The Indiana Federation of Poetry Clubs, will hold its Spring Meeting in Lowell, Indiana at the Lowell Public Library on Saturday May 16, 2010
Program:
9:00 a.m. Business meeting
Keynote Speaker to follow: Tony
Sexton, President of the Kentucky State Poetry Society, the Keynote speaker will be follow by the Indiana federation of Poetry Club’s Premier Poet, Peggy Martin.
An open microphone to follow with Lunch at Twelve, a $10.00 charge for lunch reservations must be made ahead of the event.
Paddy Lynn, will present herself as Emily Dickenson at 1:00 p.m. She gives a wonderful show and has Q & A for the last fifteen minutes of her ninety minute show. Public invited.
Friday, March 5, 2010
About Poetry
In today’s literary world there are many collections of words that are called poetry. What is your definition of poetry?
Po-it-tree or, as we know the word poetry. I like to think of a poem as a tree that has roots in the mind of the poet, a living tree of thoughts that grow.
Trees can be found in their natural state, growing, pollinating, propagating, doing what they are meant to do, create oxygen for the world to use. A forest of trees makes the individual tree very hard to appreciate, however, if you take an individual tree from the forest and plant it in an open space, its beauty can be appreciated, its limbs that have fought for space in the forest and reached for the light above will spread, the roots will expand and it will produce a greater amount of oxygen than it was capable of confined in the forest of trees.
A poem is a literary tree, a thought planted in the mind of the poet that has roots. To communicate with the world and be of any value those roots must reach out of their confinement into the world as words, those words form the trunk of the tree, the arrangement of those words form the shape of the poem the balance of the branches will either make the poem memorable or let it be just another poem like any other poem. A good poem is memorable for the thought that it conveys and for the rhythms of its words.
Here is a poem that changed poetry and brought it into the modern world as an art form of the masses.
AS I ponder’d in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me, with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands, 5
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said;
Know’st thou not, there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles, 10
The making of perfect soldiers?
2
Be it so, then I answer’d,
I too, haughty Shade, also sing war—and a longer and greater one than any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune—with flight, advance, and retreat—Victory defer’d and wavering,
(Yet, methinks, certain, or as good as certain, at the last,)—The field the world; 15
For life and death—for the Body, and for the eternal Soul,
Lo! too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I, above all, promote brave soldiers.
You no doubt have all read this poem in your college literature course. Here is another poem by the same poet.
O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart! 5
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
2
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; 10
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck, 15
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
3
Walt Whitman, wrote both these poems, The first from his Leaves of Grass Collection, the second his eulogy to Lincoln. Whitman, brought poetry to a level that the general masses could understand and mimic its construction. He introduced free verse with rhythm. Everyone in the literary world became poets. I don’t argue with that assumption. It is good to read the thoughts of our fellow citizens of the world. It is good that they are writing and sharing their thoughts. Unfortunately this proliferation of free verse with irregular meter and rhythms is not memorable as more than the transitory thought projected with questionable rhythm. Whereas a poem like Lincoln’s eulogy O! Captain My Captain, is long remembered and often repeated in context
I leave you with this questions: If a poem is “so deep” it cannot be understood or remembered, what good is it?
by Tom Spencer March 9, 2010
Po-it-tree or, as we know the word poetry. I like to think of a poem as a tree that has roots in the mind of the poet, a living tree of thoughts that grow.
Trees can be found in their natural state, growing, pollinating, propagating, doing what they are meant to do, create oxygen for the world to use. A forest of trees makes the individual tree very hard to appreciate, however, if you take an individual tree from the forest and plant it in an open space, its beauty can be appreciated, its limbs that have fought for space in the forest and reached for the light above will spread, the roots will expand and it will produce a greater amount of oxygen than it was capable of confined in the forest of trees.
A poem is a literary tree, a thought planted in the mind of the poet that has roots. To communicate with the world and be of any value those roots must reach out of their confinement into the world as words, those words form the trunk of the tree, the arrangement of those words form the shape of the poem the balance of the branches will either make the poem memorable or let it be just another poem like any other poem. A good poem is memorable for the thought that it conveys and for the rhythms of its words.
Here is a poem that changed poetry and brought it into the modern world as an art form of the masses.
AS I ponder’d in silence,
Returning upon my poems, considering, lingering long,
A Phantom arose before me, with distrustful aspect,
Terrible in beauty, age, and power,
The genius of poets of old lands, 5
As to me directing like flame its eyes,
With finger pointing to many immortal songs,
And menacing voice, What singest thou? it said;
Know’st thou not, there is but one theme for ever-enduring bards?
And that is the theme of War, the fortune of battles, 10
The making of perfect soldiers?
2
Be it so, then I answer’d,
I too, haughty Shade, also sing war—and a longer and greater one than any,
Waged in my book with varying fortune—with flight, advance, and retreat—Victory defer’d and wavering,
(Yet, methinks, certain, or as good as certain, at the last,)—The field the world; 15
For life and death—for the Body, and for the eternal Soul,
Lo! too am come, chanting the chant of battles,
I, above all, promote brave soldiers.
You no doubt have all read this poem in your college literature course. Here is another poem by the same poet.
O CAPTAIN! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart! 5
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
2
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills; 10
For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head;
It is some dream that on the deck, 15
You’ve fallen cold and dead.
3
Walt Whitman, wrote both these poems, The first from his Leaves of Grass Collection, the second his eulogy to Lincoln. Whitman, brought poetry to a level that the general masses could understand and mimic its construction. He introduced free verse with rhythm. Everyone in the literary world became poets. I don’t argue with that assumption. It is good to read the thoughts of our fellow citizens of the world. It is good that they are writing and sharing their thoughts. Unfortunately this proliferation of free verse with irregular meter and rhythms is not memorable as more than the transitory thought projected with questionable rhythm. Whereas a poem like Lincoln’s eulogy O! Captain My Captain, is long remembered and often repeated in context
I leave you with this questions: If a poem is “so deep” it cannot be understood or remembered, what good is it?
by Tom Spencer March 9, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Advice to the Research-Challenged
Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, bad facts make readers put your article or book down before they finish it. But over-researching wastes time you could spend writing and tempts you to include unnecessary facts that bore the reader. So how do you find the right balance?
Unlike many people, I love doing research. But I learned long ago that inefficient research wastes valuable writing time. Here are some tips on researching that use examples from my experience while writing In God We Trust (FaithWalk Publishing, 2006).
1. Have a general idea of where your book is going before you start the research. In God We Trust was my response to the ongoing argument over the meaning of the First Amendment’s religion clauses. As I listened to both conservatives and liberals, I became concerned that neither side was painting an accurate picture for the general public. The object of the book is to give laypersons the information they need to draw their own conclusions about what the First Amendment means and how well the Supreme Court has applied it.
2. Tailor your research to the book’s goal. I could have researched and discussed the country’s religious history from the time the Pilgrims reached
3. Select your sources, then use them wisely. Depending on the topic, libraries, books, magazines, interviews, location visits, and the Internet can all be helpful resources. Interviews and location visits wouldn’t have worked for me, but I made extensive use of the Harold Washington Library in downtown
4. Don’t be afraid to go back and supplement your research. After I started writing, I realized I needed to address two federal laws that Congress adopted in an attempt to overrule the Supreme Court. So I found them and read them.
5. Or to leave some of your research on the cutting room floor. Although I believe in researching efficiently, it is better to err on the side of too much rather than too little. Some of the Supreme Court cases I read were decided on other grounds that avoided the First Amendment issues, so I didn’t use them.
Learn to research efficiently, and you might discover you enjoy it.
Kathryn Page Camp
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
So you wrote a book? So you self-published? Now it is time to market it! by Katherine Flotz
I wrote my memoirs and those of my husband’s titled “A Pebble in my Shoe”. The stories are part of the history of WWII and are worth remembering. After the writing, re-writing, editing, etc. Pannonia Press of Palatine, IL. published it. This is the imprint owned by another author, Elizabeth Walter, who could not find a publisher for her WWII memoirs. We were on our own paying for the cost of printing.
The next step was to market the book. Many friends of mine, also survivors, purchased the book. Naturally, the family and relatives became customers. It was then necessary to start looking to the local libraries and book clubs. The Crown Point library purchased books for their book club. An informative article appeared in the Crown Point Post Tribune and resulted in some sales. The YMCA book club members purchased copies.
I approached Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com to carry my book. The book was accepted in their inventory.
As customers were reading the book, and passing copies around to their friends, we received inquiries about speaking engagements. Contacts led us to schools, where the English and history teachers asked us to speak. These events always led to sales. Our requirement always included the purchase of books for their school libraries. Don’t forget your own church or neighboring churches of all faiths. They usually have women and men’s clubs who look for speakers. Sales are usually good.
I contacted bookstores in the Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin areas to arrange for book signings. Many of the smaller bookstores take books on consignment. In vacation towns in Wisconsin, I was very successful in repeat book signings because new people come to the towns each year.
If you have a book that is of interest to people, word of mouth is a good marketing tool. The marketing and promotion of your book is best served by your personal contact with your customers.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Peggy Archer gives tips to writers of Children's Books
Hello! My name is Peggy Archer, and I am a children’s author. I belong to the Indiana Writers’ Consortium (IWC) and have enjoyed connecting to writers of all genres here in northwest Indiana through IWC. You can find out more about me and my books on my website at www.peggyarcher.com.
Are you a children’s writer? Just getting started, or looking for a way to jumpstart your writing in the new year? Here’s a list of things you can do to keep yourself on track.
1—Read Children’s Books. Which ones did you like, and why? Read picture books out loud. Feel the rhythm of the words. Taste the language.
2—Set realistic goals. Writing 15 minutes a day, or a couple hours a week is better than waiting for a whole day that’s free before you sit down to write. Break your goals down into small steps that can be accomplished weekly or monthly on your way to reaching your long-term goals.
3—Write as often as you can. The more you write the better you will become. Don’t stress if you can’t write as much as you like. You can always think about ideas, and first lines, sitting in the car or waiting for an appointment. Keep a notebook with you, or a tape recorder, for times when you need to write those words down.
4—Learn all you can about writing for children. Read books and publications for children’s writers, look at websites and blogs, and talk to other children’s writers.
5—Join a critique group with other children’s writers. It helps to get feedback from others who understand the genre. It also gives you a deadline to have something written.
6—Attend conferences for children’s writers. This is a wonderful way to network with other children’s writers, meet editors, expand your marketing possibilities, and get professional critiques on your work.
7—Join SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators). This is an immense resource for children’s writers. Check their website at www.scbwi.org.
8—Research the markets. Read the current Children’s Writers & Illustrators Market Book. Read newsletters and magazines for children’s writers. Check out publishers’ catalogs and guidelines, on line or at your library. Read children’s books and look to see who publishes them.
9—Submit. Once you’ve written your story as best as it can be and researched the markets, submit your work. Submit to children’s magazines, too. Acceptances there are rewarding and encouraging.
10—Enter contests; apply for grants. Remember, there are other benefits besides winning. Beware of those charging a fee and check them out thoroughly first.
Staying on the right track can bring you closer to reaching your goals as a children’s writer. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Peggy Archer
www.peggyarcher.com
Are you a children’s writer? Just getting started, or looking for a way to jumpstart your writing in the new year? Here’s a list of things you can do to keep yourself on track.
1—Read Children’s Books. Which ones did you like, and why? Read picture books out loud. Feel the rhythm of the words. Taste the language.
2—Set realistic goals. Writing 15 minutes a day, or a couple hours a week is better than waiting for a whole day that’s free before you sit down to write. Break your goals down into small steps that can be accomplished weekly or monthly on your way to reaching your long-term goals.
3—Write as often as you can. The more you write the better you will become. Don’t stress if you can’t write as much as you like. You can always think about ideas, and first lines, sitting in the car or waiting for an appointment. Keep a notebook with you, or a tape recorder, for times when you need to write those words down.
4—Learn all you can about writing for children. Read books and publications for children’s writers, look at websites and blogs, and talk to other children’s writers.
5—Join a critique group with other children’s writers. It helps to get feedback from others who understand the genre. It also gives you a deadline to have something written.
6—Attend conferences for children’s writers. This is a wonderful way to network with other children’s writers, meet editors, expand your marketing possibilities, and get professional critiques on your work.
7—Join SCBWI (the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators). This is an immense resource for children’s writers. Check their website at www.scbwi.org.
8—Research the markets. Read the current Children’s Writers & Illustrators Market Book. Read newsletters and magazines for children’s writers. Check out publishers’ catalogs and guidelines, on line or at your library. Read children’s books and look to see who publishes them.
9—Submit. Once you’ve written your story as best as it can be and researched the markets, submit your work. Submit to children’s magazines, too. Acceptances there are rewarding and encouraging.
10—Enter contests; apply for grants. Remember, there are other benefits besides winning. Beware of those charging a fee and check them out thoroughly first.
Staying on the right track can bring you closer to reaching your goals as a children’s writer. I hope you enjoy the ride!
Peggy Archer
www.peggyarcher.com
Monday, November 16, 2009
2009 IWC "Business of Writing" Progam/Banquet Sells Out
INDIANA WRITERS’ CONSORTIUM’S “THE BUSINESS OF WRITING” DINNER
SELLS OUT
Networking Dinner to Become an Annual Event
From graduate students to internationally acclaimed novelists, they came from Lake, Porter and as far as Jasper counties to attend the “The Business of Writing.” The event, hosted by Indiana Writers’ Consortium, Inc., focused on its mission, to unite, network, inspire and support Indiana’s creative writers, at its 1st annual networking dinner, held at Strongbow Inn, Valparaiso, Indiana, on Thursday, October 22nd.
"I knew that this would be a good dinner and friendly networking event, but I didn't realize how much I would learn from the presentations," [name of book] author Priscilla Herochik [name of city] said.
The evening’s speakers included Sharon Palmeri, freelance writer and writing instructor, who discussed publishing trends via means both tradition and electronic; and Kathryn Page Camp, attorney and freelance writer, who addressed legalities in relation to incorporated writers and income taxes. The keynote speech, delivered by Kate Collins, author of the Flower Shop Mystery Series, offered numerous means to promote published works. Publication tables were filled with books from local authors, ranging from memoirs and literary journals to mysteries and children’s.
“It was hard to close the event but we simply ran out of seating space,” said Secretary/Treasurer Gordon Stamper. “We had not anticipated such a great turnout, but next year we will get a bigger room.”
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