Description:
26 days, one subject, three styles of poetry, biting critique, 10 slots . . . Are you willing to give it a try
How are you feeling?
Up to a challenge?
Want to test your ability to write way out of your comfort zone?
Good.
Then join my workshop. It starts May 8th and runs for 26 days.
In that time, 10 lucky people will be assigned a subject and will produce three (3) separate poems and critique 27. You do not get to choose the subject, the styles, or the time.
What could possibly go wrong?
Details are below. This is a 1st come, 1st joined.
Leader: Pugilist
Moderator(s): Rula
Objectives:
Write outside your comfort zone, and quickly
Level of expertise: Shark
Subject matter:
Each participant will be given a subject and will construct three (3) poems on that subject for critique. The poem styles will be, in order, Free Verse, Shakespearean Sonnet, Haiku
Schedule:
May 8 - May 9: Introduction, Q&A, and subject assignment
May 10 - May 14: Free Verse Creation
May 15- May 16: Free Verse Critique
May 17 - May 21: Shakespearean Sonnet Creation
May 22 - May 23: Shakespearean Sonnet Critique
May 24 - May 28: Haiku Creation
May 29 - May 30: Haiku Critique
May 31 - June 2: Workshop Assessment, Lessons Learned, Q & A, and Closeout
Workshop closed early - goals met 5 days sooner than anticipated.
Comments
wesley snow
Fri, 2015-04-24 20:30
I am more than willing to give it try.
Please add me to the lists post haste.
W. H. Snow
A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-04-24 21:01
Added.
Added.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
judyanne
Sat, 2015-04-25 01:45
very interested
But my computer is playing up at the moment - I have only my tablet, and crippled a little related to not having access to many short-cuts (eg: cut and paste etc) so I hope I will be able to keep up
Can I just say here, Jonathon, to both yourself and Wesley, that I appreciate the critiques on my recent works, but have not had the time (as well as computer help) to reply or to work on the poems.... I hope to get to them next week - just wanted to let you know
xxx
'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)
scribbler
Sat, 2015-04-25 15:44
Hello
I'll give it a shot. I'm not much at any of the above forms and plain out stink at sonnets so at the least I'll supply plenty of chum for the sharks............stan
alidzain
Mon, 2015-04-27 18:12
Hello
I want in!
Alid
BlueDemon77
Tue, 2015-04-28 01:53
Hello
I'd like to give it a shot.
Blue Demon77
"What I want is to be what I was before the knife,
before the brooch pin, before the salve, fixed me in this parenthesis:
Horses fluent in the wind. A place, a time gone out of mind."
The Eye Mote-Sylvia Plath
Rula
Tue, 2015-04-28 04:22
you are
in Ron
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Please follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/poetry.jo?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
judyanne
Tue, 2015-04-28 08:22
did you guys
miss me?
xxx
'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)
Pugilist
Tue, 2015-04-28 12:09
Corrected
I misunderstood your original message. You have been added.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
scribbler
Tue, 2015-05-05 22:30
Nobody
shot at you thus you weren't missed lol
weirdelf
Wed, 2015-04-29 00:50
I add a comment here to get informed of posts and progress
I can not join because I can not commit with my illness. However i will follow when I can.
This is an excellent concept.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
weirdelf
Thu, 2015-04-30 08:31
I'm not clear on your meaning of free verse, Jon.
Nor have ever been.
Does that mean it prohibits rhyme and meter or only that they be used in an unstructured manner?
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
Pugilist
Thu, 2015-04-30 19:06
Free verse is, by definition,
Free verse is, by definition, without structure.
Incidental rhymes are one thing, a pattern of rhyming is not free verse.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
William Saint George
Sat, 2015-05-02 16:33
Hey!
I want in! Please :)
No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job. - TS Eliot
http://www.wsgeorge.com/
Rula
Sat, 2015-05-02 16:42
Welcome William
Nice to see you involved with Neo's activities again.
I've just added you.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Please follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/poetry.jo?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-05-08 07:10
And So it Begins
Let's get something established right off the bat. This workshop is not about writing great poetry. This workshop is about being able to write competent poetry on demand about anything.
Why?
Because subjects are the soul of a poem and, left to our own devices, we get comfortable in our process and with our subjects and tend to write the same poem with different words all the damn time.
A writing exercise is important for many reasons but, for this workshop, we're going to concentrate on three:
1) You should be able to write about anything
2) You should be able to write in any style, competently
3) Writer's block may stop an idea, but it does not stop all of them
So, we've got a compressed schedule and you do not get to pick the subjects about which you will write. Because, as poets, we're supposed to be able to step up and do the job, just as you would be expected to step up and do the job in any other other profession.
That's right, profession. If you are a poet, be a poet. This is not a hobby, this is not a lark, this is not something yuo do in your free time to make the world pretty. If you want to be taken seriously, take your work seriously.
Challenge yourself, grow, be willing to screw up, and learn from it.
Because the world has more than enough people saying, "I write poetry from the heart! You can't really criticize that!"
Bullshit.
Now, let's get to work:
Your assignments are below. Yes the subjects were chosen to be as banal as possible. Both the names and the subjects were listed separately in Random.org and then matched by number.
Participant ___________ Subject
scribbler _____________ kettle
BlueDemon77 ________ porch
Rula ________________ dish
William Saint George ___ chair
Pugilist ______________ bowl
alidzain ______________ table
wesley snow __________ cup
judyanne _____________ couch
weirdelf ______________ lamp
This will be a tough schedule. Perfection is for hobbyists. You are a professional, act like it. Use your time to plan out your writing. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to change your approach.
Don't be afraid to admit you need help and ASK for it.
We have two days to ask questions and whine and complain, after that, we'll get the job done and whine and complain AFTER it is complete.
Because we're professionals.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
judyanne
Fri, 2015-05-08 08:39
One question
Is this subject for the free verse only, or are all of our poems to be on the same?
xxx
'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)
Rula
Fri, 2015-05-08 09:54
My question is
I understand that these are prompt words, so are they to be mentioned in the body of the poem or just talk about them?
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Please follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/poetry.jo?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
scribbler
Fri, 2015-05-08 14:29
I'll begin
by arguing the perfection is much more the realm of professionals than hobbyists. think not? Try submitting something to an editor which is full of imperfections......you'll likely not even be given the curtesy of a rejection letter.
Next, what are you seeking from participants Right Now? Discussion or a poem? And is each participant supposed to write all three types poem on the single subject?
Now on to agreement lol. I agree that a poet who writes in Only one form is missing out on stretching his/her horizons. Each form one attempts is likely to make a poet better at their preferred form of poetry........stan
wesley snow
Fri, 2015-05-08 14:57
I don't do anything fast...
good or bad, so this will be work.
An artist must produce or they are no artist. If you would write poetry it should, as Faulkner said, "consume your life".
Otherwise, why bother?
I'm up for a cuppa.
W. H. Snow
A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about
wesley snow
Fri, 2015-05-08 15:17
And another thing...
A poet, like a journalist, should be able to write about anything quickly.
I am writing epopee. The thing is 24,000 lines and needs four times that to finish. If I don't kick it in the ass I'll die first.
Perfection comes later in revision.
Constant revision.
W. H. Snow
A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-05-08 18:26
Answers
1) You subject is just that, a subject. You never need mention the word, but your poetry in this workshop must be about the subject
2) Poems. ll poems must be about the same subject. Our goal is to see how well we can extend our process to include a single subject in three different styles. That said, it does not have to be the same poem each time. Write from different points of view. Write pro, write again, just write
3) Professionalism verses perfection. A professional gets the work done. A hobbyist makes excuses. Write well and competently, but this is about completing the assignment, not writing the best poem in the history of the world.
If I seem brusque, I apologize. It is my nature when I am teaching. I am always open to contrary views, but if I don't state my purpose, how will anyone know on what to disagree?
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
scribbler
Fri, 2015-05-08 20:39
When
and where do you want poem(s) posted and do you want them one at a time or in a particular order with a space of time in between? And don't worry about being brusque.......stan
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-05-08 23:07
May 10-14 Free Verse
Post your free verse poem between May 10 and 14. We'll critique it while you are prepping your sonnet.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
scribbler
Sat, 2015-05-09 10:11
Very good
Will start work now
weirdelf
Tue, 2015-05-12 11:18
I posted all 3 poems at once,
sorry to break the timeline. I seldom get a chance to think and act these days so please forgive me.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
Pugilist
Tue, 2015-05-12 11:26
No worries
I saw you posted them and thought, "Jess is being proactive, just in case. Excellent."
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
Pugilist
Tue, 2015-05-12 11:28
It's May 12th, Do you know where your FREE VERSE poem is?
I won't be badgering individuals to submit, this is a Shark Pool workshop. But if you are participating, participate or send me a note you can't.
It's what professionals do.
And we are professionals.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
William Saint George
Thu, 2015-05-14 06:00
Just a thought...
The free verse poem I submitted on my subject (chair) has got only negative comments so far. Is it really that bad?
No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job. - TS Eliot
http://www.wsgeorge.com/
Pugilist
Sun, 2015-05-17 09:06
I'm not clear on your meaning
I would not characterize my critique as negative.
As with every critique I have given, I point out what I believe needs to be addressed and what I believe works.
I would characterize my critique as "professional," your job is to take the critique offered and review your work so you can determine what, if anything, you believe warrants modification.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
weirdelf
Sun, 2015-05-17 10:13
eh? I just went back and checked
no-one called it epiphanic or ground-breaking but hardly all negative, William. I see the word excellent used at least twice and I posted both a general suggestion re enjambment and a defense of your thesis.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
wesley snow
Fri, 2015-05-15 12:00
Sorry I've been missing for a couple of days
(not that anyone need notice), but I had taken ill.
I'm back.
And I have posted my free verse receiving several helpful critiques.
W. H. Snow
A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about
Pugilist
Sat, 2015-05-16 12:25
Time to finish phase 1
Write your last critiques, finish your last edits, it's time to move on to your sonnets.
Get cracking!
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
judyanne
Sat, 2015-05-16 21:38
my apologies
for my absence from this shop. .. I haven't had internet connection for the past week.
I'll post my sonnet today, then try to catch up with my critiquing over the next few days....
xxx
'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)
weirdelf
Sun, 2015-05-17 07:52
eeek, don't read my sonnet yet,
It's all wrong and I need to re-write it.
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
scribbler
Sun, 2015-05-17 09:49
OMG
A cursed sonnet, my Achilles heel. Well......everybody will be so busy shredding mine that they'll likely have no time to spare for others lol. Now I gotta Write something that at least resembles a sonnet.....grumble, grumble............stan
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-05-22 13:07
Get those critiques finished up - you have until tomorrow
No pressure.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
William Saint George
Sat, 2015-05-23 04:24
Thank you Pugilist
You forced me to submit my worst sonnet.
No verse is free for the man who wants to do a good job. - TS Eliot
http://www.wsgeorge.com/
Pugilist
Sat, 2015-05-23 10:37
I live to serve
It's a gift.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
Pugilist
Sun, 2015-05-24 01:08
Let the Haikus Commence!
We've lost some folks and that's okay. This is not a success versus fail workshop and if all you've done is push yourself a little, that alone is progress.
Haiku time.
Get cracking.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
judyanne
Sun, 2015-05-24 06:43
we haven't all fallen Jon
but maybe you've missed my sonnet?
xxx
'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)
Pugilist
Sun, 2015-05-24 07:09
Our participation rate has remained quite high
There's been a lot of good work by everyone and I may have missed a submission or two.
I'll go back and review.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
judyanne
Sun, 2015-05-24 07:15
it has been a fun
and interesting shop Jon
Thank you
xxx
'Each for the joy of the working, and each, in his separate star,
shall draw the Thing as he sees It, for the God of Things as They are.'
(Rudyard Kipling)
wesley snow
Sun, 2015-05-24 17:05
I agree with Judyanne.
I do not work well under pressure. This is an eye opener (or blackener depending on your perspective).
W. H. Snow
A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about
Pugilist
Wed, 2015-05-27 11:44
So here we are
It's May 27th and we are ahead of schedule.
Way ahead of schedule.
We are so far ahead of schedule that, unless there is an objection, I plan on closing the workshop tomorrow, May, 28th.
Let me know your thoughts, your observations, what you think went well, what you think needed work, what you liked, what you did not like.
This is not a request for personal acclaim or beratement. It is a "lessons learned" recap so it might aid other workshops.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
Rula
Thu, 2015-05-28 16:57
Thank you Johnathan
I believe this was another successful workshop. It enhanced the previous ones and added to them by critiquing different styles. I think that was a really clever way of the well planned syllabus. I also liked the strict agenda so everything is clear for everyone even before getting it started. I wish we would have more of these work shops especially in critiquing.
Thanks for the time and the effort. Always appreciate it.
❤❤❤❤❤❤
Please follow me on Instagram https://instagram.com/poetry.jo?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
wesley snow
Thu, 2015-05-28 16:03
I agree with Rula.
Not only was the multiple style agenda challenging, but I appreciated the timeline. Okay, I didn't really like it, but that's because it did its job and forced me to write quickly with an eye toward editing later.
Writing epopee as I do speed is of the essence. I have a great deal more story than I have time to write it. The faster I produce, the sooner I am editing where my greater strength lies.
I'm not going to insist on a timeline for all future workshops, but I would suggest it.
W. H. Snow
A poet is a nightingale, who sits in darkness and sings to cheer its own solitude with sweet sounds. Percy Bysshe Shelley
Learn how, teach others.
The NeoPoet Mentor Program
http://www.neopoet.com/mentor/about
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-05-29 11:17
Workshop.
Since there's been no objection, I will close the workshop.
Please let me know your thoughts on what you cared for, what you did not, and what we might do better next time.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
weirdelf
Fri, 2015-05-29 12:59
I doubted your ability to get poets to adhere to a schedule.
I am glad to be proved wrong, fucking good on you mate. Excellent workshop.
Getting proved wrong, especially for an opinionated bastard like me, helps me find what might be right.
Thank you, Jonathon. I really hope you run more workshops, your skills are manifest.
The workshop will continue under its own steam while everyone fulfils their commitment to critique other's works
Cheers
cheers,
Jess
A new workshop on the most important element of poetry-
'Rhythm and Meter in Poetry'
https://www.neopoet.com/workshop/rhythm-and-meter-poetry
Pugilist
Fri, 2015-05-29 13:45
Thank you, Jess
I honestly and sincerely appreciate your comments.
---------------------------------------------------------
Jonathan Moore
alidzain
Fri, 2015-05-29 15:08
Thank you,Jonathon
for the successful workhop. I'm looking forward to your next one.
Alid