MR. CALABRESE'S

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 Great Student Poetry

1. Avoid Clichés
Eliminate clichés which are the vermin of imaginative writing. Initially fresh images, clichés have been taken over and made mundane by too frequent usage. They have lost their original authority, power, and beauty. They raise their predictable heads (aaah, a cliché!) in the early drafts of even the most experienced writers. Turning a cliché against itself by intentionally using it in an inverted form can revive it. Puns can give a cliché a renewed life. However, if a poem is merely going to repeat a cliché, cut it.
2. Avoid the Abstract
Identify all abstract or general nouns and replace them with concrete or specific ones. Words like "love," "freedom," "pain," "sadness," "anger," and other emotions and ideas need to be channeled through the physical imagery of the five senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch, Taste (SSSTT). Creating original metaphors is the most difficult part of poetry writing, not just for beginners, but for those who have been working with words for years. This, however, is what makes a poem distinctive and interesting.
3. Use Strong Verbs
Fortify the physical character of the poem by using strong action verbs instead of linking verbs in the passive voice. Because active verbs and concrete nouns are more visceral, dynamic, and persuasive, they reduce the need for modifiers. Avoid overusing the "-ing" form of verbs because it dilutes and reduces their strength. It is like driving a speedboat without raising the anchor.
4. Compress
Cut, compress, and condense! Imagine that you must pay your reader a dollar a word to read your prose. Naturally, you will want to use few words to say as much as possible. Then, imagine that you must pay your reader five dollars a word to read your poetry. Compress, especially when the progress of the poem is impeded by imprecise or indecisive language. Try the following experiment. Put a gob of frozen orange juice on your tongue. This pure, concentrated slush, without any liquid to dilute its sweet potency, is so pungent it stings. Make your poem like that. Cut everything that can be cut until what's left penetrates the flesh with its sweet, burning flavor.
5. Risk
Be daring in your writing. Experiment and take chances. Risk-taking adds originality and spontaneity to the poem, which leads to imaginative and linguistic breakthroughs. Read a wide variety of contemporary poets so that you will begin to understand the breadth of poetry's language and modern imagination. You will also become more conscious of its many voices. You cannot mature as a poet unless you read widely. If you refuse to read, you refuse to grow.

• Read your poems aloud. Reading them aloud will help you protect their flow and rhythm. If you stumble, so will your readers. If it's a smooth read, they'll enjoy it more.
• Don't use clichés. IF you have something to say, and it has been said before, find a new way to say it. Your readers do not want to hear the same old stuff while looking for new verse.
• LESS IS MORE. Condense your poems. Leave out all useless words including conjunctions and other misc words/phrases.
• Avoid using "ING" words... make your poems more immediate. Make them include the reader.
• Use vivid imagery. Texturize the touch; color the sights; embody the soul; adjust the volume, and scent the smells. Let the reader KNOW where you are.
• Memorize your favorite poem. Recite the poem out loud, rewrite it, and use the rhythmic devices to learn the verse. With practice each day, you will be surprised how much you can memorize. How is doing this important to your writing? You actually experience the poem intimately, making it a little part of yourself. After memorizing a poem, I found myself better understanding my own poetry.
• Take notes. If you are one of those people who experience a special moment and want to capture it like a photograph, then keep a small notebook. You can even scratch on envelopes. Your notes may not be free- thought poetry, but a brilliant line may be hidden in that scribble. Review your notes to revive your memories of places, things, feelings, or occasions.
• Try something different. If you like free verse, try a rigidly structured poem. If you like structured, give yourself a little freedom. Go back to an old poem and try to convey the same meanings in a different format. The more you stretch yourself, the more you find you have so many creative outlets.
• Recognize the voice in your poem. What voice do you use in your poetry? Try different voices. See yourself in different ages from childhood to old age. Be another person. Imagine different experiences and a completely different personality. How would you write to the world. Try to be as consistent as you can with the language and perspective.
• Set aside a special time each day where you are committed to writing. Write something, anything. Make writing a job, a chore, something that must be done each day. Take that hour or half hour to edit your poetry, write new works, or just write in your journal.
• Write about emotional experiences objectively. One thing I like to do is to look back at my recent experiences and write about them after they took place. If you have any extreme emotional experiences, remove yourself a little from your experiences. Being a depressed writer can lead to some gloomy material; however, with some time and recovery, you can write about that sorrow with a whole new light.
• Study a famous poet. Read a lot of material about the life and work habits of a great poet. Become familiar with his/her body of work. Read as much of his/her poetry as you can. Span the entire career. Try to even write in the style of the poet.
• Memorize your own poetry. Have you ever been asked about your poetry, and you notebook is at home? Even a short verse of your own poetry to recite to someone who is interested would be worthwhile sharing. Memorizing some of your own words means you take your writing seriously.
• As you write your poetry, say it out loud. Say it according to how it looks on the page, not necessarily how you may want it to sound. If you want your poem said in a certain way, try different ways to convey that on the page.
• If your friends aren't into poetry, join a poetry group. Have a forum to grow and expand with your poetry.
• Never be afraid of telling your feelings in a poem.
• Don't panic if you have writer's block. You can use a different genre to express your feelings. Maybe even write a letter to yourself, a friend, or relative (something that you won't send and that may end up a poem within itself).
• Write in your own language. Write in the language your mind speaks to itself. You mind uses words, pictures, and memories all the time. Don't write in the language you may use with other people but in the language you use with yourself.
• Write about things you know. It is hard to write about love if you haven't experienced the myriad of emotions love brings just as it is hard to describe a city where you haven't been. If you grew up in a small town and haven't been anywhere or even in a bustling city and have never traveled to the great outdoors, your world is still worth expressing. Whatever you experienced intimately can be profound no matter how small it seems. Musing about imagined experiences can get you into trouble though the use of clichés. The events that you want to describe can be obtained from someone else who has been there.
• Change your mood. Mood and lighting may affect the tone in your poem. Try to write in sunshine surrounded by your favorite things, maybe even with a picture in front of you. See if the tone changes when you write in candlelight.
• Try background music. Music is rhythmic and can aid in your writing. How is your writing if classical music is played, jazz, rock, hip-hop, or any other music form. Watch out for the song lyrics leaking into your poetry. Try turning down the volume so the lyrics aren't clear. I prefer instrumental tracks.
• Learn to describe everything. Descriptive language is essential in poetry. Work on describing all the senses: taste, smell, touch, sight, sound. When you are angry what is the taste in your mouth? How does your sweat smell? Do you feel hot? How do you see the world? What does the person who makes you mad sound like in your own mind? Pay close attention to every experience in your life. Why does comfort food make you feel so good. When you eat some chicken soup during the winter, what does the soup feel like on your tongue? So it tastes good, but what memories does it bring?
• Connect colors with feelings and objects. Look at the color spectrum. Use your imagination to associate the colors with objects from everyday life. Stay away from the popular associations of feelings to colors. In your own mind, what feelings come across when you think of a color. Sad and blue is quite cliché. Blue can convey much more. Yellow can have layers of meaning. Dingy yellow reminds me of a credit card purchase receipt "a carbon copy of my own consumption." Find new ways for colors to be described. Find new ways for color to add description into your writing.
• Learn when to step away. "How do I know a poem is complete or perfect?" was a question I had for years. But one day I discovered that a perfect poem is written when you cannot change one single word without taking away from it.
• Take some time off from a poem. When you write, it is always good to set it aside for some time after it's complete. Days later, go back to your work. Because you are not as familiar with your work as you were, you may find that a certain part may not be clear to someone else. You may see mistakes that were overlooked. I sometimes go back over work that is years old and forgotten. I find freshening up my old work extremely refreshing.
• Take a snapshot of life and describe it completely. Go through old family albums; write about your family portrait. What is behind the false smiles? Describe a candid shot. What do you think is going on? Try sporting events, even children playing. Get into minute detail down to the color of the t-shirts of the players.
• Get a small library. Here are some books to have on your bookshelf as you write poetry: thesaurus, dictionary, grammar book, rhyming dictionary.
• Use comfortable language. Stay away from pompous words the readers would not understand. Big words may not convey as much meaning as familiar words.
• Read more. Read more poetry, short stories, novels, and smart articles. Read contemporary writers, classic works, and even satire. You can discover the many different ways words are used to convey the author's message this way.
• Write sincerely. Write from your heart. Write like you mean it.
• Read books by authors about writing. These books can serve as inspiration and direction.
• When writing a poem try to stay focused on the topic. At times, I find a poem I've written has two completely different themes or topics. I split these poems up and make them separate complete poems.
• Critique poems of others. Once you look at all of the poetic devices from another author's work, you can use that knowledge to better your own poems. Make a photocopy of a studied poem. Look for all poetic devices, rhyme, meter, assonance, consonance, imagery and how the poem is structured. Then go back over some of your own poetry and point out all of the poetic devices.
• Once you have written your poem, critique it. Since you know the message you wish to convey, look at your work to see if your poetic devices were used effectively. Is an image isolated or does it need to be carried throughout the whole poem?
• Start with the idea. Do you wish to write a structured poem? One good way to start is with a brief brainstorm. Jot down a brief poem on the topic you wish. It may be wise to start with the foundation. Once you know what you want to say you can achieve unity throughout your poem. This is opposed to just creating rhythm, pattern and the images based upon the limitations of structure. When you know what you're going to say, you can shape and bend the words into a structure that gives the theme continuity.
• Let it all flow in your first draft. Try to cover every angle of your perceptions. Make several versions of the same poem trying it out until it feels right. Write!
• Narrow your poem down. Does your poem have details that do not convey meaning to the reader? Clean up the clutter. Direct your poem at your audience. In your first drafts of your poem, you will tend to capture feelings and translate them into images. As you revise, focus on the readers and how will they perceive the poem from the words you have written.
• Don't be too cryptic. If you are trying to bring across a message, don't be so metaphoric that the reader cannot figure out what you're talking about. Metaphors should be a tool to guide the reader, not to confuse them.
• Learn all the poetic devices. Go out, get yourself a poetry book. Learn these terms and more:
• images/diction/cliche/metaphor/conrete/abstraction/simile/figurativelanguage/hyperbole/ synecdoche/symbol/ pun/rhyme schemes/freeverse/lyric/alliteration/assonance/ onomatopoeia/masculine rhyme/ feminine rhyme/stanza/couplet/triplet/quatrain/slant rhymes/haiku/meter/and so on and so on....
• Avoid the nursery rhyme feel of rhyming poetry. A rhyme is not as noticeable when the reader moves to the next line without a pause. These lines are called enjambment or un-on lines. The way to achieve this feeling is to write your lines in a way that the reader must continue on to make grammatical sense. Another way is to use similar sounds or slant rhymes instead of true rhymes. A third way to avoid obtrusive rhyme is to alternate rhyme endings as in abab, cdcd or abcd, efgf
• Rhymes can be used to draw two images together.
• When using meter in your poetry, first let your poem develop. The line may echo a metrical pattern that fits the work you're trying to create. Then rearrange the words so that they flow naturally. You may substitute words to give the poem harmony.
• Do not try to overwork any one device so heavily that the technique becomes obtrusive
• Examine the rhythms of published poetry. One you read carefully and extensively, you will acquire the faculties to write in poetic rhythms.
• Contrasts work in poetry. They may be mixed emotion or difference in tone, or conflicting emotions about a place, object or person. Keep a poem from being simplistic.
• Organize your poetry. Look at the different forms of poetry you have written. Do you write love poems? Personal poems? Structured poetry? Free verse? Do you find your written work reflecting you and what you have to share with the world? If not, then approach your poetry from a different angle. Try to make your work more comprehensive.
• Use prose. Take some prose and try to arrange it in a poetic structure playing with spacing of line breaks. Read it in the prose form, then read the work in its poetic form.
• Write some verse for special occasions. Your friends and family will appreciate it and enjoy it. Buy blank greeting cards. Once again, your friends and family will enjoy your personal touch.
• Invest in writing material. Get a good pen and stationary. Handwrite your favorite poems. Get a ream of quality paper and print out your poetry in a font that reflects the tone of your poems.
• Find the symbols in your life. What objects represent principles in your life? What animals, plants, or inanimate objects represent abstract concepts. Go beyond the dove representing peace. How do your symbols compare to archetypal imagery. List out the archetypal symbols. You may find your symbols reflecting the ones you grew up with. But reflect upon objects in your life that may be used for different purposes. If a book represents knowledge, what does the computer or palm pilot represent? What symbols represent violence, love, sex, innocence, war, peace, deceit, hope, patience, development, harmony, and cacophony? Ideas for modern objects: busy street, parking meters, fax machines, smoggy skies, rural country, cities, suspension bridges, telephones, organizers, corporations, cubicles, office memos, traffic commutes, home cooked meals, fast-food, television, photograph, children, parks, amusement parks, universities, farm animals, processed food, factory, mailbox Look at your everyday objects and think about what each represents. What type of meaning does each convey? What does the object represent? What part in you life does it affect? Why does it draw certain feelings?
• Use sound to give meaning to your writing. Euphony uses the sound of words to please the ear. Cacophony is harsh and discordant. Both need to be used artfully.
• Use a string of similar sounds to give emphasis - both alliteration, which uses the same consonant sound, and assonance, which uses the repetition of vowel sounds. Both focus attention, and slow the reader down.
• Don't be afraid to try a writing style that is unfamiliar and difficult. Taking on a new challenge can expand your writing abilities.
• Scan a line of poetry in order to see where the stresses fall.
• If you have a lot of symbolism in a poem, write a brief explanation for each symbol. Also write a paraphrase of your own poem. Make all of the meanings clear. If another person cannot connect with the meanings you intend, try to edit your poem so the reader will understand your meaning.
• Think about the message you are trying to convey in the poem. What will the reader take away from the poem.
• Think about the tone and how it affects the message.
• Take two poems you have written about the same subject. Compare them. How is the tone different? What is the angle of the subject that you approach in the poem? What different poetic devices did you use for each? Why? Is either one more effective.
• Be sure you know who the speaker is in your poem. Stay with that voice unless your poem is a dialogue between two people.
• In order to direct the attention properly in your writing, be careful where you place irony. Do you have disdain for events or circumstances? Or is it the person who is the subject of the poem. If your sympathy is with the subject, be careful with you tone in describing the person.
• Poems are not always puzzles in need of solutions.
• Running out of words to say it? Look in a dictionary for a different way to say something. You may even try a thesaurus in order to come up with phrases. Sometimes you can even call a friend or loved-one for a fresh way to say something.
• When writing a poem, be careful with the connotations of the words used. Connotation are word associations and suggestions. Connotations can change the tone of your poem. Be sure your word choice conveys all the meanings that you intend.
• Give the reader some resolution at the end of the poem. There is nothing worse than a reader who says, "That's it?" Make sure your point is stated and the thought is complete. Some poems provide a twist on a subject. Others use a rhyming couplet to end.
• Make sure your poetry is grammatically correct. If you break from grammar that is intelligible, make sure it's for a reason.
• If you need help with marking the stresses in a word, use the dictionary as a guide.
• When writing your poem, consider style, structure, imagery, and tone.
• Read critiques of famous poetry in order to see which qualities stood out and impressed critics. Try infusing your own writing with those qualities. Once you've completed a draft of a poem, look at it with a cool critical eye. 

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  Poetry Study Rubric
A – Extraordinary

- understands background material on genre/time period
- smoothly interprets the connotations of words
- realizes the value of vivid imagery
- is comfortable in determining types of figurative language
- sees the value of figurative language in poetry
- isolates and explains allusions
- can determine the prose meaning and distinguish it from the total meaning
- seeks out clues to the poet’s tone
- knows how and why musical/sound devices are employed by the poet
- determines the rhythm and rime schemes and knows their value
- ascertains the pattern of the poem and the reason for its use
- detects shifts in the poetic pattern and reasons for them
- understands the value of studying the title of the poem
- distinguishes effectively between good and bad poetry

B – Accomplished

- understands background material on genre/time period
- interprets the connotations of important words
- realizes the value of vivid imagery
- is comfortable in determining types of figurative language
- can discuss the effect of figurative language on the poem
- isolates and explains many allusions
- can determine the prose meaning and relate it to the total meaning
- understands clues to the poet’s tone
- can spot musical/sound devices employed by the poet
- determines the rhythm and rime schemes
- ascertains the pattern of the poem
- detects shifts in the poetic pattern
- understands how to interpret the title of the poem
- can distinguish between good and bad poetry

C – Competent

- understands some background material on genre/time period
- interprets the connotations of some words
- realizes the value of vivid imagery
- can determine simple types of figurative language
- can discuss the effect of figurative language on the poem
- can determine the prose meaning
- understands some clues to the poet’s tone
- can spot simple musical/sound devices employed by the poet
- detects major shifts in the poetic pattern
- understands how to use the title of the poem to find meaning

D – Unsatisfactory

- understands some background material on genre/time period
- interprets the connotations of basic words
- can spot some imagery
- can determine simple types of figurative language
- can determine basic prose meaning
- can spot simple musical/sound devices employed by the poet
- detects major shifts in the poetic pattern
- understands how to use the title of the poem to find meaning

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Poetry Slam Rules

The National Poetry Slam was created as a hive for poets. To let those troubadours get to know each other's honey. To form a comb of readings. To give their voices wings. Here is your megaphone, sting poets, sting.

The Rules:

• The purpose of poetry (and indeed all art) in not to glorify the poet but rather to celebrate the community to which the poet belongs. (This idea is paraphrased from the works of Wendell Berry.)
• The show and the show's effect upon the audience are more important than any one individual's contribution to it.
• The points are not the point; the point is poetry. (Alan Wolfe)
• The performance of poetry is an art -- just as much an art as the art of writing it.
• NO audience should be thought of as obligated to listen to the poet. It is the poet's obligation to communicate effectively, artfully, honestly, and professionally so as to compel the audience to listen.
• The Slam should be open to all people and all forms of poetry.
• With respect to its own affairs, each Slam should be free from attachment to any outside organization and responsible to no authority other than its own community of poets and audience.
• NO group, individual, or outside organization should be allowed to exploit the Slam Family. We must all remember that we are each tied in some way to someone else's efforts. Our individual achievements are only extensions of some previous accomplishment. Success for one should translate into success for all.
• The National Slam began as a gift from one city to another. It should remain a gift passed on freely to all newcomers.
Such philosophies might sound a high tone in your head and leave your cynical self muttering "What Bull!" Sometimes it is. The idealism and cooperative forces of the Slam are in constant conflict with the competitive and self-serving appetites of its ambitious nature. This struggle has taught us much but threatens to obliterate all that has grown to be. I, as surely you have guessed, am on the side of idealism and hope.
- The above taken from  http//:www.poetryslam.com

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Questions, Comments or Suggestions:
jcala@rcn.com
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