Blog #2
Three sites visited: Interview with Nikki Giovanni, Patrick Martin's Poetry Resource, and Peter Howard: Hypertext poetry
I read the interview with Nikki Giovanni and I was dually impressed. She is a highly decorated poet. She has earned many prestigious awards. She seems very down to earth. Her poetry comes from the heart. She writes from her life experiences. Growing up as an African American woman in the South has shaped her character and taught her much. From the interview, I gather that she is a very lovely, strong woman. I was very taken with her serene, calming attitude. I enjoyed this site because I was able to get to know the author. I think it helps to get up close and personal with them to better understand why they write what they write.
Patrick Martin's Poetry Resource was amazing!! I have just finished a May-mini class over humor in literature. I read The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. I thought this book was a hoot. It pleased me to find his name among so many listed on the website. I was able to read and learn more about his life and writings. I also viewed a site on Emily Dickenson. I had heard somewhere that she was a very morbid, dark writer. I was interested to find out more about her and her poetry to see what it was all about. I think sites like this help when we can see what happened during the writers life to mold them into who they are. Some writers put pen to paper and produce abstract, out-there works; however, some write from the heart and life experience. It helps when we can see what has happened to them to understand where they are coming from.
Peter Howard: hypertext poetry was the third site I viewed. I really enjoyed the short poetry on this site. I felt that it was good for me to see this form of poetry. It was very colorful, playful, abstract. It was really different from what I think poetry is. There were colorful boxes with dancing words on the screen. Each box was a different poem. I thought they were a lot of fun and a great example for me to learn from. Around every bend I am seeing that the preconceived notions I had of poetry are wrong or misguided.
5 comments:
I love that we have been assigned to read interviews of various writers. Once, we see the person they are, we connect to them and are fascinated. It intrigues us to want to find out more about the person and find their work.
Patrick Martin's Poetry Resource is awesome. Everything you can imagine is there!
I haven't looked into Hypertext yet, but your descriptions of how cool it was makes me want to look into it next time. I too, had preconceived notions as to what poetry was. Change is inevitable.
I also read the interview with Nikki Giovanni, and was moved by her simplistic honesty. She is so humble ith regard to the difference she has made to the literary community. Like you, I am very pleased to be assigned these interviews as required reading. These are things I would not normally pick up to read, but am very touched by them when I do.
I also enjoyed Patrick Martin's Poetry Resource. I agree that it makes a huge difference in understanding an author's work when you feel you understand the author. At times, it brings a whole new meaning to what they have written. My students often do Author Studies in my class for this very reason. They always enjoy seeing what information they can dig up on the authors we are reading in class.
Nikki Giovanni sounds like an interesting poet. I feel that it is crucial for students, no matter what subject, to write their own poetry and to know that it is possible to publish their own poetry. Levertov is a person that I read about, who published her own work at the age of sixteen. Your other sites sound just as interesting.
I really enjoyed your open and honest assessment of the sites that you reviewed. It is always helpful to have a site that links to information about different poets.
Yes, the Giovanni interview was splendid! She is such a strong individual. Her voice and assurance from being in the business of poetry for so long and the advice she offers is unforgettable. I also liked that she mentioned her ancestral background.
I keep hearing about the hypertext and intend to review for my third blog.
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