Christopher Church in Chatham in April, as well as
reading and playing piano at the International Woman’s Day in March (also at
the Cultural Center). In June, I had my book displayed at the Author Palooza at
the Osterville Library (hosted by Books by the Sea), as well as a book signing
around Labor Day. The Steeple Street Poets gave a poetry reading at Sturgis
Library in November.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, it’s time to contemplate 2015. My New Year’s
resolutions are usually the same: Write more, exercise more, eat less. Sound
familiar? I read recently that resolutions should be more specific. In other
words, I might resolve to write for fifteen minutes a day, finish the first
draft of my young adult novel (the one I’ve been working on for years), submit
to more poetry journals, etc. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I want to try something different this year. With time on my
side, I would like to complete a new poem every week and find an old poem to
rework. I know some poets aim for a new poem every day but I think, for me,
that’s unrealistic. I also want to submit to at least two journals a month and
also subscribe to several literary </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsRT2Gr2C3ZQ5PBKRustYFEBhTqowGdM_vARzzn0pycCuU3FzGoxCNcBx2dd2lzU1jjzjHqIg4OdezwbPR7N-84oQJ4xRr5kpn-vR8GtNjfkRSJo3zry-lMtQo3z-EBSKcuq1dFhr4Lo/s1600/anchor-bible-man-throws-down-to-bottom-ocean-floor-which-book-47742844.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsRT2Gr2C3ZQ5PBKRustYFEBhTqowGdM_vARzzn0pycCuU3FzGoxCNcBx2dd2lzU1jjzjHqIg4OdezwbPR7N-84oQJ4xRr5kpn-vR8GtNjfkRSJo3zry-lMtQo3z-EBSKcuq1dFhr4Lo/s1600/anchor-bible-man-throws-down-to-bottom-ocean-floor-which-book-47742844.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
journals and buy new poetry books (or at least check them
out of the library). Hopefully, I can report back in a few months that I have
at least been semi-successful in keeping my resolutions. Meanwhile, I know I’ll
enjoy writing in the pages of my journal.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As Oscar Wilde once said, “I never travel without my diary.
One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” </div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-33996543093418841772014-11-15T12:03:00.000-08:002014-11-15T12:04:54.872-08:00What inspires your poetry?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9tg5dyUn8tf-Z8_ASXe-goQMfsoDfO7_hKH6_v3gWeRvjaZLBgB-Tht07Ko5LWfwoxvATo0XwbqP6yfhLe37_MFmSgk_keLu7s5D5oUVR9NS8O7hqTzGq9Z9SSAUlx89RdZsxyLGuTA/s1600/Inspire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9tg5dyUn8tf-Z8_ASXe-goQMfsoDfO7_hKH6_v3gWeRvjaZLBgB-Tht07Ko5LWfwoxvATo0XwbqP6yfhLe37_MFmSgk_keLu7s5D5oUVR9NS8O7hqTzGq9Z9SSAUlx89RdZsxyLGuTA/s1600/Inspire.jpg" height="224" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At our Steeple Street Poetry meeting this morning, poet Judy
Askew invited us to describe what inspires our poetry. It was an interesting
assortment of answers:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A photograph<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Visual images or images from nature<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Passion for life (poet Betty Jamison said since she is
getting older, she wants to seize her passion now)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Emotional responses to life situations<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Childhood memories<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Travels abroad and remembering interesting people met along
the way<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Song, dance, movement, intimate gestures<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Moments captured in reflection<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love in all its forms, loss, parting, sorrow<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The poems offered for critique were often
astonishing in their power and beauty. There was a poem about returning to
Germany and confronting the horrors of the Holocaust, one on meditating on a
fall photograph, and another exploring what it means to confront death. Several
poems were more lighthearted: a children’s story based on the Night before
Christmas, a memory of playing with a Ouija board as a child, the sensual
description of a tree in fall. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Since our poems inform our lives and our passions, it is
helpful to think about what has inspired them. Sometimes it’s good to
experiment, to open up the white space on a page, use original words and
images. My son, Devin, said he likes to write poems that he can share with
others.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Judy left us with some inspirational quotes from famous authors:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Inspiration exists – but it has to find you working.” –
Picasso<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wherever you are is the entry point.” – Kabir<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” – Sylvia Plath<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind
of bad training.” – Anna Freud<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“A great poet […] must have the ear of a wild Arab listening
in the silent desert, the eye of a North American Indian tracing the footsteps
of an enemy upon the leaves that strew the forest, the touch of a blind man
feeling the face of a darling child.” – Samuel Taylor Coleridge</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-77041881428871042592014-10-13T11:29:00.001-07:002014-10-13T11:29:42.568-07:0015 Minutes a DayHow do we find time in our busy lives to write? Work, family, appointments all weigh us down. Our free time is precious but fleeting. Sometimes the need for sleep is another factor in our not burning the midnight oil to finish a poem.<br />
<br />
<br />
It makes sense to have a plan. One method that has worked for me is to set aside fifteen minutes a day for writing. Mornings work best for me. When my children were little, I waited for the school bus to whisk them away before I sat down at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee and a blank piece of paper. Now I am more likely to plant myself in front of a computer screen but the idea is the same.<br />
<br />
<br />
Married poets, Jane Kenyon and Donald Hall, often spent their mornings working on individual poems and then shared their efforts. To me, this seems ideal. Since I am busy with two part-time jobs, I don't have the luxury to write for hours. I find if I set aside fifteen minutes, the writing starts to flow and I work for longer periods of time.<br />
<br />
<br />
Natalie Goldberg, author of <em>Writing Down the Bones </em>and <em>Wild Mind</em>, is a proponent of timed writing sessions. She recommends setting a stove timer ("...go for ten minutes, fifteen, a half hour"). Her ideas for writing: "...once you begin writing, you might be surprised where your mind takes the topic. That's good. You are not trying to control your writing. You are stepping out of the way. Keep your hand moving."<br />
<br />
<br />
I often get my creative juices flowing by reading a poem or two by a favorite author. Somehow, the rhythm and beauty of the lines inspire me. Sometimes I need to do some free writing to loosen my writing muscles. A chance image will leap out at me and serve as the beginning of a poem. If I'm working on a revision, I sit quietly with the poem for several minutes before I begin changing words and lines. I don't want to rush the poetic process.<br />
<br />
<br />
My dream is to have time for all my creative pursuits, but writing comes first. Set aside fifteen minutes a day and see what happens. As Laurie Halse Anderson (author of the YA novel Speak) puts it: <br />
<div align="center" style="font-size: 12.72px;">
<strong>Fifteen minutes spent writing today could change your life.</strong> </div>
<div align="center" style="font-size: 12.72px;">
<strong><em>scribble… scribble… scribble…</em></strong> </div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-23761641567648645902014-08-31T14:17:00.000-07:002014-08-31T14:17:31.012-07:00Writing Challenge: Using Synesthesia <div class="MsoNormal">
Synesthesia is an intuitive connecting of the senses in
which one sense is used to describe
another. This might be something not associated with a sense, for example,
words used to excite the imagination --
taste of sweet or sour described as a taste of green.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Challenge:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For each color or texture, list something not associated
with color/texture:</div>
<h1>
Red wind white memory smooth
love</h1>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. blue 2. orange</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. red 4. velvet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5. satin 6. turquoise</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
7. opaque 8. transparent</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
9. textured 10. rough</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><u>Use words not associated with scent</u></span></h2>
<h3>
<i style="font-weight: normal;">Six fragrances in
the sky</i><o:p></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
11. smell 12. aroma</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
13. bouquet 14. fragrant</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><u>Name things not connected with sound</u></span></h2>
<h3>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><i>Hear heat</i></span><o:p></o:p></h3>
<div class="MsoNormal">
15. listen 16. hear</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
17. beckoning 18. calling</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><u>Use the words listed with things not seen</u></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>I looked into the sound of morning.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
19. look 20. see</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
21. visualize 22. picture</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
23. gaze</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><u>Name things you can not literally touch</u></span></h2>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Embrace the shadow.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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24. feel 25. grab</div>
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26. embrace 26. caress</div>
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27. touch</div>
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<b>example</b></div>
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I hear the wind</div>
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washing my hair with icy fingers</div>
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clearing away the weight of the day</div>
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and rinsing it in the moonlight.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Wingdings;">n<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]-->Vicky
Edmonds Verver</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>HAVE FUN WITH THIS EXERCISE!</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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(Note: This was an exercise originally presented to the
Guyer Barn Poets in December, 2001)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4394540775380565364.post-32886100833119077602014-08-10T14:18:00.000-07:002014-08-10T14:18:39.583-07:00Notes from a Poetry Workshop<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
In the summer of 1995, I had the
opportunity to take a poetry workshop with Cape poet Donald Baker. For many
years, he led a successful workshop at the Brewster Ladie’s Library and was a
mentor and friend to many local poets. I recently came across my notes from
that long-ago summer class and thought I would share them. There is wisdom and
intelligence in his questions and comments.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Questions to ask about (your, our,
his, her, my) poems:</div>
<ol start="1" style="margin-top: 0in;" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Is it a poem? Or is it an outline, a sketch, an idea
for a poem that has yet to be developed?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Is too much jammed into it? Can words, lines,
sections be cut without loss and with improvement of the poem?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Are the parts in the best order, or should words,
phrases, lines, even whole sections be transposed? Should the first line
be the last? Should the last line be the first? Should the first stanza be
the last? Or the last the first?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Is the title an integral part of the poem, leading
the reader into what follows it?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Are there surprises in the poem? Unexpected words,
twists of phrase, juxtapositions?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Is the poem coherent? Does it have a beginning, a
middle, and an end?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Does the poem get anywhere? Does something happen in
it? Or, when it ends, are you right where you began?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Should the poem be written from another point of view
– third person or second person rather than first, for instance?</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;">Does the poem comprise chiefly abstractions? Or does
it work through concrete particulars? “No ideas but in things,” said
William Carlos Williams.</li>
</ol>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Would you like some rules? Try
these:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Cut, cut, cut</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Look for a better word (in pen, I
had written concrete, precise)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Get rid of familiar phrases</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Change the order of things: words,
lines, stanzas, sections</div>
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Use images, not statements</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Do not say it more than once</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Try another point of view</div>
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Dramatize: make a place, an event,
a speaker</div>
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Do not report: invent</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Balance on the fulcrum</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Keep the good; dump the bad</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
Listen to the sound the words/lines
make</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The language of a poem should be
as simple as possible, as clear as possible, and as consistent as possible.” –
Donald Baker</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“Self-expression is not art.” –
Denise Levertov</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
“The part you must jettison is not
only the best-written part: It is also, oddly, that part which was to have been
the very point.” – Annie Dillard</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
I remember loving this workshop and
polishing several poems in the aftermath of taking it. Its lessons still
resonate for me to this day.</div>
Robin Smith-Johnsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18188365986640471102noreply@blogger.com0