1. Poetry

2. The Parts of Poems Stanza Line Line Break A single line of poetry
Groups of lines, separated from one another with line breaks
he saw
in the field
discrete groups of cows
empty extensions
of concepts
in the field (he thought)
(nevertheless
in the end
they were cows) he thought.
(from “A Calculus of Boundaries” by Rolando Sanchez Mejias, translated by Mark Weiss)
Line
A single line of poetry
Line Break
when a line of poetry ceases to extend, and a new line starts
End Stop
Enjambment
A purposeful line break that is meant to cause suspense and surprise at the beginning of the next line
That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now
(from “My Last Duchess” by Robert Browning)

3. What is Poetry by John Ashberry
The medieval town, with frieze Of boy scouts from Nagoya? The snow That came when we wanted it to snow? Beautiful images? Trying to avoid Ideas, as in this poem? But we Go back to them as to a wife, leaving The mistress we desire? Now they Will have to believe it As we believe it. In school All the thought got combed out: What was left was like a field. Shut your eye, and you can feel it for miles around. Now open them on a thin vertical path. It might give us – what? – some flowers soon?

4. The 5 W’s and an H of Writing
Who: “The writer must be universal in sympathy and an outcast by nature; only then can he see clearly.” ~ Julian Barnes
What: “What's so exciting and terrifying about the writing process is that it really is an act of exploration and discovery. With all of us, not just writers, there is a sort of knowledge of the other. We have a lot more in common than we realize, and I think writing is really a sustained act of empathy.” ~ Andre Dubos III
Where: “I grew up in this town, my poetry was born between the hill and the river, it took its voice from the rain, and like the timber, it steeped itself in the forests.” ~ Pablo Neruda
When: "A creation of importance can only be produced when its author isolates himself, it is a child of solitude. ” ~ Johann von Goethe
Why: “To me the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it's about, but the music the words make.” ~ Truman Capote
How: “My stories run up and bite me in the leg -- I respond by writing them down - everything that goes on during the bite. When I finish, the idea lets go and runs off.” ~ Ray Bradbury

5. Teaching the Ape to Write Poems by James Tate
They didn't have much trouble teaching the ape to write poems: first they strapped him into the chair, then tied the pencil around his hand (the paper had already been nailed down). Then Dr. Bluespire leaned over his shoulder and whispered into his ear: "You look like a god sitting there. Why don't you try writing something?"

6. Words without Meaning
Certain words in the English language have been overused and now have no certain meaning and/or have been labeled as cliché.
The use of such words can ruin a great poem.
These words should be used sparingly.

7. History by Tomaz Salamun
Tomaz Salamun is a monster. Tomaz Salamun is a sphere rushing through the air. He lies down in twilight, he swims in twilight. People and I, we both look at him amazed, we wish him well, maybe he is a comet. Maybe he is punishment from the gods, the boundary stone of the world. Maybe he is such a speck in the universe that he will give energy to the planet when oil, steel, and food run short. He might only be a hump, his head should be taken off like a spider's. But something would then suck up Tomaz Salamun, possibly the head. Possibly he should be pressed between glass, his photo should be taken. He should be put in formaldehyde, so children would look at him as they do foetuses, protei, and mermaids. Next year, he'll probably be in Hawaii or in Ljubljana. Doorkeepers will scalp tickets. People walk barefoot to the university there. The waves can be a hundred feet high. The city is fantastic, shot through with people on the make, the wind is mild. But in Ljubljana people say: look! This is Tomaz Salamun, he went to the store with his wife Marushka to buy some milk. He will drink it and this is history.

8. Identity Poetry Project
Introducing your
Identity Poetry Project