Donna Rae's comments (member since Jul 04, 2008)

Donna Rae's comments from the ¡ POETRY ! group.

Found this-- Rescripting Your Life: A Journal Writing Workshop led by Cynthia Gallaher, a five-week online course through the University of Illinois at Chicago Writers Series starts this fall. For more information call 312-355-1889.

I visited her web site and journal, after I posted and didn't find an online workshop. My apologies. I know she had one going last year and if you e-mail her I am sure she can give you some info. I enjoyed her journal and plan on visiting the salt spa she wrote about. Her list of classes she offers at her web site cover an extensive amount of info that she will tailor to the clients needs. One nature class she mentions that the curriculum can be changed to teach children too. She is worth your time.

Cynthia Gallaher has an online workshop/class. I have not taken that but went to a one time class she taught at the public library and she is awesome! Packed more into one short class then many semester classes I have had! Give her a shot.
clvcpoet@yahho.com
journaltips.blogspot.com
www.geocities.com/swimmer53

MS Access is the answer to a database. I am enjoying the discussion on submitting I have to start practicing what I preach. submit submit submit. you dears are motivating me. Access has many features and actually can link to/work with your website if I remember right.
I like Ray's titles for the fields. Think I might try to get organized this summer b4 school starts again. I think when school starts I won't be participating as much, each year the classes I take seem to become more and more challenging.

I will second that Ms Donna Marie u can call me Donna Rae or D.R. (when I was a teen I went by Donna Rae of Sunshine and some other names I won't mention here)

Hi Ariba
at the top of this page on the right hand side is a list of links and at the bottom of that list of links is polls click on that link it will take you to the voting page click on the title of the poem you liked best and you don't have to vote for mine just cause I helped you. I liked Used Books and After the surgery tugged on my heart strings and that little short one was great they make it hard Thats why I don't do slams

Thanks Jeffrey I keep plugging away. Nice 2 hear from u!
Happy 4th!

thats ok I am still your good reads friend
Welcome to Good Reads!

Jim's pov works for me, I said it once before here that I have tons of student loans for much of the info Ruth and others shared and I went to a progressive college that encouraged free verse/experimental work, now I am in a traditional university and am at a loss when metrical studies are attempted and my fellow students can hear the stresses and can identify the poetic tools used. It is not the college I went to fault; it is mine. I chose my classes to avoid learning this because I felt I didn't want to write like that. I was stubborn. I too believe like Jim, that you need to know the rules to break them and also that word choices, rhyme and line breaks hold much gold. People can be stubborn especially when it comes to there pleasures but an open mind can expand these pleasures. My biggest learning experience comes from the reading of others. I do not judge by the form they use or the use of rhyme or lack of or line breaks but what takes the top of my head off like MS.Emily said, yet form and use of white space and all the poetic tools work to accomplish this desired result. Can u make me feel, can u make me experience what u feel what u see what u think. Do yourself a favor Please Do not limit your expression to rhymed poems nor unrhymed You might surprise yourself by trying what you are uncomfortable with. I know it has made a dif to me.

The Rape of Lake Michigan
after Alice Notley

Lake Michigan curls groan when the sun nudges her as Dawn approaches. She said to herself, “Is it that time already” She stretches and the docks creak, aching under her pressure.

The Sky looks down upon her with lust, as the sun turns her body of water into a blushing pink. He sends a message with the Wind, tells her how lovely she looks in the A. M. light and then proceeds to tell the lake how much he wants to sock it to her.

The Lake is aghast at his boldness; she is jarred awake at his crudeness, raises a huge wave in defiance. It is like giving him the middle finger, she thinks.

The Sky hears her thoughts and blows tender kisses and caresses her waves, tells her “I just couldn’t help myself; your awesome beauty overwhelms me. The peaks and valleys of your waves tempt me, the froth of your waves entice me, and the constant changing marine blues, seaweed greens, and gunboat grays cause me to go out of my mind with hunger for you.

The Lake enjoys his praise of her so much, she raises one eye open and responds to him, “The Wind brings your sweet message, but there is no hope for us, we are two of different elements. I see no future for our union.”

The Sky does not take no for an answer. He whips up some cumulonimbus clouds and becomes dark and threatening, working into a super cell.

Lake Michigan remains mute.

This only angers Sky to the utmost, taking the clouds to new highs, he rails and then lets loose with a bombardment of golf ball size hail, frozen hard as nails. The Wind screams of Sky’s passion. The dark angry Sky proclaims, as the hail penetrates the quiet Lake, “Love hurts, don’t it baby?” while he gets his way with her.

I turn to my dog, Apache, and say, “Damn it, stop that, I want to sleep,” as he licks my face. He stops and sits on my head. “Alright—alright I will let you out. God I am soar all over,” I groan. “Did you beat me up last night while I slept? I feel like the girl in the dunking pond who got hit by a hundred baseballs before she got dunked.”

I let Apache back in (its cold outside, in the low teens and he is done quickly, not a stupid mutt,) and decide to nuzzle the covers a little longer, falling quickly back to nod land.

The Lake responds to this cold attack with a frozen face, with not a word to Sky. Lake thanks god it is winter as she turns to Ice. He melts for her. Healing her liquid heart.


Donna Pecore

I didn't find poetry until I was 40 - I found a poetry reading and was hooked, a year later I was reading at the reading and then I was naive to the word on the page until about 6 years ago and now I can not get enough. I am actually in a graduate program for creative writing because of my passion. so you have your youth on your side and don't get discouraged. Keep writing! This has been a 15 year journey.

Wow what an explosion of information! D.C. You are one lucky poet! I have signed my life away in college loans to receive this kind of critique! Ruth may seem tough but she as Jim points out is being very generous.
Do as they say Read Read and Read some more and with each new poet explored try this; copy their style. Write a poem like theirs. Decide what makes you enjoy their work, be it rhyme or line (line is very important, make each one work as each word should James Longenbach has a good book on line_the Art of the Poetic Line_ ) or image or subject and each stanza should take you to a new place. Ask yourself does the piece have an arc? Does it have a surprise? Does it say anything that might change a person's mind-giving a new view. I also liked Robert Pinsky's book_The Sounds of Poetry_ and wished I had read that book years ago. Both books are quick reads, small books that pack a punch. Oh oh another poetry no no get rid of the cliche's. And as they are all saying love is universal but it is abstract and it is a cliche. I think you must strike some sort of resonance of our poetic beginnings, look at all the responses you have received and this is my first real post here. You motivated me. Keep writing whatever you do, when the heart is there the words will flow.

Arielle is not just a great poet she is a great teacher at Columbia College Chicago

took a class she taught with another awesome poet Suzanne Buffam on radical women poets that impacted my work immensely

she divided the course into two strands language and lyrical and Stein was one "canon" and Ms E is of course the other and each strand led to an exploration of marvelous women poets some who could be categorized in both strands