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Home » Poems & Poetry » Blogs » HOW GOOD IS YOUR POETRY and who cares?(updated Mar 15)

HOW GOOD IS YOUR POETRY and who cares?(updated Mar 15) - Brian Strand's Blog

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English experiential poet of open verse& creator of the FOOTLE (singular form)&EMAGI digital reverse ekphrasis.A regular @PS since 2007 ,with 9500+ poems posted&sponsor of 1260 contests ( Amazon books- (500+) reviews)GOOGLE my POETRY BLOGS @https://www.blogger.com/profile/02166493604739619406.Read an Ekphrasis e-book for free @ http://free-ekphrasis-ebook.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW GOOD IS YOUR POETRY and who cares?(updated Mar 15)

Blog Posted:3/14/2017 5:40:00 AM

Charlotte in her blog below indicates her sponsor criteria is would an entry  'poem stand up out in the wider world of publishing, under an editor's scrutiny?" ' 

This raises an interesting point... is such criteria any more subjective than a sponsor here? and does it matter anyway.? and..just why do we pen poetry...who qualifies to say what is 'good' about any artform.

Here is a link to some paintings of Arthur Wallis in the Tate ,London

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/alfred-wallis-577

and here is the link to some poems of William , who has been labelled the world's worst poet

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poets/detail/william-mcgonagall



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Jennings Avatar
Caycay
Jennings
Date: 3/16/2017 1:34:00 PM
We see, hear and absorb more so with our perspectives than our eyes, ears and brain. Nothing can change that. All judges have perspectives, as they should, but what outside editors / judges don't have is a prior knowledge and/or relationship with the poets that can and does effect the outcome. My opinion is based on the assumption that 'outside judges' do not know the poets who wrote the material being judged. CayCay
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Capitano Avatar
Phil Capitano
Date: 3/19/2017 6:47:00 AM
Aside from biases (or perspectives as CayCay calls them) which we all have that influence how we ingest art, be it poetry or other forms, a poem must connect to the reader in some way. It is this connection that triggers good/bad feelings regardless of whether there is the use of metaphors,allegory or symbolism in an imaginative way; it becomes completely subjective. Good poetry should make the reader move beyond the words into the world of ideas, that metaphysical place where magic happens, where illusion lives and dies next to 'reality'.
Vinson Avatar
Doug Vinson
Date: 3/17/2017 12:37:00 PM
I favor the "grab whatever's handy and guzzle" approach.
Vinson Avatar
Doug Vinson
Date: 3/16/2017 9:17:00 PM
Perspectives, judgments, opinions, experiences, memories, thoughts, personality - I see them all as residing in the brain, CayCay, though granted we don't know the totality of what thought is.
Jennings Avatar
Caycay Jennings
Date: 3/16/2017 4:59:00 PM
Yes, I agree with you both; ideally, judging is blind and I regret if I didn't seem to fully endorse that belief. I do, I do, I really do! And, yes, even our thoughts (brain) are filtered thru, if not born from, our perspectives. Just my opinion as shaped by my perspectives!
Vinson Avatar
Doug Vinson
Date: 3/16/2017 1:59:00 PM
CayCay, you lost me with the first sentence - perspectives separate from the brain? Agreed that outside judges don't know the poets, but isn't the judging supposed to be 'blind' in the first place?
Strand Avatar
Brian
Strand
Date: 3/16/2017 6:32:00 AM
Thanks one and all for your contributions to this discussion(including the digressions) Now back to a spot of judging after a 2 month break!(See my blog above)
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Strand Avatar
Brian
Strand
Date: 3/16/2017 6:30:00 AM
In regard to the main thrust of my blog( the viewpoint /criteria of the publishing world outside of PS) Barry's comment (the first comment here) seems to be the most pertinent.
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Vinson Avatar
Doug Vinson
Date: 3/16/2017 2:13:00 PM
Certainly agree with Barry about commercial editors and with Brian about "the other pressures" they face. The one thing I thought of was the length of a poem. Many times they are edited, even quite severely, just to fit in the space available, no? Nothing necessarily similar happens in PS contests, though of course the judge may feel a poem should be edited down.
Strand Avatar
Brian
Strand
Date: 3/16/2017 6:25:00 AM
I do not think ANY group of words arranged into lines should be considered an artform.They may well be ,as my viewpoint is subjective(biased or what you will) derived from the experiential in regard to where I am now in my poetry walk.For example take the haiku form, from my 'bias' it needs a caesura and SHOWS not TELL and I would judge according to it.
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Carmack Avatar
Rob
Carmack
Date: 3/15/2017 9:06:00 PM
It is good to see the boys are playing with each other again. Soldier is back, Chris has come out and Tommy has made a new friend - Martin. Charlotte and Brian, I can’t thank you enough, God bless you both.
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Carmack Avatar
Rob Carmack
Date: 3/15/2017 9:27:00 PM
They confused your rough play with maliciousness. Wait, maybe the poem was a rough play poem & not a nasty poem after all. Regardless, consider it a medal. Martin has some fire in her, good choice, but then again, that ability of making good choices is one of your gifts.
Strand Avatar
Brian
Strand
Date: 3/15/2017 2:42:00 PM
To illustrate my point about our genre in particular I have inserted in my blog above a link to a poet William Mcgonagall ,who by repute was labelled 'the world's worst poet.'Do you think he deserved this description ?
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Cornish Avatar
Craig Cornish
Date: 3/15/2017 2:49:00 PM
Also, I concur that William's poetry is pretty bad, yet we can always find worse even here on the soup.
Cornish Avatar
Craig Cornish
Date: 3/15/2017 2:44:00 PM
Personally, I consider Arthur's work excellent if he was 3-4 years old, they look like mine from about that age.
Strand Avatar
Brian
Strand
Date: 3/15/2017 2:25:00 PM
Perhaps I could illustrate my point about what is 'good' when considering art by suggesting a look at the link I have just inserted above in my blog.Do you consider Arthur's work 'good' ?
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Cornish Avatar
Craig Cornish
Date: 3/15/2017 3:01:00 PM
Sorry, I repeated myself below.
Cornish Avatar
Craig Cornish
Date: 3/15/2017 2:39:00 PM
No matter the color, no matter the subject, no matter the art form, I believe (very subjectively) that someone's ability to judge should be largely based on their ability to perform the same. Charlotte has proven to be an exceptional free verse artist and in addition, a fair and rational judge of poetry of the same genre. If all judges in contests here on the soup were as gifted as she we would be something special, but Charlotte is exceptional on her own and I celebrate that and argue that if all sponsors were as skilled as she, this site would be much more valuable to more skilled poets. But there must always be a playground for growth - many have grown here by being tested by those with her skills, including myself.
Dietrich Avatar
Andrea
Dietrich
Date: 3/14/2017 3:37:00 PM
Everything we like is SO subjective in this world, from clothing to food to poetry. That is why , for ME when judging, it's important to clarify what i expect in a contest. (knowing the preferred form, theme, and a judge's expectations on meter, grammar, style, etc.are all valuable in my opinion)
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Vinson Avatar
Doug Vinson
Date: 3/16/2017 2:01:00 PM
Brian - *great* comment there. : )
Strand Avatar
Brian Strand
Date: 3/14/2017 5:07:00 PM
Andrea we each reflect some of ourselves when we give our time as a sponsor here.There is nothing more valuable than that
Goff Avatar
James Marshall
Goff
Date: 3/14/2017 2:51:00 PM
Connecting with the universe thru poetic observation satifies me...nice, Brian!
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Strand Avatar
Brian Strand
Date: 3/14/2017 5:06:00 PM
Yes I know Jim , may it long continue
Strand Avatar
Brian
Strand
Date: 3/14/2017 9:52:00 AM
I have written poetry now for the past twenty years ..because of an inner need to communicate..not to worry whether anyone considers it to be good(whatever that might be).Sure ,it is encouraging when others comment that it has registered with them in some way.For me that is the 'best critique' Of course for others here there well maybe other equally valid reasons .PS itself has been a regular daily workshop with peer digital friends as I indicated earlier in my blog about liking PS.
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Stebbings Avatar
Barry
Stebbings
Date: 3/14/2017 7:54:00 AM
Interesting question, Brian. I think the point is that in the 'outside world' a commercial editor is judging on behalf of his readership. He is probably as interested in keeping existing readers as he is in publishing new work. As in art exhibitions where the organiser will want to attract as many visitors as possible. To this extent all art, except for specialist exhibitions is, to a degree, commercial. We publish here on an open basis and a sponsor is free to use their personal judgement, perhaps qualified if a specific form, number of lines, etc. is specified.
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Strand Avatar
Brian Strand
Date: 3/14/2017 10:18:00 AM
Sadly Barry when sponsoring one only has a numbered place to allocate.I guess though that infers that you liked it which is what counts
Stebbings Avatar
Barry Stebbings
Date: 3/14/2017 10:11:00 AM
Exactly so Brian. But I do think the judges here need to be careful judging in terms of good and bad when they really mean like, dislike or not appropriate.
Strand Avatar
Brian Strand
Date: 3/14/2017 8:37:00 AM
Good point Barry, in some ways then PS contests can be superior having only another poet' s subjectivity and no other pressures to meet

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