Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant

Those of you who know my work by now, might have noticed that I have eschewed the ever present temptation to publish a book; but the fact is, that I have been working on six books simultaneously for the past 10 years. I will be releasing at least four chapbooks eventually, however making my 4 e-books available for the sake of the Great E-Book Exchange run by Rick Lupert and Poetry Super Highway. What I have chosen to do instead of releasing an unedited book, is to post all of my poems on youtube, which is actually a good way to "copyright" your material. I am so glad that I chose to go that route, because it has given a good indication of the appeal and effectiveness of my poems; whether they are relevant and whether they "connect" with a "non-poetic" readership. the results have been extremely gratifying to me, as I have made 124 vids which have resulted in almost 6,000 "hits"; mostly from Europe and especially the British Isles. Now, since May 11, 2009, when I posted my first one, 6k is not a lot by comparison, but we are talking about POETRY vids, and in that regard, I'm more than "holding my own". I am very gratified and very pleased, because I did not, in my wildest dreams, expect this many "hits". It has given rise to doing the same thing on Blog Talk Radio, where I read my poems to a live, worldwide audence at least three times a week. This is helpful for me because these programs are recorded and maintained in an archive; therefore, if people really like your stuff, they're going to want to hear it again in a recorded archive of whatever show you read your poem. Through Blog Talk Radio, I have come in contact with many poets who have been seeking honest, challenging and technically sound critique. This has led to more Facebook friends, many of whom are requesting my FB "friendship", so they can "tag" me in order to critique their work. I am being asked on Blog Talk Radio to give critique and to appear as a guest on Random's show. I am getting "friend" requests every week on youtube. Occassionally I will get a nice comment. I AM CONTENT WITH THAT!. I don't care about numbers; about getting favorable responses from my "friends" on OP. Why? Because if I were to leave unfavorable critique, "Little Baby Gumby Nero" would soil his diapers, plot and execute "revenge", and then send his "torpedoes" after me! So this is why I say that it doesn't matter how many responses you get, but the quality of responses-and the source of the responses-after all, I'd rather have ONE piece of filet mignon that twenty hot dogs, wouldn't you? Why am I telling you this? Because I am urging RESTRAINT and PATIENCE when it comes to publishing a book. PLEASE GET YOUR WORK HONESTLY CRITIQUED, PERHAPS THE LITERATURE DEPARTMENT AT YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY WOULD HELP YOU. Get a realistic idea of your skill level before you publish ANY book, and make sure that your poems are as effective and powerful as you can make them! Do what you need to do to become the poet that you really want to be; JUST BE HONEST! Identify your strengths and deal candidly with your weaknesses. All writing is a confrontation with oneself, and if you don't like what you see, then it must be addressed! Also, get accustomed to reading your work at open mic's and poetry slams. It also good to submit your strongest poems to local papers, literary magazines, and e-zines. BE PATIENT! BE HONEST!!! DON'T BE DAHLUSIONAL!!! LOL

RE: Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant

maybe you get the hits on you tube because you are very strange......looking and the things that come out of your mouth are off the wall. maybe they are over there in the UK saying " take a look at this bloody crazy fool" and presto you have hits.....i mean really David you have poems on there that are about farts. Really that is literary greatness. Bow down to the poetry troll.

RE: Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant

If you are willing to "dare" to "walk on the wild side", and read YOUR poems PUBLICLY, then here is a nice website that will give you the schedule of Open Mic's in all 50 states. Please ignore the stupid comment that is sure to follow-I am here ONLY to help the remnant of OP, just like Jeremiah haNavi ministered to the remnant of Judah after they fell to the Babylonians in 586, BC.

http://poetry.openmikes.org

Last edited by feldmarschal 03-03-2011 at 08:17:37 AM

RE: Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant

EVERYONE ON THIS SITE HATES U DAVID.

RE: Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant: Journaling

As you may or may not know, poetry never stops. We may not always be writing poems, but verse happens in the events of our life, and everything else along the way; in our downsittings and in our uprisings, in our highs and our lows. The poems are always there; it is up to us to have the ability to convert life (and everything in between), to poetry. Half the battle is in capturing the moment, and the other half is in getting organized. I know the struggles…I am one of you, dear fellow poet. I walk among you, so I will “kibbitz” a bit now with you. I strongly encourage you to “journal” your ideas, keeping them in a separate notebook or diary. I carry around a bag with me, full of books, notebooks and, CD’s, CD player and tape recorders. I am an inveterate “pack rat”! I save EVERYTHING! I used to drive my dear Terry to distraction! Here is the alternative; carry around a tape recorder. I actually use both-and don’t be afraid to put two or more separate ideas together…through the free flow of ideas through journaling, you can really “let it all hang out”, and then from there, you can “pick and choose”, what you can use, and what you need to “shelve”, for the time being at least. Poetry is not really the “freedom” to “write what you feel”, but rather, it is caring enough to make the reader FEEL WHAT YOU WRITE!

RE: Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant

ISN'T IT FUNNY HOW YOU ATTACK OTHERS THEN HIDE BEHIND THE PEACE OF POETRY.

RE: Poet to Poet: A Fireside Chat With OP's Remnant

It is also a good idea to keep a seperate notebook for any themes, ideas or variations on approaches to the themes that you are contemplating writing poems about. One good way, is to go to your favorite monument of painting, and write allegory or personificaton: write to that monument or painting, and imagine what that monument or work of work of art would have in response...I can present several examples from my own work. another good idea is to adopt the liturgy of your particular denomination, and write your own words to it! If you are married, then read the "Song of Solomon" in the Bible, and rewrite your own version with your spouse or "better half". Notice all of the great metaphor in this holy book of the Bible...allegory between HaShem and his holy congregation. Look it over well, and then write a similar "book" with your spouse...I believe that no sexual or erotic poetry should be crafted outside of the marriage context...but that is my belief...You are, of course, free to disagree.