Young Poets Use Summer Program to Grow
I just love pleasant surprises, don’t you? Mine came during the past two weeks when asked to conduct a poetry boot camp for teens at Guthrie Memorial Library, Hanover’s Public Library. Molly Krichten, associate director who works especially with teen programs, approached me with her brainstorm and, impulsive Gemini that I am, I jumped at the chance.
Though we had structured a four part approach to be covered in four hour-and-a-half sessions, we also knew we had to remain flexible, depending on the dynamics the particular group of teens would bring to the effort.
We wound up with seventh through eleventh graders, a good gender blend, public and home-schooled students, some kids with creative writing experience and some with none, and even one young man from Massachusetts who was visiting Hanover relatives.
We also had a grandmother show up and actually participate the first day and a dad who set up his speaker system for our public reading on the last day for any poet who wished to use it. Since during the public reading poets could supplement their own poetry with that of other poets, one young poet decided to sing a cappella a Scottish ballad.
These young people were highly energetic, friendly, polite, cooperative, talented, and unafraid of challenge. Their collective sense of humor was refreshing. They were willing both to share ideas and to work independently. They came early and wanted to stay beyond the allotted time. They read and wrote at home among the designated sessions.
The first day we spent on introductions and a prompt that allowed writers to reveal through an object that became an extended metaphor something about their own or another’s life while personifying the object. We shared these poems aloud and everyone’s contained some line of profound commentary on the human condition.
I ended by reading through some poems in a packet I sent home with each student and by using a quote I remembered from having heard former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser say that he probably reads a hundred poems for every poem he writes.
The second session was a work day with prompts that got the poets’ juices flowing and lasted beyond the session itself. One such prompt elicited a poem that made it to our publication for the camp.
The prompt is called Triplets. In Triplets, we create four stanzas of three patterned lines. First lines all begin with "I used to. . . . " followed by "be. . . ." or an action verb of your choice. Second lines seem to be a response to the first lines but may be entirely nonsensical and begin with "But now (I). . . ." Third lines are unadorned statements of fact, short, with no descriptors, if possible, and each triplet, or stanza, should end with the same repeated statement. The curt, repeated third lines will add a sense of coherence to the poem, even the completely bizarre sounding ones.
An example of one triplet might be:
I used to dance across the eyelids of the rich and famous who were looking in all the wrong places.
But now, I write fiction for Buddhist priests who cartwheel into my dreams every night after two scoops of ice cream.
Light comes late.
One of our young poets, Rob DiDomenico, takes the assignment to the next level by choosing not to be quite so nonsensical in his first two lines of each stanza. He, instead, chooses to have his third lines be the guiding force within the rest of his poem.
Growth
I used to walk through the muck of my dreams, and struggle with their imports.
But now, I fly over the patterned landscapes and watch the world unfold.
I have grown.
I used to fear night, and all of its hidden companions, fighting for purchase on the rock walls of my fears.
But now, Old Man Nocturne is a dear friend, welcomed with joy.
I have grown.
I used to toil at getting everything right, constantly seeking perfection.
But now, I know I am flawed, I make mistakes, I am Human.
I have grown.
I used to gather everything to myself, easing my path with no heed of others.
But now, I serve the Greater Good, and that often requires silent sacrifice.
I have grown.
What surprises can happen if we can provide an opportunity and an environment for creativity! Thanks to the Friends of the Library who made the poetry boot camp and other Teen Summer Reading Club events possible, thanks to Molly Krichten for all the extras she pumps into the whole program, and thanks to each of the young poets who shared their talent and effort to make every minute a pleasure!
Kindly send comments and your poetry to michaeljhoover@gmail.com.
I just love pleasant surprises, don’t you? Mine came during the past two weeks when asked to conduct a poetry boot camp for teens at Guthrie Memorial Library, Hanover’s Public Library. Molly Krichten, associate director who works especially with teen programs, approached me with her brainstorm and, impulsive Gemini that I am, I jumped at the chance.
Though we had structured a four part approach to be covered in four hour-and-a-half sessions, we also knew we had to remain flexible, depending on the dynamics the particular group of teens would bring to the effort.
We wound up with seventh through eleventh graders, a good gender blend, public and home-schooled students, some kids with creative writing experience and some with none, and even one young man from Massachusetts who was visiting Hanover relatives.
We also had a grandmother show up and actually participate the first day and a dad who set up his speaker system for our public reading on the last day for any poet who wished to use it. Since during the public reading poets could supplement their own poetry with that of other poets, one young poet decided to sing a cappella a Scottish ballad.
These young people were highly energetic, friendly, polite, cooperative, talented, and unafraid of challenge. Their collective sense of humor was refreshing. They were willing both to share ideas and to work independently. They came early and wanted to stay beyond the allotted time. They read and wrote at home among the designated sessions.
The first day we spent on introductions and a prompt that allowed writers to reveal through an object that became an extended metaphor something about their own or another’s life while personifying the object. We shared these poems aloud and everyone’s contained some line of profound commentary on the human condition.
I ended by reading through some poems in a packet I sent home with each student and by using a quote I remembered from having heard former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser say that he probably reads a hundred poems for every poem he writes.
The second session was a work day with prompts that got the poets’ juices flowing and lasted beyond the session itself. One such prompt elicited a poem that made it to our publication for the camp.
The prompt is called Triplets. In Triplets, we create four stanzas of three patterned lines. First lines all begin with "I used to. . . . " followed by "be. . . ." or an action verb of your choice. Second lines seem to be a response to the first lines but may be entirely nonsensical and begin with "But now (I). . . ." Third lines are unadorned statements of fact, short, with no descriptors, if possible, and each triplet, or stanza, should end with the same repeated statement. The curt, repeated third lines will add a sense of coherence to the poem, even the completely bizarre sounding ones.
An example of one triplet might be:
I used to dance across the eyelids of the rich and famous who were looking in all the wrong places.
But now, I write fiction for Buddhist priests who cartwheel into my dreams every night after two scoops of ice cream.
Light comes late.
One of our young poets, Rob DiDomenico, takes the assignment to the next level by choosing not to be quite so nonsensical in his first two lines of each stanza. He, instead, chooses to have his third lines be the guiding force within the rest of his poem.
Growth
I used to walk through the muck of my dreams, and struggle with their imports.
But now, I fly over the patterned landscapes and watch the world unfold.
I have grown.
I used to fear night, and all of its hidden companions, fighting for purchase on the rock walls of my fears.
But now, Old Man Nocturne is a dear friend, welcomed with joy.
I have grown.
I used to toil at getting everything right, constantly seeking perfection.
But now, I know I am flawed, I make mistakes, I am Human.
I have grown.
I used to gather everything to myself, easing my path with no heed of others.
But now, I serve the Greater Good, and that often requires silent sacrifice.
I have grown.
What surprises can happen if we can provide an opportunity and an environment for creativity! Thanks to the Friends of the Library who made the poetry boot camp and other Teen Summer Reading Club events possible, thanks to Molly Krichten for all the extras she pumps into the whole program, and thanks to each of the young poets who shared their talent and effort to make every minute a pleasure!
Kindly send comments and your poetry to michaeljhoover@gmail.com.