Alarie Tennille's Blog: Alarie's Poetry and Point of View, page 5
December 9, 2015
Welcome to Alarie's Poetry
It was a thrill to see my poem, "The Quilters of Gee's Bend," in the December Goodreads newsletter today. I'm hoping a few new readers are making their way to this page as a result. WELCOME!
For more examples of my work, please visit my website
http://alariepoet.com/
or my page on the Houseboat blog
http://houseboathouse.blogspot.com/20...
Please consider purchasing my book Running Counterclockwise on Amazon, there's still time to make it a holiday gift. How about a new year addition to your home bookshelf?
Thanks for your support!
For more examples of my work, please visit my website
http://alariepoet.com/
or my page on the Houseboat blog
http://houseboathouse.blogspot.com/20...
Please consider purchasing my book Running Counterclockwise on Amazon, there's still time to make it a holiday gift. How about a new year addition to your home bookshelf?
Thanks for your support!
October 13, 2015
Running Counterclockwise Is a Finalist in the Thorpe Menn Annual LIterary Excellence Award
I'm thrilled that my poetry collection was the First Runner Up in this year's contest sponsored by the American Association of University Women.
August 30, 2015
Poem in Silver Birch Press
Writing this was almost like taking a trip back home to the shore.
https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.co...
https://silverbirchpress.wordpress.co...
July 31, 2015
What? and Why? The Two Biggest Questions
Thanks to The Last Brahmin for posing two challenging questions.
(A) What does poetry mean to you?
and
(B) Why do you write poetry?
I found I couldn't really separate the answers. What poetry means to me ties so closely into why I write it. Getting from A to B was a long journey for me, so my answer will wander a bit, too.
My parents were readers. My mother read to me before I could talk, so I was reading on my own as soon as I possibly could. I was also grateful that she continued to read to me after I could read – always something a bit more advanced that she wanted to share like Louisa May Alcott's novels. My mother grew up in the Great Depression generation, when children were required to memorize a lot of poetry (cheap entertainment). She used to recite long humorous poems from memory and taught me scansion of meter long before we touched on that in school, which we barely did.
In other words, literature was in my blood. Poetry is a subset of that. For most of my life, it was a small subset. At 17 I decided I wanted to be a writer, but didn't envision myself as a poet. After about a dozen poetry workshops, I got the wake up call. I've only been publishing poems for the last 10 years and simultaneously reading it by the truckload. You can't write what you don't read.
Mama's scansion lessons paid off. Being able to write rhymed, metered verse paid my living for many years as a greeting card writer. My employer paid for those poetry workshops as a way to reward and improve my writing. It worked, and I certainly feel rewarded! (I learned from Jane Hirshfield, Ed Hirsch, Ted Kooser, and Bob Hicok, just to name a few).
For me, writing poetry is my creative expression, my pleasure, and my vocation. It suits me because my thoughts and interests flutter about. I can write about my childhood in one poem, Monet in the next, followed by vampires. I couldn't face months of writing a long manuscript that required more cohesion. I love the brevity and concision of poetry, both as a writer and reader.
I was interested in art before writing and see poetry as painting with words.
As you can see, there's no stopping me when I launch into chatty writing like this, but I write short poems and put a lot of attention into weeding them.
I might even say that novels and plays are my outer world and sense of adventure. Poetry is my inner sanctum, where I discover and share more about who I am and what it means to be human.
(A) What does poetry mean to you?
and
(B) Why do you write poetry?
I found I couldn't really separate the answers. What poetry means to me ties so closely into why I write it. Getting from A to B was a long journey for me, so my answer will wander a bit, too.
My parents were readers. My mother read to me before I could talk, so I was reading on my own as soon as I possibly could. I was also grateful that she continued to read to me after I could read – always something a bit more advanced that she wanted to share like Louisa May Alcott's novels. My mother grew up in the Great Depression generation, when children were required to memorize a lot of poetry (cheap entertainment). She used to recite long humorous poems from memory and taught me scansion of meter long before we touched on that in school, which we barely did.
In other words, literature was in my blood. Poetry is a subset of that. For most of my life, it was a small subset. At 17 I decided I wanted to be a writer, but didn't envision myself as a poet. After about a dozen poetry workshops, I got the wake up call. I've only been publishing poems for the last 10 years and simultaneously reading it by the truckload. You can't write what you don't read.
Mama's scansion lessons paid off. Being able to write rhymed, metered verse paid my living for many years as a greeting card writer. My employer paid for those poetry workshops as a way to reward and improve my writing. It worked, and I certainly feel rewarded! (I learned from Jane Hirshfield, Ed Hirsch, Ted Kooser, and Bob Hicok, just to name a few).
For me, writing poetry is my creative expression, my pleasure, and my vocation. It suits me because my thoughts and interests flutter about. I can write about my childhood in one poem, Monet in the next, followed by vampires. I couldn't face months of writing a long manuscript that required more cohesion. I love the brevity and concision of poetry, both as a writer and reader.
I was interested in art before writing and see poetry as painting with words.
As you can see, there's no stopping me when I launch into chatty writing like this, but I write short poems and put a lot of attention into weeding them.
I might even say that novels and plays are my outer world and sense of adventure. Poetry is my inner sanctum, where I discover and share more about who I am and what it means to be human.
July 24, 2015
RED EFT REVIEW
Networking pays off in the poetry world. Like most introverts, I had a hard time accepting this. I'm uncomfortable mingling. However, those other poets aren't true strangers. We have a deep connection through our love of literature. Go ahead and say hello. They won't bite.
Red Eft Review is a brand-new poetry blog/on-line journal. I was honored to be its inaugural poet thanks to networking. Editor Corey Cook used to edit Orange Room Review and published several of my poems. The last time I got ready to submit work there, I learned it was closing down. I wrote a note to share both my appreciation and dismay. Corey told me he planned to start another journal in the future, so I've been watching and waiting.
He wants the same sort of writing he published before. Corey calls it accessible poetry of substance. If that's what you write, visit the site, follow the guidelines, and send him 1-3 previously unpublished poems.
Here are links to the two poems by me
FIRST ISSUE OF RED EFT
http://redeftreview.blogspot.com/2015...
MY SECOND POEM THERE
http://redeftreview.blogspot.com/2015...
Red Eft Review is a brand-new poetry blog/on-line journal. I was honored to be its inaugural poet thanks to networking. Editor Corey Cook used to edit Orange Room Review and published several of my poems. The last time I got ready to submit work there, I learned it was closing down. I wrote a note to share both my appreciation and dismay. Corey told me he planned to start another journal in the future, so I've been watching and waiting.
He wants the same sort of writing he published before. Corey calls it accessible poetry of substance. If that's what you write, visit the site, follow the guidelines, and send him 1-3 previously unpublished poems.
Here are links to the two poems by me
FIRST ISSUE OF RED EFT
http://redeftreview.blogspot.com/2015...
MY SECOND POEM THERE
http://redeftreview.blogspot.com/2015...
March 2, 2015
ADVICE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A POETRY CHAPBOOK
A Goodreads reader who liked one of my poetry reviews asked for my advice on putting together a poetry chapbook. I decided to share my answer here for anyone else who's interested.
ADVICE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A POETRY CHAPBOOK
(Note that I don’t include tips for finding a chapbook publisher, which is a much later suggestion.)
Do you have a trusted critique group, mentor, or someone with more experience who can honestly critique your work? This is second only to reading a lot of poetry on my tips to beginning writers. If you alone think you’re ready for a book, you’re likely not.
Have you published many poems in journals or anthologies? This step is essential before
compiling a chapbook unless you are self-publishing, which I do not recommend. Ideally, 30-60 % of the poems in your chapbook should be already published. If you’re in major league poetry markets, that number can be somewhat lower. Remember that a publisher is making an investment in you, so it likes this assurance of your experience, success, and marketability. Other talented people are competing for your contract.
Okay. You have a lot of published poems, so what’s next? Gather 35-40 pages of your best work together. While you should select what you consider your best and your published work, publishers have differing guidelines for how many pages they want you to send. Be prepared to cut your manuscript down or expand it according to their requirements. ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING!
If you are self-publishing, you get to make the rules. That is fine if you are making gift books for your friends and family. However, if you want to establish yourself as a literary author, you need to follow the long, hard path to publication.
Do you have 35 to 40 pages you like and that your critique group likes? Because chapbooks are so short, they often stay more strictly on a single theme or topic. Not every poem needs to be about Auntie Em, if that’s your main topic, but enough poems need to be different that one or two poems don’t stick out as not belonging. Make deliberate choices. Look like you know what you’re doing.
Spread your pages on the floor and arrange them. I like to match up 2 or 3 poems that I feel belong together, then switch to something new either in tone or subject. For example, I like to give the reader something lighter to read after a few poems about death or loss. If your book is My Family Makes Me Look Like the Sane One, group a few Dad poems together before dropping in Mom or brother Joe.
For me, titling the book comes after the selection of poems. I tend to throw away 20-40 titles before landing on the one that really sings to me. This task can be easier if you are naming your collection for the best poem in your manuscript. However, you should double check that the title doesn’t jar against many other poems in your collection. I have also rejected names because I don’t want shoppers to assume my books is an art book, cookbook, or something other than poetry.
Google the name you want to use. Although you may have legal rights to call it Gone with the Wind or Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, you shouldn’t confuse readers or unfairly steal another artist’s glory.
So, you have a longish chapbook compiled and a title. Are you ready to send it off? No. Share it with a few trusted readers, ideally from your critique group. Instead of putting them on the hot spot, asking “Is my book any good?,” ask, “If you had to cut 3 poems from this book, which would you take out?” The answer may not imply these were your worst poems, only that they didn’t fit the title or mix. If more than one person names the same cut, please listen.
Recommended reading:
http://jeffreyelevine.com/2011/10/12/...
ADVICE FOR PUTTING TOGETHER A POETRY CHAPBOOK
(Note that I don’t include tips for finding a chapbook publisher, which is a much later suggestion.)
Do you have a trusted critique group, mentor, or someone with more experience who can honestly critique your work? This is second only to reading a lot of poetry on my tips to beginning writers. If you alone think you’re ready for a book, you’re likely not.
Have you published many poems in journals or anthologies? This step is essential before
compiling a chapbook unless you are self-publishing, which I do not recommend. Ideally, 30-60 % of the poems in your chapbook should be already published. If you’re in major league poetry markets, that number can be somewhat lower. Remember that a publisher is making an investment in you, so it likes this assurance of your experience, success, and marketability. Other talented people are competing for your contract.
Okay. You have a lot of published poems, so what’s next? Gather 35-40 pages of your best work together. While you should select what you consider your best and your published work, publishers have differing guidelines for how many pages they want you to send. Be prepared to cut your manuscript down or expand it according to their requirements. ALWAYS FOLLOW THEIR GUIDELINES FOR SUBMITTING!
If you are self-publishing, you get to make the rules. That is fine if you are making gift books for your friends and family. However, if you want to establish yourself as a literary author, you need to follow the long, hard path to publication.
Do you have 35 to 40 pages you like and that your critique group likes? Because chapbooks are so short, they often stay more strictly on a single theme or topic. Not every poem needs to be about Auntie Em, if that’s your main topic, but enough poems need to be different that one or two poems don’t stick out as not belonging. Make deliberate choices. Look like you know what you’re doing.
Spread your pages on the floor and arrange them. I like to match up 2 or 3 poems that I feel belong together, then switch to something new either in tone or subject. For example, I like to give the reader something lighter to read after a few poems about death or loss. If your book is My Family Makes Me Look Like the Sane One, group a few Dad poems together before dropping in Mom or brother Joe.
For me, titling the book comes after the selection of poems. I tend to throw away 20-40 titles before landing on the one that really sings to me. This task can be easier if you are naming your collection for the best poem in your manuscript. However, you should double check that the title doesn’t jar against many other poems in your collection. I have also rejected names because I don’t want shoppers to assume my books is an art book, cookbook, or something other than poetry.
Google the name you want to use. Although you may have legal rights to call it Gone with the Wind or Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, you shouldn’t confuse readers or unfairly steal another artist’s glory.
So, you have a longish chapbook compiled and a title. Are you ready to send it off? No. Share it with a few trusted readers, ideally from your critique group. Instead of putting them on the hot spot, asking “Is my book any good?,” ask, “If you had to cut 3 poems from this book, which would you take out?” The answer may not imply these were your worst poems, only that they didn’t fit the title or mix. If more than one person names the same cut, please listen.
Recommended reading:
http://jeffreyelevine.com/2011/10/12/...
January 30, 2015
New Poem in Midwest Quarterly Review
If you're unfamiliar with Bobby McFerrin or simply want the enhanced poetry experience, search "Bobby McFerrin Blackbird" on YouTube.
Bobby McFerrin
swallows
a flute
saxophone
bass
set of drums
didgeridoo
washboard
one flying blackbird
two sopranos
three cloggers
a Volkswagon full of clowns
wind chimes
castanets
Elvis
the lost chord
and tonight’s audience.
© Alarie Tennille 2015
Bobby McFerrin
swallows
a flute
saxophone
bass
set of drums
didgeridoo
washboard
one flying blackbird
two sopranos
three cloggers
a Volkswagon full of clowns
wind chimes
castanets
Elvis
the lost chord
and tonight’s audience.
© Alarie Tennille 2015
December 21, 2014
Featured Poet on Houseboat
I'm pleased to be a featured poet on Houseboat. This is my largest collection of poems online. Check out the beautiful art and photography on this site – lots of inspiration to be found.
http://houseboathouse.blogspot.com/20...
http://houseboathouse.blogspot.com/20...
August 21, 2014
Writing to Art
Writing to art is my favorite escape from writer's block. This fall (November 13, 6-8:00 p.m.) I'll be teaching my workshop, Art-Felt Words, at The Writers Place in Kansas City.
My most recent on-line poem was written to an odd, but beautiful photograph. "Odd" is the key word. It took me to an unusually dark, eerie place: the sort of place I'd rather know about through fiction than from the evening news.
http://vsw.org/afterimage/inklight/
My most recent on-line poem was written to an odd, but beautiful photograph. "Odd" is the key word. It took me to an unusually dark, eerie place: the sort of place I'd rather know about through fiction than from the evening news.
http://vsw.org/afterimage/inklight/
July 3, 2014
The Kansas City Star Reviews "Running Counterclockwise"
Here's a link to my book review by Denis Low, former Poet Laureate of Kansas
http://www.kansascity.com/entertainme...
http://www.kansascity.com/entertainme...
Alarie's Poetry and Point of View
Alarie Tennille's poetry news, poems, and thoughts about writing (Please visit her website: alariepoet.com)
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