Discussions

Here's a listing of poetry-related discussions. You'll find more in the 'LOOK HERE' thread, mentioned in the STICKY OF ALL STICKIES.

Please alert me to any others that should be added.

Poetry in the Abstract
- What Is Poetry?
- Why Write Poetry? -- ...well?
- Where Does Poetry Come From?
- Poetry Is Dead
- random thoughts on expositional poetry -- from William Haskins

Specific Poetry, and Poets
- Rate-A-Poem Index -- Poems from the canon. We read, rate and discuss.
- Blind Spots -- Find a poem by a poet you've never or seldom read, and comment
- Poll: Greatest 20th Century Poet (in English)
- Poetic Schools and Movements
- The Red Wheelbarrow -- Views on a famous/notorious poem that has polarised opinion
- Three by Sexton for general discussion -- Three selected Anne Sexton poems. Read and discuss.
- Discussion: Charles Bukowski -- discuss and share favorite Bukowski works.
- Some thoughts on cinquains -- Erudite comment from an expert on this short poetry form.
- Discussion: Kris Delmhorst -- Singer/songwriter interprets works of great poets. Homage or rip-off?

Reading and Criticism
- Eye of the Beholder -- What about your personal circumstances colours your opinions?
- What They Give Or What You Get? -- Which rules: what the poet meant, or what the reader interprets?
- What Makes a Bad Poem Bad? -- ...well?
- Is Simpler Always Better in Poetry? -- Should poetic language always be clear and simple? If not, when is florid language best used, and how? Discussion applies to reading *and* writing.
- Discussion: Read the Verse -- Ever read anything that actually made you change your behaviour?
- Critiquing other Critiques: Yes or No? -- How do you feel about responses to crits as the poet, or as the critic?

YOUR Poetry
- Is it A or B? Or None of the Above -- Do you revise your poems?
- Revisiting/Revising Poetry -- Similar to above.
- Do Poets Have an Image Problem? -- Started on a silly premise. But, really: what's up with poets?
- Your Favorite Poem You've Written?
- Another Discussion -- How do you know your work is poetry? When is it ready to show to the world?
- formalists -- Do you write in classical forms? Why or why not?
- Is Simpler Always Better in Poetry? -- Should poetic language always be clear and simple? If not, when is florid language best used, and how? Discussion applies to reading *and* writing.
- Where Do You Start? -- How do you start your poems?
- What's In a Name? -- The relationship of titles to poems, and how we come up with titles.
- Verse Novels -- what are they? Good examples? Is the verse novel a relevant form -- might it be instrumental in reviving interest in poetry?
- Ready to Leap -- An enfant terrible asks: how does one go about taking poetry writing seriously?
- Advice for Aspiring Poets -- What advice would you give to a novice poet? What has helped you as a poet?
- A Haiku Primer for Beginners -- Things to read and think about when setting out to write good haiku.
- Discussion Point: Head-Hopping in Poetry -- How important is consistent point-of-view in poetry? Compare to prose.

Critiques
- Critiques: What do you want from them? -- As a poet, what sort of feedback do you want from a crit?
- Critiques: How do you write them? -- As a critic, why do you write crits, and what do you put into them?
- Should poets wanting feedback use the Poetry Critique board? -- poll and discussion. One result of the discussion was the creation of the AW Chapbook sub-forum.
- "How can I get more feedback?" -- When you post a poem for critique, what can you do to improve your chances of getting feedback?

The Business of Poetry
- my work is now their property? -- question on copyright ownership.

Demagoguery
- How to teach a kid haiku... -- Opinions, theories, guesses.