The Everything Writing Poetry Book (41 page)

However, the abstract language of the first draft is gone. DeAnna is relying on more sensory details to capture the pressure of the earth's surface. She also seems to be trusting her reader much more by not answering the poem's most compelling question: “What shall take root?” In this draft, DeAnna forces the reader to respond.

Another Poet's Progress

Another group member, Jeanie French—a gardener, English professor, environmental enthusiast, and fiction writer—likes to experiment with her writing through poetry. Jeanie was inspired by a classroom experience and by Langston Hughes's poem “Theme for English B” when she wrote the following draft of “Theme”:

Write a page,
I said
. Let it come out
of you. Then it will be true.

What do they think when they
hear that, this kaleidoscope of young
faces before me? They look

at me—middle-aged white woman—
and wonder if I'll understand
their truths. Their truths
are hard—the inner city, gangs,
drugs, poverty, shootings, and
killings on street corners
all the fears, hopes, dreams
of families resting on their shoulders
.

I've seen their truths on the news
but I haven't lived them. I'm no
stranger to poverty, but I'm white,
white bread, white wine—new grapes of wrath vintage.
Poor and white is not poor and black,
poor and Asian, poor and Mexican.
They think I won't
know
their truths
and they'll be right. They don't
know mine either. I tell them
we can meet on the page but
I don't know if I believe myself
.

Initial Reactions

When the group first read Jeanie's poem, many members were struck by Jeanie's ability to pay tribute to the original. Hughes's poem speaks to the student's sense of isolation or distance from his instructor—an instructor who has asked him to write an essay about his identity. The Hughes poem captures the student's fear that his teacher may never understand him because of their differences in race and life experiences.

But Hughes's poem ends with the narrator's hope that despite individual differences, honesty can bridge the gap between them. Jeanie's poem takes on the other side of Hughes's poem. Her narrator, a teacher, speaks to the same issue as she anticipates the world of her students and their perceptions of her world.

Suggestions for Revision

In this early draft of the poem, the writing group was not able to visualize the faces of the students. Nor were they able to sense the narrator's fear for these students. The group encouraged Jeanie to give the students more identity and to name her narrator's fears. What follows is Jeanie's fourth and possibly final draft of the poem:

Write a page,
I said
. Let it come out
of you. Then it will be true.

What do they think when they
hear that, this kaleidoscope of young
faces before me? They look
at me—middle-aged white woman—
and wonder if I'll understand
their truths. Their truths
are hard—inner city gangs,
drugs, poverty, shootings and
killings on street corners,
escape the champagne wish,
the diamond dream of their families
.

I've seen their stories on the news
but I haven't lived them. I'm no
stranger to poverty, but I'm white,
white bread, white wine—new grapes of wrath vintage.
Poor and white is not poor and black,
poor and Asian, poor and Mexican.
They're right: I won't know their truths.
They don't know mine either.
I could tell them that escape is possible—
but they won't want to hear the rest of that truth:
you can get out but you can't leave behind who you are;
poverty is a bomb in the brain you'll never defuse
.

Diamond studs wink at me from their ears;
their faces remain carefully blank
and our lives tick away.
I tell them we can meet on the page
but I don't know if I believe it myself
.

Results

Jeanie's revision shows the attention she spent on developing the faces of the students who inspired her to write the poem. The addition of the fourth stanza gives them identities. Their faces are blank and their earrings “wink” at the narrator, alluding to the students' personalities and appearances.

More poignantly, the narrator worries that her life and the students' lives will “tick” away because of their inability to connect. The teacher implores them to meet her “on the page,” but even she doubts this is possible. Her fear of this lack of connection is heightened by her sense of the harm that can come to all of them. There are multiple allusions to a bomb—the danger that occurs when people cannot or choose not to understand one another. As a result of these additions, Jeanie has created a multilayered dialogue between her poem, her students, and the work of a master.

Keep It Interesting

While your regularly scheduled meetings will have the same basic format, you may want to mix things up every once in a while to add some fun to your group. For instance, you may want to expand your group activities to include attending local poetry readings and lectures together. Or perhaps you could have small parties every couple of months at members' homes. These are opportunities to get to know each other outside of the writing mindset.

Colleges and Bookstores

If you live in an area that is home to an established writer, editor, or publisher, you may want to invite the expert to speak to your group or you and your group members may choose to attend any readings or lectures given by this individual. Also, any college with an English department will likely host a number of literary events throughout the academic year.

You may also find it helpful to visit local bookstores with your group members. Not only will the environment be fitting for a conversation about writing, but you might also hear about upcoming book events in the area. One fun activity to do at a bookstore is to have all the members of your group take ten or fifteen minutes to choose a book of poetry from the shelves. Then, once you reconvene, you can take turns reading poetry from the books you have selected. This is a nice, relaxing way to enjoy each other without the common constraints of your scheduled meetings.

Other Sources of Inspiration

All artists have the potential to inspire each other. No doubt you are familiar with Vincent van Gogh's
Starry Night
(1889). This painting inspired Don McLean's classic song “Vincent (Starry Starry Night).” The swirling white, blue, and yellow hues of the painting are captured in the soft sounds of McLean's voice. The tragedy of van Gogh's life is captured in the song's lyrics. Poets affect one another and other artists in this manner quite frequently. In Chapter 7, you read Zachary Chartkoff's contemplation of Milton's
Paradise Lost
. Earlier in this chapter you read Jeanie French's poem based on a piece by Langston Hughes.

Often, a creative-writing instructor will ask students to write a work based upon their reading of another established piece of literature or fine art. The intent of such an exercise is not necessarily to mimic the writer; rather, the purpose is to elevate the meaning of the original work or to apply the meaning of the original to the present day. You and your group members should spend some time reading poems that have been inspired by the works of others. Likewise, your group members may want to pay tribute to their favorite artists by writing a poem inspired by those other works. By gaining inspiration from the great artists who came before you, you will pass on timeless knowledge and experience and perhaps inspire some poets of the future.

Chapter 20
Getting Published

O
nce you have mastered all of the material in the previous chapters of this book, you are ready to submit your poems for publication. This stage is possibly the scariest and most exciting of the writing process. Rejection happens to everyone, and it stings. But the thrill of seeing your work in print will make up for all the rejection you endured. Following a few simple procedures will give your poems their best chance for acceptance.

Literary Magazines

Literary magazines are a great way to get your poetry published for the first time. One reason for this is that there are numerous publications to choose from. No matter the style, theme, or length of your work, there is likely a magazine out there that will accept it. Also, these magazines tend to have an editorial vision that ensures a standard of quality that will serve you well. If your work is accepted, it will likely be edited well and placed in an issue where it fits with the surrounding material. Finally, the more your work appears in print, the more prestige you will build for yourself as a writer. Most literary magazines will not pay much (if anything) for your submissions, but you will establish an impressive resume that will help you build your career.

But perhaps you are wondering: What is a literary magazine? Basically, it is a publication dedicated to the fine arts. Most literary magazines publish poetry, short fiction, short literary nonfiction, reviews, interviews, and even some artwork and photography. As such, a literary magazine might not have a wide audience, but it will have an intelligent readership that appreciates fine work.