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Andrea Dietrich
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Andrea Dietrich grew up in Iowa and now resides in Utah with a spouse and two cats. She has two grown children and six grandchildren. Having graduated BYU with a Spanish major/ESL minor, she has spent most of her adult life teaching. It wasn't until 2000 that she began writing in earnest and discovering her "niche" as a writer of lyrical poetry. The internet opened up a new world for her, and she has spent two decades now participating in poetry clubs, acting as a judge of poetry contests for various magazines, for the website Shadow Poetry, and for Poetry Soup. 

Ms. Dietrich has won numerous awards, as well as the title Poet of the Year 2008, from the Yahoo group, Poetry For Thought. In addition, she has won prizes from the magazines Lucidity, Bell's Letters, Art with Words, Poets at Work and SP Quill, the magazine for which she wrote grammar and poetry articles as well as movie reviews and for which she acted as poetry editor for the head editor Marie Summers for six years. Many of her poems appeared in Shadows Ink, a yearly published series of chapbooks of award winning poetry as well as in numerous other anthologies. Her short stories appeared in many issues of SP Quill and much of her poetry was published in eight chapbooks (no longer sold online). 

Since coming to Poetry Soup, Ms. Dietrich has been both contest sponsor and winner of numerous contests. In 2010, her poem "Cinder Girl" was first place winner of Soup's International contest (these contests are no longer held).  A song was created from her lyrics "Honeymoon Serenade" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDWxc4cpHDc) and two movies have been made featuring the poetry of Andrea Dietrich: "A Tale of Fire and Ice" (a 4 min. Z-Film Fest Project, 2014) and the full length movie "Six Days of Sistine" in which 20 poems of Ms. Dietrichs serve as the thoughts of two characters played by Jamie Campbell Bower and Elarica Johnson (directed by Richard J. Perry, 2019) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7710360/

About Sijo

Blog Posted by Andrea Dietrich: 1/14/2024 1:44:00 PM

Rather than copy and paste the entire website's article I found on Sijo, I will just leave here the link to it: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-sijo-poetry

I am going to host a Sijo contest for this month. I hope to be more discriminating on my top placements. Those who take the time to go to this link and understand the way to write a sijo well - will place highest. Soup's explanation and examples of the form do not delve deeply enough into it. That is why I suggest taking a little time to study the link I am showing. 

I was surprised to see that unlike with haiku and senryu, the sijo is capitalzed and also ends with punctuation marks, sometimes at the end of all three lines. Some poets in my last contest wrote one long sentence, but the art is in dividing the sijo into phrases that fit nicely with the syllable count of 14 to 16 syllables per line (the longest line usually being the middle one) and the last one better if it is a twist or a resolution to the first two lines. 

Thoughts or impressions on this form? I like how it gives us more syllables to work with than the haiku does. 



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Date: 1/16/2024 4:42:00 PM
Andrea, thanks for the link, that was very interesting.... proves there is much more to Sijo than 3 lines, blessings, Constance
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Date: 1/16/2024 1:56:00 PM
Hi Andrea. I've sent you mail (and my internet link has gone mad - sending the same one 3 times). Will contact you via e-mail. Keep well, Suzette
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Date: 1/16/2024 8:40:00 AM
I enjoyed the article from Masterclass and the mention of Elizabeth St Jacques and Larry Gross. I had a few of my sijo published in Sijo West.
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Andrea Dietrich
Date: 1/16/2024 1:10:00 PM
wow, that's so cool to think you got published by them!
Date: 1/16/2024 7:51:00 AM
Thank you Andrea, interesting in reading all below, and your reference, that (I thought) how often we can overanalyze and underutilize when it comes to creative expression - especially with the Asian forms. Yet (love your blog) once we understand why, we must free ourselves from the guidelines and fly within them - not always easy but rewarding!
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Andrea Dietrich
Date: 1/16/2024 1:14:00 PM
I think someone removed their comments. Gosh, i really did want to finally read what was at that link she left. with Asian forms, we can't quite soar as freely as we want, but i've seen haiku done as metaphors or in rhyme, and I don't mind at all. I just like the idea of creating a picture and using that juxtaposition at the end, same as with sijo and some other Asian forms.
Date: 1/15/2024 8:09:00 AM
Ahh time to do sijo again, will try to do a new one., Thank you for sharing the link sweet andrea! I hope last time i got mine right.
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Andrea Dietrich
Date: 1/15/2024 8:11:00 PM
I think you did. It got a high placement, right? I am sure you will always excel with the new info
Date: 1/15/2024 2:17:00 AM
Dear Ria, am glad you posted this blog about Sijo form. Though right now I don't have enough time to write, I will definitely learn more about this form thru the link you gave and will try writing in this form. Thank you for inspiring us always with your short form contests. Hugs.. ~ Ani
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Andrea Dietrich
Date: 1/15/2024 8:13:00 PM
You are so sweet. Can't wait for when you have more time to write again

Previous Blogs

 
Congrats to Winners of my Mid Summer Contest
Date Posted: 7/27/2025 10:41:00 PM
Need Advice on AI checkers/ Please don't enter my contests with AI
Date Posted: 7/25/2025 9:27:00 AM
A reminder to those who entered my last contest
Date Posted: 7/20/2025 11:21:00 PM
A question
Date Posted: 6/1/2025 12:20:00 PM
Judging my haiku contest finally/ what I am noticing
Date Posted: 5/26/2025 3:35:00 PM
Foodie Pleiades Contest Finalized
Date Posted: 4/28/2025 12:15:00 PM
My Contest Finally Judged
Date Posted: 3/22/2025 3:59:00 PM
That's Life! GREAT JOB, Contestants
Date Posted: 3/2/2025 1:21:00 PM
Congrats to Winners of my Second Chance Pleiades Challenge
Date Posted: 1/1/2025 8:28:00 PM
Happy Birthday to a New Year Baby
Date Posted: 12/31/2024 12:33:00 PM
About my Current Contest
Date Posted: 12/23/2024 11:41:00 PM
Alouette Me - Finally judged - Congrats to ALL my Winners
Date Posted: 12/2/2024 4:41:00 PM
Regarding my Pleiades Contest - Please Read if you are a Contestant
Date Posted: 11/1/2024 4:14:00 PM
WORD CRIMES - Short, fun music video on common grammar mistakes
Date Posted: 10/14/2024 12:04:00 PM
Thanks & Congrats to Published Poets: A Special thanks to Emile Pinet
Date Posted: 10/7/2024 4:03:00 PM
MISSING SOUPERS
Date Posted: 9/15/2024 10:17:00 AM
Been Away/ Hope to get contest placements up by weekend
Date Posted: 8/29/2024 1:15:00 PM
Is anyone else having problems entering any contests?
Date Posted: 8/5/2024 12:28:00 AM
Is it true...?
Date Posted: 8/1/2024 1:03:00 PM
Tankacrostic examples for those having difficulties understanding how it goes
Date Posted: 7/10/2024 1:37:00 PM
As I Wait for my Contest Results to Post
Date Posted: 6/30/2024 4:43:00 PM
Is anyone having these problems?
Date Posted: 6/20/2024 1:11:00 PM
Contestants - Poofread your Andaree
Date Posted: 4/29/2024 12:14:00 AM
Please EDIT before I judge my contest: ONE LINE ONLY
Date Posted: 2/25/2024 2:51:00 PM
Congrats, Sijo Winners
Date Posted: 2/4/2024 11:28:00 AM

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Book: Radiant Verses: A Journey Through Inspiring Poetry