Woven Worlds - Liminal Space - Suzette Richards's Blog

Liminal space, by Suzette Richards – image generated 30 March 2024

Liminal space refers to the place a person is in during a transitional period. It’s a gap, and can be physical (like a doorway), emotional (like a divorce) or metaphorical (like a decision). It’s the space between ‘what is’ and ‘what will happen next’. The two types of liminal space are: physical and psychological.

1. A physical liminal space is something tangible that you can recognize as a pathway, passageway or portal. These places are transitory, meaning you’re supposed to pass through them on your way to something else.
2. Less tangible and more emotional, a psychological liminal space may be recognized as more of a life transition or a shift between two ways of thinking.

Much of the poetry we read or write manifests this ‘before’ and ‘after’ aspect, often juxtaposed. In my current contest, Woven Worlds, it explores this with a more gentle transition than juxtaposition between the prose and the tanka. It is more noticeable in the tanka where the first phrase focuses on the external and the final phrase focuses on the internal worlds; the third line acts as a bridge between these two worlds – straddling the objective and the subjective. Tanka is expressed in imagery throughout. 

There are a few days left before the Woven Worlds contest closes. Dip your pens in your personal experiences and take that leap!

Heads-up: Again I have to remind the contestants NOT to include anything in the Poem Texbox other than the poem. See the PoetrySoup rule (in red) on the submission form when you post your poem.

Happy quills!

Suzette

A weekend read for those who would like to learn more about liminal space:

Liminal Space: What Is It And How Does It Affect Your Mental Health? – Forbes Health