Master Class and Martian Poetry

Have you ever taken a master class?  How about one for writing?  

I took one this morning on the creative process.  I have signed up for another one next week on writing.  Do I think master classes are beneficial?  It depends on the class, of course!

So far they have been for me because they make me think in a new way and also think of things I haven’t ever tried so that’s good for my process.  Part of being a poet and writer is perseverance and if you have these positive experiences with other like minded professionals then it should help.

When I have a chance, I also join in with some virtual poetry workshops and/or open mics.  It is good to hear from other writers and poets and to see their perspectives as well.  

At the same time as I decided to try these master classes, I discovered Craig Raine and his Martian poetry. It’s writing from the point of view of say a Martian who experiences things for the first time.  What an interesting concept!  I like the poem that started it all, “A Martian Writes a Postcard Home” too.  

With the creative writing process, it’s good to try something you have never tried.  Experiences are key for any kind of creativity, imho!  

I wonder if there may be a master class in being a Martian one day?  With all of the new exploration on Mars, maybe so.  One of my favorite poetry books I have out (it was funded on Kickstarter) is “Mars or Bust.”  I would love to see that translated into Martian one day!

How To Buy a Poetry Book as Easy as POETRY!

 If you’re a poet, you read poetry, right?  Of course, no matter where you get your poetry books there are quite a number of them.  

First of all, you should probably know the difference between a Chapbook and a Poetry Book and even a Poem Novel, a Poetry Booklet and a Broadside  A Chapbook is a shorter book of poetry, often produced by the Poet themselves and contains probably around 20 poems or more.  A Booklet of Poems would probably contain around 8 or so poems and be a smaller version of a Chapbook.  A Broadside is a one sheet of one poem and can be artistically presented or simply just have the poem only on it.  A Poetry Book is going to be your longer book of poems with at least 70 or so pages or more.  A Poem Novel is a fiction like tale told via the way of verse.

Does length of the book truly matter?  It depends on what kind of poems you wish to read and how much time you have to spend reading it and also who the author is.  You also won’t find too many Chapbooks for sale in a bookstore.  You will find a number of any of the above for sale online.

Here’s a simple way to pick out your book or chapbook, etc:  P (personal interest), O (originality), E (eagerness to read), T (time you have to read), R (reading preferences such as style, form, author, etc.) and Y (You, why do you want to read it).  Price too might matter!

Have fun selecting your next book of poems.  Happy reading!

Sculptures on Super Bowl Sunday

 I like modern art.  I like sculptures.  I don’t make that kind of art, I sculpt & paint with words!  I live in an area where we have several outdoor sculptures all around plus an outdoor sculpture center.  

To me experiencing other kinds of art is necessary to help foster your own.  Art is a way of life, in my opinion.

The setting for the sculptures I saw on Friday is an old school out in a North Carolina valley near where the real life story of Tom Dooley and Laura Foster took place.  It used to be a private boys school then a private school, a science center and now an Arts Center.  

It was inspiring to me to walk around the setting, to enjoy the great outdoors and to see how each sculpture was enhanced by their surroundings.  I’ve always believed that place does shape how you live, how you see the world and also if you make art it affects that, too.

Here are a few of the sculptures I saw.  They are located at the WNC Sculpture Center in Patterson, NC.  Some are permanent, some are from an exhibit.  I’ve just included a few of them here.  They are all spectacular because like I said Art = Life.  

The New Book Review: LB Sedlacek Earns Prolific Poet Designation

The New Book Review: LB Sedlacek Earns Prolific Poet Designation: Four New Books: Chuck Town, Suicide Pumpkin,    The Blue Eyed Side, The Poet Protection Plan Author: L. B. Sedlacek Publishers: See author b...