Penny J. Johnson's Blog, page 6

Books of the Month: April 4-May 1

Fiction The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah Five Stars I absolutely loved this newest book by Kristin Hannah. I learned more about this era of history–the Dust Bowl and how it affected people during the Great Depression–and would compare its themes to those of The Grapes of Wrath . Hannah […]

Practicing Poetic Themes:

During my mentorship with poet Jim Moore, I wrote this poem based on the title from Tomas Tranströmer’s “April and Silence.” While my poem and Tranströmer’s are different in their themes, this title is often one that comes to mind during the month of April.

Poetic Form: “Epiphanic Lyric”

“[Tomas Tranströmer] has perfected a particular kind of epiphanic lyric, often in quatrains, in which nature is the active energizing subject, and the self (if the self is present at all) is the object.” Katie Peterson, Boston Review as quoted by Poetry Foundation; italics mine When I was researching Tomas […]

Inefficient

Join me each Wednesday for this virtual reading experience as I read a selection from Redefined: A Year of Poetry. By the end of the year, I will have read 52 of the 366 poems contained in this collection. I encourage you to subscribe to this blog in order to […]

Poem of the Week: “Kyrie” by Tomas Tranströmer

The poem “Kyrie” by Tomas Tranströmer entered my life when I read it in college. But, it became a transformative influence on my poetry after my middle son was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2001. Since then I have written two poems based on this poem–one using the title […]

Poet of the Week: Tomas Tranströmer

The first time I read the poetry of Tomas Tranströmer, I knew I had met a kindred spirit. He creates a mood that I understand even though my experiences and direct culture are not exactly the same. I had this same feeling when I read Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called […]

Practicing Poetry Themes: Walking the Wild Writing Life

Mary Oliver’s poetry first inspired me during my college years. The two poems below were influenced in structure and title by Oliver’s poem “Rain.” They are included in The Last Time We Were Children: The Tenth Anniversary Edition.

Poetic Form: Lyrical Poetry

Lyric poetry is broad in its definition. It isn’t confined to one form. A poet can write a sonnet, villanelle, or a pantoum, and the poem can be classified as lyrical. A free verse poem may also be considered lyrical. Haiku can be considered lyrical. The key is to write […]

Poetry Form: Lyrical Poetry

Lyric poetry is broad in its definition. It isn’t confined to one form. A poet can write a sonnet, villanelle, or a pantoum, and the poem can be classified as lyrical. A free verse poem may also be considered lyrical. Haiku can be considered lyrical. The key is to write […]

Horizon

Join me each Wednesday for this virtual reading experience as I read a selection from Redefined: A Year of Poetry. By the end of the year, I will have read 52 of the 366 poems contained in this collection. I encourage you to subscribe to this blog in order to […]