December Blogging Meme Topics #11 & #12 (missed yesterday)

[ajodasso]

My head exploded last night, hence the need to play catch-up.

What, for you, is the purpose of poetry? Why do you read it? Why do you write it? Why do you publish it, and how do you choose where to publish?
-not_vacillatingWhen I first started writing at the age of thirteen (late bloomer, by most standards; nearly all my friends who write say they were composing

Comments

[teithiwr]

At its best, poetry should function like music (specific enough to grab our attention, yet universal enough for anyone to read into it what they wish). <-- I agree!

Qu'est-ce que c'est? is the best interrogative. When I started learning French as a child, I was especially fond of the even longer Qu'est-ce que c'est que ça. :D I like how the expression looks really long written down, but when spoken is fast as lightning.

[ajodasso]

YES. Yes, that too: these phrases look so unwieldy on paper, but on the tongue, they're anything but!

[alltoseek]

Speaking of poetry, do you have a rec list of poets to read? (besides yourself ;-)

I am interested in modern women poets (our contemporaries) in particular.

ETA: I prefer to read poetry in book form, rather than on a screen. I find it easier to engage, and to contemplate (poetry needs a lot of contemplations) on page.

Thank you!

[ajodasso]

As I am one of the editorial team at Strange Horizons, if you start reading the poets listed here as our collective departmental favorites, many of them are mine (in particular Jo Walton, Louise Glück, Margaret Atwood, Patience Agbabi, Qwo-Li Driskill, Sharon Olds, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Marilyn Chin; this list is by no means exhaustive or complete, and I should note that Driskill is a Cherokee Queer/Two-Spirit writer, so not strictly adhering to your request for just women-poet recs, as I feel nonbinary writers are overdue for the reccing they deserve).

[alltoseek]

Oh yeah, non-binary tot works, thanks!

Am huge fan of LeGuin's stories; haven't come across her poetry. Have also read many of Atwood's novels (Cat's Eye, so good) but again not the poetry.

Thanks for the list! Will see who I can track down.

[ajodasso]

Happy reading!