Modern Poetry

I read what is being published. Even though the poetry section isn't huge in any bookstore, there's enough of one to get a good sampling of what is being published today. I think if you are looking to get published in today's market, you should know today's market. To know it, read it. It's that simple.

I find that a lot of poets think for some reason that they can live in a bubble...that they can write poetry and send it off and get it published, without ever reading it. I just do not understand that mentality.

Emily, the first thing you need to decide is what style of poetry do you WANT to write in. If you want to write Sonnets, that is great, read a ton of sonnets and write in that form, the key is to not send in your Sonnets to a modern poetry publisher or ezine but to places that accept structured/form poetry.

If you want to write in modern poetry which is basically defined by at the high level as poetry not following the structure and form of the past. More free verse in style, no rhyming scheme or syllable count requirements, etc then read a ton of modern poetry and write a ton of it. A good publisher of modern poetry is Lummox Press - lummox.com - one of my own favorite modern poets is John Yamrus who has written over 15 books on poetry and his last one is a collection of his best work. I would check out some of his work or any of the little red book series from lummox.

I do agree that to write in a certain form you need to read it and stay current within the trends of what is being published now. hope this helps

Great topic for a thread, Emily - judging by the caliber of the first two respondents and their replies, I'd say you've struck a chord here.

KTC said:

I find that a lot of poets think for some reason that they can live in a bubble...that they can write poetry and send it off and get it published, without ever reading it. I just do not understand that mentality.

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Yes - more than once, people have posted poems or started threads here that include the phrase "I don't like reading poetry; I just like writing it", or "I only write poetry for myself". That's all well and good - but why bother even posting it, let alone submitting it for publication?

Sometimes, people assume that writing poems without formal structure means they have free license to dump any words on a page without regard to craftsmanship - no thought for rhythm, lyricism, imagery, or any other relationship between words or ideas. That's not true at all. Poor craftsmanship still shows, even if the lines aren't all in rigid meter. Writing free or blank verse does not excuse the poet from revising after the initial draft.

And form is not dead in the modern world, nor is rhyme; many modern poets still use forms such as the sonnet or the sestina, but they look a lot different - forms are still part of the toolkit.

Now, the question of whether there are new forms that are unique to modern poetry: that's another area altogether. I suppose there must be new forms invented and mooted regularly, and any discussion of them would be welcome. Whether they stand the test of time is another issue.

I had a passion for crosswords years ago but one day I looked over the next puzzle’s questions and realized I knew most of the answers without trying. I thought I’d then try a few cryptic crosswords. I don’t get it.

Poetry came to my attention and I’ve come to view older, classical styles as a substitute for crosswords. I play with the words; manipulate them into spaces the framework has supplied. Attempts to read or write modern free form poetry have had limited success – I don’t get it.

I read lots and lots of new poetry but from forums, written by people just starting out. There have been only a few published or renowned modern poets I’ve taken the time to read primarily due to not really looking and, as has been noted many times, not many publishers will bother with poetry.

First timers often have something to say about themselves and it is a good place to go looking for an abbreviated commentary of what’s happening in the minds of people today. Blogs are a little too long to read enough in one sitting. And twitter is too short to be of much worth.

I feel that pop songs have long since replaced poetry in the hearts of the young. I’d consider songs to be a form of modern poetry. And, still, within many songs, I see classical poetry styles and form. While not quite as enjoyable as the song itself, I do like to visit lyric sites and read a few songs now and then. On occasion this has led me to write a poem. Rod Stewart’s Sailing for example.

A thought occurred to me the other day: what does everyone do with their poetry after is has received a critique and then polished to completion? I’ve purchased a couple of Lulu publications by poets on this site and am planning to do likewise sometime. Sometimes I send a poem to a random suitable destination. A funny poem about a housing application to a real estate agent, a poem about the universe to an astronomy web site. So long as someone reads it and finds a moment’s enjoyment, it was worth the effort.

Colin Fiat.

I don't write with much formal structure or line breaks but still use rhythm, repetition, imagery, metaphors, connotation etc it still has elements of poetry.

To write poetry is to read poetry. The more I read poetry the more I understood it. I was inspired by some. And the better I got at writing poetry.

Your style may not match that of many publishers. That's a secondary consideration. Writing well is your primary object. If your work is not good enough for any publishers, you can either concentrate on trying to write to a particular publisher's tastes or on trying to write better. The latter seems more worthwhile to me.

Of course, if poets were paid like screenwriters, I might think differently.

Yes, I am about to quote myself. *hangs head* But....

poetinahat said:

And form is not dead in the modern world, nor is rhyme; many modern poets still use forms such as the sonnet or the sestina, but they look a lot different - forms are still part of the toolkit.

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And here, right on time, is a fabulous sonnet, and it could scarcely be more recent or modern: Priene's Crux Australis.

I am probably out of my depth here, but it is after all an opinion forum. What I like about a poem is not what form it was written in but what the content is and the beauty of the thoughts and images. I have all kinds in my library. I like modern forms because I feel, at least for me, they offer more freedom and they fit my thought patterns. Others like a more formal poetry. The poems of someone like Paul Auster, they say can be quite obscure at times, yet I love to read it for the beauty of his images and his wonderful creativity. He is a most modern poet. Robert Frost is seldom, if ever, obscure, but I love to read him for the same reasons. Two very diferent poets having the same effect on me. I think poetry is what you get from it by reading lots of it from many different kinds of poets.

Steppe said:

I am probably out of my depth here, but it is after all an opinion forum.

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I love reading your opinions on poetry, Steppe. To me, you're the embodiment of the poetic spirit

Fascinating topic. Personally, I don't believe there is such a thing as an outdated form, but outdated language is a real problem. I've seen plenty of posts in the Critique Forum by good poets who were obviously stuck in the 19th century. They love Keats and Wordsworth and Coleridge, so their compositions are full of thees and thous and wherefores and are completely unpublishable. They're trying to write with the voice of the long-dead.

All decent poets write with their own contemporary voice. How are you going to find yours without knowing what the other present day poets are doing?

I agree that while there is plenty of value in old forms, there is no value in archaic speech. It can instantly sink a poem, making it look pretentious and absurd.

Samuel L. Jackson, one of my favorite poets, is living proof of the vibrancy of modern speech and its adequacy to any purpose. He can do more with one word than most of us can do with a stanza.

You know which one I mean.