Written Life - Sneak Peek #3
With the release of Written Life less than two weeks away, I wanted to finish up my sneak peek at what's inside as well as give you a background on who and what inspired me to start writing poetry in the first place.
When I first enrolled in AllWriters Workplace and Workshop, my group included writers of all genres. It was kind of eye-opening being around such a diverse group of talented writers. A couple of them were writing exclusively poetry which intrigued me for some reason. I thought back to grade school when we were asked to pick a poem, dissect it and report on it. When I finished my report I remember my teacher Mr. Gallett came up and complemented me on my analysis. Somehow that stuck with me, as did my interest in the construction and deconstruction of a poem.
Anyways, after listening to these poets for a few months, I decided to give it a try. It was difficult at first, but after I had my first poem accepted for publishing, things just kind of took off. So after writing them for 6 years, I've finally gotten around to compiling the best into a collection. The collection is Written Life and it will be released on 3/31/2015. Here's more about what's in it.
As I mentioned in past posts, the poems are organized by themes, ten in total. This week I'll cover the last four themes.
On Death
As morbid as this theme sounds, it's a necessary one. Part of poetry is the healing it sometimes provides to both reader and writer. We've had our share of tragedy and death in our family that when I stepped back and looked at the entirety of my work, it appeared to be a theme that needed to be addressed. It's not all gloom and doom. There is a hint of humor in a couple of them as well.
On Youth
This theme looks at my own youth, growing up as a latchkey kid in Minnesota, but also looks at youth through my eyes as a father. It's my hope that the subjects I cover in these resonates with the kid in everyone. From pre-teen to eighteen, I climb into the mind of a kid growing up in the Midwest, in the 70's and today.
On Religion
Religion means different things to different people. To some it brings back bad memories, to others, it's the foundation of their lives. This theme addresses who God is, how he is among us, and in us. It looks at Heaven and Angels and even Nuns - at least from my parochial school perspective. It asks God the hard questions as a way of working them out.
On Writing
Because it has become such a big part of my life in recent times, I put together some of my works that serve a couple of functions. They pay homage to some of the great beat poets that have influenced me. And also they address the process and the people that have helped pave the way for me on my journey.
And so, that is some of what the collection is about. I think there's something for everyone in this book. I can't wait to talk more about the book at my Written Life Release Party on April 11th at Cafe De Arts in Waukesha at 2:30 PM.
Don't miss it!
Blogging off...
When I first enrolled in AllWriters Workplace and Workshop, my group included writers of all genres. It was kind of eye-opening being around such a diverse group of talented writers. A couple of them were writing exclusively poetry which intrigued me for some reason. I thought back to grade school when we were asked to pick a poem, dissect it and report on it. When I finished my report I remember my teacher Mr. Gallett came up and complemented me on my analysis. Somehow that stuck with me, as did my interest in the construction and deconstruction of a poem.
Anyways, after listening to these poets for a few months, I decided to give it a try. It was difficult at first, but after I had my first poem accepted for publishing, things just kind of took off. So after writing them for 6 years, I've finally gotten around to compiling the best into a collection. The collection is Written Life and it will be released on 3/31/2015. Here's more about what's in it.
As I mentioned in past posts, the poems are organized by themes, ten in total. This week I'll cover the last four themes.
On Death
As morbid as this theme sounds, it's a necessary one. Part of poetry is the healing it sometimes provides to both reader and writer. We've had our share of tragedy and death in our family that when I stepped back and looked at the entirety of my work, it appeared to be a theme that needed to be addressed. It's not all gloom and doom. There is a hint of humor in a couple of them as well.
On Youth
This theme looks at my own youth, growing up as a latchkey kid in Minnesota, but also looks at youth through my eyes as a father. It's my hope that the subjects I cover in these resonates with the kid in everyone. From pre-teen to eighteen, I climb into the mind of a kid growing up in the Midwest, in the 70's and today.
On Religion
Religion means different things to different people. To some it brings back bad memories, to others, it's the foundation of their lives. This theme addresses who God is, how he is among us, and in us. It looks at Heaven and Angels and even Nuns - at least from my parochial school perspective. It asks God the hard questions as a way of working them out.
On Writing
Because it has become such a big part of my life in recent times, I put together some of my works that serve a couple of functions. They pay homage to some of the great beat poets that have influenced me. And also they address the process and the people that have helped pave the way for me on my journey.
And so, that is some of what the collection is about. I think there's something for everyone in this book. I can't wait to talk more about the book at my Written Life Release Party on April 11th at Cafe De Arts in Waukesha at 2:30 PM.
Don't miss it!
Blogging off...
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