Howdy Folks,

RedCrow here. I want to thank each and every one of you for sending your work in to us for consideration. I also wish to express my appreciation for your patience with us through all the delays and deadline extensions. Both Gloria and I have complicated, busy lives and while that's not an excuse, it is at least an explanation. There are some terrific poems here and all I want to say to the authors of the chosen works is "Keep writing and don't ever stop!" The rest of my comments are to those of you who sent in poems that were not chosen.

Poetry is difficult. It's difficult to write well and can even be difficult to read. Judging poetry should certainly be included as one of the tortures in Dante's Inferno. What made this so troubling a task for me was the recognition that every single work submitted had merit in one way or another. Without exception, even the least of these works spoke from the heart and was an expression of deep and profound feeling. You people were bleeding on the pages and sending them to me to decide yes or no. The reason your work wasn't chosen was not about what you had to say. It was about the way in which you said it. In the midst of 20 lines of heartfelt, cornball cliche, I would discover a brilliant image that I wished I had written or a phrase that would stun me in my chair and make me say, "YES! I've felt that too!" But that single image or metaphor or insight wasn't enough to get your poem chosen.

Poetry isn't only about authenticity or deep feeling, it's also about craft. Why is a poem a poem? And how does one take those deep and profound feelings, those insights, and make them into a poem? As the Bard said, "Aye, there's the rub."

Here are a few useful resources that might help you answer that question and develop your craft.

Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico
This is a full-fledged poetry workshop in a book. Dr. Rico has one of the best right-brain techniques for writing that I have ever seen, one that I personally use all the time. She also is able to clarify what the elements are that make a poem a poem. No matter if you are a beginner or a professional writer, this book is of great value.

Leaping Poetry: An Idea with Poems and Translations by Robert Bly
In this very small booklet, Bly addresses that most elusive characteristic of great poetry, associative leaping. The essay gives examples but the real value is in the recognition of the idea itself. If I recall correctly, Bly also talks about leaping in the collection of his essays on poetry by other writers, News of the Universe: Poems of Twofold Consciousness which I highly recommend as well.

Some others:

The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron

Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg

The Wild Mind: Living the Writer's Life by Natalie Goldberg

One last piece of advice. READ READ READ. If you want to write poetry, read poetry. Read everything. Shakespeare, Basho, Rilke, Elliot, Blake, Rumi, Paz, Neruda, Snyder, Ginsberg, Whitman, Dylan Thomas, Frost, my beloved Emily D., Hass, Merwin, Levine, Borges, Hughes, Williams, the list is endless. Read every day and write every day. I look forward to seeing your work again next year.

Thanks again.

A RedCrow
perched in a big ole maple
blinks at the sky and sez
"Caw!"

Biography of A RedCrow

RedCrow lives deep in the north woods with his beloved subslut and and a very sammy cat in a 200 year old farmhouse in constant need of repair. His library is too big for his office. He makes poems and stories. He makes music. He makes pictures. He makes objects with beautiful wood. His sub is much better at HTML than he is. He admits to knowing nothing about zen. He smiles a lot. He doesn't have a plan. He has lists.

today's list: catfood for skunks under barn; install chain, hooks and pulley for next weekend's suspension photoshoot; confirm directions/arrival time for model; restring guitar - finish writing chorus and 3rd verse; plant crocus, daffodil, iris bulbs in new bed; chop wood, carry water; tarp the woodpile; lube and service snowblower; gag, tie and whip the wife; let her come this time. Maybe.