tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post1586126653749719245..comments2023-11-05T07:41:04.214-05:00Comments on Strong Verse: A Declaration on the Revision of PoetryG. M. Palmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-63162862668819604592015-03-03T13:46:22.738-05:002015-03-03T13:46:22.738-05:00Glad you liked it.
Sort of dropped the ball here ...Glad you liked it.<br /><br />Sort of dropped the ball here after getting into a lot of other things.<br /><br />Mostly tweeting now--for all the good that does.<br /><br />@gm_palmerG. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-62137151786832755812015-03-03T13:42:48.833-05:002015-03-03T13:42:48.833-05:00Ha! 7 years later, I stumble upon your blog post a...Ha! 7 years later, I stumble upon your blog post as per Googling "Nobody wants to read narrative in verse," a quote from a critic I forget the name of. Anyway, thank you for defending narrative poetry and storytelling. My favorite author (admittedly, I'm a poet who reads more fiction than verse) Nicholson Baker says, "Good poets are essayists who write very short essays." My poems are flash memoirs, sometimes fiction, written in verse with straight talk synthesized with lyric, very sparse on the lyric. What's been problematic is I'm an MFA student right now and am learning from some world class narrative poet professors; however, my peers in the program–– Yikes! Pretty but idle words on paper communicating nothing but contemplations on nothingness with just as many abstract nouns I used in saying that, poems that can be summed up in few words. A recent classmate poem: House looked like this, burned down, then looked like this. Family went to visit. There might have been a deer, too. END. That's the summary, but it was a lengthy piece with nothing but copycat trickery and fruit metaphors. My poems––usually stories about a has-been or should've been who gets lucky sometimes, written in a self-defecating manner––are frowned upon. I've been told I don't disorient the reader enough, that I'm just a hack flash writer who breaks stuff into verse, et cetera. Sigh. Poetry. How ridiculous it has become. Props to you, too, for championing Ron Paul! Noticed that in a comment. So close back in 2008! Dang it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-61256676213650199902014-08-01T10:23:10.077-04:002014-08-01T10:23:10.077-04:00I definitely think narrative poetry is under-repre...I definitely think narrative poetry is under-represented in print, and I like what you say about the appeal of story, especially when combined with the power of image. Where I disagree is in your sweeping statements about modern poetry in general and the prescriptive nature of your response. Shouldn't the form fit the content? I wouldn't want to write an elegy in narrative verse or woo my lover, but if my subject is historical the poem might fall into narrative. <br /><br />I'm intrigued by your idea of using the internet to publish, but I still see it mostly as a promotional tool. We are all marketing managers these days! Some people are comfortable reading on a tablet or Kindle but others still want a physical book, so the question remains about how to print. Self-publishing, while okay for the emerging musician, still has the bad rap of vanity publishing for writers. <br /><br />Your piece has produced a lot of discussion so you must have hit on something. It will be interesting to see how this period of literary history plays out. Good luck with your book.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11926121781994992478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-30727052564446516222014-07-31T13:49:55.651-04:002014-07-31T13:49:55.651-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11926121781994992478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-71180894065474345162012-11-15T03:19:38.835-05:002012-11-15T03:19:38.835-05:00I recently read your post. Thanks for the advice ...I recently read your post. Thanks for the advice on narrative poems and you brought up some ugly truths about marketing and sales which are very accurate... keep blogging and I am sure others in the future will find this blog useful. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-58190926126510197252012-09-02T10:51:57.242-04:002012-09-02T10:51:57.242-04:00Hi, G.M.,
I realize your post is old, but I've...Hi, G.M.,<br />I realize your post is old, but I've just now found it, and I find that it's still very relevant. I'm a narrative poet. Storytelling for me is THE way to make sense of the world, and if it's in poetry, all the better! Short, accessible, our lives. That's what matters. Great thoughts on distribution too, esp. in this quickly and oddly shifting business of publishing. In the event you do check it out, I hope you find my work to fit your criteria--accessibility, engaging. Thanks, G.M.Barbara Presnellhttp://www.barbarapresnell.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-33989573824761385142011-03-01T19:40:29.246-05:002011-03-01T19:40:29.246-05:00Hi G.M.,
This was a refreshing read, a call to arm...Hi G.M.,<br />This was a refreshing read, a call to arms.<br />I am at work on a four-volume verse memoir about expatriate childhood in Europe during the Kennedy years. (The Trojan Tricycle, book one, The Little Germaniad.) I have been posting the first as two or three quatrains daily on twitter.com/formanex. The story climaxes with an iffy border crossing from East Germany a few nights before the Berlin Wall was raised, 50 years ago. Don't you think someone would want to publish it? Please have a look & let me know what you think of it so far.<br />Keep up the good fight!<br />DavidDavid Formanekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02720832570539525831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-77468859224361127192009-09-02T19:43:21.339-04:002009-09-02T19:43:21.339-04:00Sure agree with your poition on narrative.
Another...Sure agree with your poition on narrative.<br />Another thing in short supply is humor; not ha ha humor but smile and nod and occasionally chuckle humor. Poets as a rule take themselves rather seriously and the younger they are the worse it gets.<br />Poetry is fun. It teaches you to think about what you see and feel.<br />Enjoyed the commentary.<br />larsUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10649059445890716484noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-89971570596249654382009-01-09T15:38:00.000-05:002009-01-09T15:38:00.000-05:00At last someone who makes an inkling of sense. I ...At last someone who makes an inkling of sense. I linked to your feed (I hope I did it correctly)...I am leaving you my link to check out at leisure as well. <BR/>Real good to find a kindred thinker, even if our words may differ in dose of harsh, blunt, etc.<BR/>http://greggorywcrow.blogspot.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-74291239657499981682008-12-09T08:19:00.000-05:002008-12-09T08:19:00.000-05:00Dear GM Palmer,Greetings!Thank you for this excell...Dear GM Palmer,<BR/><BR/>Greetings!<BR/><BR/>Thank you for this excellent post and the link.<BR/><BR/>Peace,<BR/>GeoffreyGeoffrey Philphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13442948340176713964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-56368403838748657002008-07-14T14:20:00.000-04:002008-07-14T14:20:00.000-04:00I just found you today, quite by accident, and I'm...I just found you today, quite by accident, and I'm delighted to say that I read "Prosady" on Strong Verse, and also "Declaration on the Revision of Poetry." then I went earching for your blog...I mentor a budding poet and sent her both of these pieces. They're wonderful tutorials, and I will certainly inform other writer/blogger/friends about you. I write a great deal of narrative poetry but that doesn't mean it's not lyrical...my first collection, Cooking Lessons, published by Rock Press can attest to this. I'm working on a new poetry ms. and therfore wanted to thank you for your informative and helpful blogs. Check out my blog when you get a chance--A Writer's Blog: Food and Poetry--is there anything bettr in life?ninsthewriterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16038887763302269193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-73349709645042464672008-06-29T19:45:00.000-04:002008-06-29T19:45:00.000-04:00I agree with you about returningto narrative verse...I agree with you about returning<BR/>to narrative verse, and I've written<BR/> four books of largely narrative verse. Reviewers have ignored me. <BR/>That's life and I would like a movement to restore narrative verse.<BR/><BR/>I recently read "Gilgamesh" for the first time--actually I read two translations. It's wonderful narrative verse. The story was gripping. The style was terrific. I liked it much better than Beowulf or the Iliad. Three cheers for Gilgamesh. <BR/><BR/>I also think that the vast majority of readers could care less about endless wads of lyric poetry and even less about language school. Narrative verse if really good could help return an audience to poetry.California Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01215264068422830371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-12767622921467095402008-04-23T11:25:00.000-04:002008-04-23T11:25:00.000-04:00Mr. Palmer:THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for posti...Mr. Palmer:<BR/><BR/>THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for posting this! I find myself feeling the same way after reading some incomprehensible poetry and getting rejection slips myself.<BR/><BR/>I write for two entities: the reader and myself.<BR/><BR/>Poetry should be for the people.<BR/><BR/>I've added strongverse.org to my blog roll.<BR/><BR/>Many thanks for writing and posting this.<BR/><BR/>-NicoleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-63519905277983877992008-04-22T18:51:00.000-04:002008-04-22T18:51:00.000-04:00Charlie -- great to be on the roll and I'll be gla...Charlie -- great to be on the roll and I'll be glad to let you buy me a round whenever!G. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-13252983890120403052008-04-22T17:04:00.000-04:002008-04-22T17:04:00.000-04:00I really support your mission here. I'm going to a...I really support your mission here. I'm going to add the strong verse blog to my little blogroll at Virile Lit. (My other blog - virilelit.blogspot.com)Charlie Kondekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05368260342655978942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-39382844432190910822008-03-25T12:50:00.000-04:002008-03-25T12:50:00.000-04:00that should read "certainly writing narrative vers...that should read "certainly writing narrative verse"<BR/>oops.G. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-34615570795648646552008-03-25T12:49:00.000-04:002008-03-25T12:49:00.000-04:00MJF --While I don't mind linking to your work here...MJF --<BR/><BR/>While I don't mind linking to your work here, I hope you also don't mind a bit of criticism.<BR/><BR/>Mostly I would say good for you -- you're tackling interesting subjects and certainly writing verse.<BR/><BR/>But what I don't see in the poems that I'm reading is a sense of audience -- the rhythm isn't there, the poems are overlong, they don't pull you in. Have you read these live?<BR/><BR/>Narrative is great but my ultimate goal is to make poetry both art and audience driven. This requires two things in equal measure 1) an impressive amount of technical skill and 2) a sense of an audience, what they want and need and what they will respond to.G. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-45802421678411114622008-03-25T09:53:00.000-04:002008-03-25T09:53:00.000-04:00Please check over my set of narrative poems and se...Please check over my set of <A HREF="http://www.empirecontact.com/narrative/" REL="nofollow" TITLE="Narrative Poetry of Michael J. Farrand">narrative poems</A> and see if this in any way alters the course of our poetic culture.Michael J. Farrandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17442599024451900632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-2048719884757406562008-03-20T10:48:00.000-04:002008-03-20T10:48:00.000-04:00Thanks for this post, Michael. I think I agree wi...Thanks for this post, Michael. I think I agree with Robert - we're severely lacking in narrative poetry these days, and we need to fight for its survival.<BR/><BR/>[To change production of poetry we need to shift toward narrative verse.]<BR/><BR/>My first thought when I read that sentence was, "Ah - so THAT'S why most bites I get are from speculative fiction magazines." Those are the venues these days that are unafraid of publishing narrative verse. My primary frustration at the moment is that magazines like <I>The Rialto</I>, <I>Poetry London</I>, and <I>Poetry Review</I> keep rejecting me (and I mean to the tune of four or five times apiece now), and I can't seem to figure out why (seeing as I'm having considerable success elsewhere). However, when I think about the main bulk of what they publish - i.e. lyric poetry - it suddenly starts to make sense.Adriennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04726130110167287177noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-26043334222916192232008-03-19T18:34:00.000-04:002008-03-19T18:34:00.000-04:00I should say that LB and I have continued our conv...I should say that LB and I have continued our conversation on her livejournal page and it has become much less "snide and hateful" to quote Robert.G. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-44033039586552285432008-03-19T15:52:00.000-04:002008-03-19T15:52:00.000-04:00That was the most snide and hateful thing I've rea...That was the most snide and hateful thing I've read in recent memory. Of course she posts her opinion on her Livejournal soapbox, where her friends can nod and pat her on the back, instead responding here in plain sight to you.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12981934503047225886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-60759609958862271662008-03-19T15:11:00.000-04:002008-03-19T15:11:00.000-04:00Also -- you may have come across this livejournal ...Also -- you may have come across this livejournal post:<BR/><BR/>http://balladsofmirth.livejournal.com/516162.html?view=1695298<BR/><BR/>In case she deletes it, here is my reply:<BR/><BR/>I don't have an active LJ account, so I'll just use the anonymous button,<BR/><BR/>but this is me, GM Palmer.<BR/><BR/>First of all, what do you mean by nepotism? I have no prior relationship with the people that have posted my declaration.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, what is wrong with audacity?<BR/><BR/>Thirdly -- the poets you mention. I hadn't read them, but now I have. I like a lot of Fulton, Duhamel is not terrible but boring, Valentine is empty and boring, and Powell is utter crap.<BR/><BR/>Fourthly -- I am "anti-intellectual" only in that I am "anti-establishment." Poetry has grown stale and nearly unimportant (ref: my blog on poetry book sales) because it is so obsessed with being clever.<BR/><BR/>also -- Poetry isn't a genre. It's one of the two forms of writing -- Poetry and Prose. Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Creative Non Fiction -- those are genres and can be done either as poetry or prose. Furthermore, the idea that one has to learn a genre like a language is laughable. If a literate person has to learn how to read your work you are doing something wrong.<BR/><BR/>Fifthly -- you want to actually give some examples of narrative poetry's "dominance" in the market? It's certainly not the dominant style in Poetry Magazine.<BR/><BR/>Sixthly -- you quote a bunch of dead people in a Norton's to show how narrative poetry is dominant. Duh. I'm not talking about dead people. I'm talking about people and poetry RIGHT NOW. When I say "modern poetry is sick" I mean poetry today.<BR/><BR/>Your last point about teaching all kinds of poetry is excellent and I agree one hundred percent.<BR/><BR/>Now, for the "worse" things I've said:<BR/><BR/>Besides synapse being a bit stalkery, <BR/><BR/>Yes, I belong to a Republicans for Obama group. I joined before I had heard of Ron Paul. Yes, I am a Ron Paul supporter. Yes, I am a registered Republican (because I live in Florida, a state with closed primaries). My quote about abortion reflects the notion that it is not protected in the Constitution, nor should it be federally regulated.<BR/><BR/>And finally, if you "can't handle me" because you don't like my opinions, you are truly of a small mind.<BR/><BR/>Peace and hoping I'm wrong about that last bit,<BR/>GMPG. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-57542866237835446502008-03-19T11:38:00.000-04:002008-03-19T11:38:00.000-04:00Worldclass -- thanks for the link. I hope we can ...Worldclass -- thanks for the link. I hope we can synergize.<BR/><BR/>Robert -- thanks for clearing up that point -- I don't mean we should abandon lyric poetry, just that we should be sure to write narrative poetry.G. M. Palmerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14515043039690357593noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-30112016966383133892008-03-17T00:11:00.000-04:002008-03-17T00:11:00.000-04:00I don't think he meant to imply going strictly nar...I don't think he meant to imply going strictly narrative, just that it needs to make a serious comeback.<BR/><BR/>"Poetry traditionally has had its greatest and widest appeal when there was a balance between lyric and narrative verse."Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12981934503047225886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-329800043283255166.post-49075600505275340802008-03-14T15:22:00.000-04:002008-03-14T15:22:00.000-04:00Great commentary. I agree with much of what you sa...Great commentary. I agree with much of what you said, although I would not go strictly narrative. My views are more synergistic. While I appreciate and believe in narrative verse, I would not abandon the lyric. Read my series on Millennial Poetics at <A HREF="http://worldclasspoetryblog.com/poetic-craft-is-of-the-utmost-importance/03/02/2008/" REL="nofollow">World Class Poetry Blog</A>.WorldClassPoethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05254782956560017376noreply@blogger.com