| POETRY CURRENTS | |
THE LITERARY FESTIVAL SEASON...
... is in full swing here. You can see details of most of these events at two Web sites: Irish Writers’ Centre and Poetry Ireland. Coming up in the next few months are:
- Sirius Arts Centre Writing Regatta, August 15 - 18 in Cobh, County Cork
- Scriobh Literary Festival, September 11 - 14 in Sligo
- Aspects Literature Festival, September 24 - 28 in Bangor, County Down
- Dingle Writing Course in Poetry, September 26 - 28 in Inch, County Kerry
- Samhain International Poetry Festival, October 31 - November 3 in Gort a’Choirce, County Donegal
However, it is a busy time for my writing workshops and I’ve been running plenty of those -- every weekend for the past two months. I do them here at the Salmon Poetry premises; it’s easier for me, but the main reason is because it’s so beautiful here, and everyone is totally impressed! All the details and photos are on my Web site. And Poetry Ireland has a comprehensive list of local writing workshops all around Ireland.
THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
The subject of workshops brings me to a “hobby horse” of mine, and something that’s come up at virtually every workshop I’ve ever done: the recurring question, “How can you know if a poem is good or bad?” I get emails with this question, too. Most forcefully, though, the ins and outs, interpretations and repercussions, of this question have plagued me in my role as a publisher of contemporary poetry.
I’ve spent a lot of time with all aspects of the “what is poetry?” question. Years of having the Salmon list examined and criticized on grounds which were nothing to do with the value of what was written (particularly when we began publishing women poets in strong numbers in the mid-1980s). From all this I understand poetry as highly political -- in the sense of a focal point for cultural identity -- and, as such, a minefield of vested interests. As Irish poetry has become more democratic, in recent years, the question of what makes a good poem has been a political football kicked around endlessly.
My ideal has always been democratic and pluralistic -- a challenge here since Irish society has been, until very recently, thoroughly homogenous as well as traditional. I’m on the “grass roots” end of things. I see poetry as the voice of the people, loud, soft, raucous, alive, above all revolutionary! Revolution does not spring up perfectly formed. There are unpoetic messy bits at times, particularly in times of societal transition (as Ireland in the last 10 years).
THE QUESTION OF JUDGING POETRY GOOD OR BAD
So... down to the question of how we judge when a piece of writing is bad and when it’s good in as true as sense as possible, while keeping vested interest at bay. Quite simply, for me “bad writing” is writing which has not reached its potential. We all write bad stuff when we first start out; I don’t know any professional poet/writer who didn’t. What makes or breaks poets is whether they make a commitment to their craft, whether they develop a critical intelligence, whether they know and can use the originality of their own particular voice... oh, and whether they have something worth saying! These are hallmarks of good writing. But would I personally want to see these criteria enforced? Not if it meant that there was never an alternative, never a chance for wonderful work to surface beyond the established hallmarks.
When I was a child (in Arkansas), I used to recite poems in school at every opportunity. I used to repeat phrases which had an uplifting cadence. This nurtured something in me (another hallmark of good writing). Time and place change and people struggle with issues of creativity and its expression. No one can write, for instance, “Casey at the Bat” now and expect it to be greeted with cheers (outside, perhaps, the family circle) -- but old Casey is still alive and well and living in our archive, our folk history, our inspiration; allowing us to go beyond!
I’d love to have your own ideas on this. Don’t hesitate to email me.
Many good wishes!
