Monday Wake Up...

Sir Ken Robinson has likened professors as brains with the unfortunate presence of a body, saying they focus solely on the cerebral and all too often fail to recognize their bodies and its role in intelligence and learning. I think much can be said of poets. I bring this up only because I could only think of that image while reading an article that asked 'established' poets what worried them about new trends in poetry (find it here: http://www.bloomsburyreview.com/Archives/2004/Troubling%20Poetry%20Trends.pdf ). While there was no consensus on the topic, it seemed there were a number who voiced concern over the ever growing popularity of slam poetry. Check out http://www.poetryslam.com/ for more information if you're clueless.

I feel that slam poetry should be encouraged by all poets on the simple fact that any and all attempts to make poetry more accessible are good for the health of poetry. Although described as more masculine and akin to sports by one critic, slam poetry merges the popularity of rap music with the allure of competition. These two are very popular with youth (and adults) who do not have any exposure to poetry, save from their English class. Slam poetry provides a venue to "see" poetry in action, as opposed to just having to read it for an assignment. Having someone speak out passionately about an emotionally charged topic can be exhilarating if you let your senses take in what's being fed to them. Unfortunately, when many of the critics hear slam poetry, they tend to take in the words only...where they become subjects to dissect, analyze, and excoriate to see if they stand the litmus test of time. Just as great teaching does, slam poetry stimulates more than just one area of the mind.

Now, even those poets who don't believe all of the previous statements, hopefully they can admit to this one: slam poetry brings a wider audience to the table. That alone should be enough to convince poets of all styles to unite behind its support. Likewise, slam poetry needs to bring more of the 'conventional' poets to the audience's attention. Slam poetry has the potential of being a 'gateway drug' for budding poets to move to different styles. I think by embrancing both sides, each could provide a mutually benefitting relationship. The end result of this relationship should be in a larger support for poetry in general.

What argument could be more important than that?

A Poem, But Not of Mine...

Ok, so you first have to read the poem:

http://www.uga.edu/garev/fall09/brown.html

I want to make sure that I don't infringe upon copyrights during any of this, for I feel that hopefully by linking to the work, and not reproducing it, I can avoid any unnecessary troubles. Here's to fingers being crossed!

Anyway, I read the poem and thought it was cute. I didn't put much thought into until when I signed into here, and looked at the blog of a good friend of mine, here's the blog link:

http://openeyedsneeze.blogspot.com/2009/10/brother.html

I picked Fleda Brown's poem from the list in the current issue of The Georgia Review mainly because I thought her name was funky. In her poem, she speaks of how we often, in our arrogant ways, think we understand nature after having observed the scientific aspects of an event. Also, that in nature, everything is cause and effect. As if to say that birds migrate only because they're programmed to do so, and not of a volition to act. Then as I read Jessica's blog about how plants can sense their "siblings," (and after reading the article: http://www.livescience.com/environment/091020-plant-siblings.html) it seems sibling plants apparently will share ground space and nutrients, while they will compete against foreign plants. Once again, we need to reevaluate how we view plants and their ability to communicate.

Maybe we should reevaluate how science views the migratory flight of birds? Along that note, I always wonder about the last few geese, the one's and two's stragglers that you'll see flying very late into fall... are they fighting the urge to fly down south because they found a nice place to stay? Do they not want to leave home, like a teenager resisting the finals days before inevitably heading off to college?

Just a thought and a post about coincidence, cause, and effect...

Crank

I was walking through Barnes and Noble (inadvertent plug there) with no particular intent on purchasing a book last weekend. I remember specifically thinking that I had piles of books to read, all of them collecting dust. Actually, most of them are boxed away in a storage unit waiting for a new home to spread out in, but that's another story.

So it was very much my surprise when, after glancing through the "Teen" section, I chanced upon a book by Ellen Hopkins called Crank. A black cover with the word "crank" written in powdery yellowish letters. I picked it up, opened it up to the first page contained the following lines: "Life was good before I met the monster After, life was great, At least, for a little while." I read the dedication next, and then reread the intro lines. A sorry pun intended, I was hooked. I began reading the novel a little while longer, but immediately mentioned to my wife that this was something I would like to have. She always likes to buy things for me, and I rarely want stuff, so I make sure to let her know when the occasion does arise. Anyway, with the book purchased, I took it home and the next day began reading it.

To give a brief description of the novel:

Written in verse, the novel is a collection of poems that narrates the unfolding of one girl's addiction to methamphetamines. That is all I feel I can really say without giving away too much. I know it's not much of a description, but then again, I did say it would be brief.

The novel is intriguing and should keep most readers engaged completely. However, if you are not one who simply rejects all forms of poetry, then this novel is not for you. For those that keep open minds, but may not have liked the 'traditional' poetry read in their past, this is not Shakespeare. That neither diminishes Hopkins's work nor Shakespeare’s, but it’s to say that Crank is more like a striped down version of a traditional novel. After leaving out punctuation (most at least), paragraph structure, complete sentences, and bogged-down lines explaining the minute details, what's left is a hot-rod sleek story that goes full-throttle, relentlessly taking the reader along the ride that is called "the monster."

As I mentioned before, I finished the book within a day. A note for readers, I am an extremely slow reader and usually take a summer to read one novel. If you're like me, you might find the verse liberating, allowing your imagination to fill in the details while you can wrap yourself around the emotions and tragedy of Kristina Snow.

So far, I've made this seem like the greatest novel ever. Well, to be honest, it is depressing in terms of story line. The reader does not receive a warm fuzzy at the end, even though the resolution is more upbeat and positive than the rest. Also, Hopkins's way presenting the worst case scenario out of many of the events (ex. the main character becomes addicted after her first use, and she gets pregnant after the first time having sex) leaves the reader feeling somewhat incredulous.

Overall, it is a great read, and I suggest all to read it. I will be passing along my copy soon!