Comments on: Something New to Sing About http://linebreak.org/blog/2009/11/23/something-new-to-sing-about/ A weblog from the editors of Linebreak Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:24:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 hourly 1 By: Ralph http://linebreak.org/blog/2009/11/23/something-new-to-sing-about/comment-page-1/#comment-749 Ralph Fri, 04 Dec 2009 17:24:08 +0000 http://linebreak.org/blog/?p=1462#comment-749 Ashley - You can't make a new subject appear, I don't believe, and if you do, it will ring false (won't it?). 'Subject' itself seems like the wrong way to consider lyric poetry; maybe dramatic or narrative, but not lyric. For me, frogs in a shoebox (not enough time to atone), and mosquito hawks on the wing. RA Ashley -

You can’t make a new subject appear, I don’t believe, and if you do, it will ring false (won’t it?).
‘Subject’ itself seems like the wrong way to consider lyric poetry; maybe dramatic or narrative, but not lyric.
For me, frogs in a shoebox (not enough time to atone), and mosquito hawks on the wing.
RA

]]> By: Amy http://linebreak.org/blog/2009/11/23/something-new-to-sing-about/comment-page-1/#comment-734 Amy Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:14:06 +0000 http://linebreak.org/blog/?p=1462#comment-734 As a fine poet once told me, we writers have the luxury of following our obsessions, or, in the words of Ben Kweller, "Stick to love songs, kid, that's all you're knowin'." As a fine poet once told me, we writers have the luxury of following our obsessions, or, in the words of Ben Kweller, “Stick to love songs, kid, that’s all you’re knowin’.”

]]> By: Matthew Nienow http://linebreak.org/blog/2009/11/23/something-new-to-sing-about/comment-page-1/#comment-733 Matthew Nienow Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:38:49 +0000 http://linebreak.org/blog/?p=1462#comment-733 I think this topic is timeless. It seems, though, that if a poet or writer or musician is doing the good work of writing/composing often, reading/listening new work, and living in the world, the work should change. I'm still interested in many of the same things I started writing about seven years ago, but they come out differently now even if there is a common voice at the core. I've even received encouragement (especially for the sake of a ms.) to dig back into a certain topic and write even more poems of the same focus. Generally, I think a couple of problems lie in the way: One, being reluctance to change due to fear of how new work will be accepted (or because one thing/style/voice was so well praised that the author feels compelled to continue the pattern... Victoria Chang talks about this same topic from a slightly different angle in a recent post here: (http://bit.ly/8A8fV0). So many of us write because we feel called to. At the same time, many of us are working to be "career poets" of some sort—that is, to find success in this lifetime. But I think it is important to keep in mind that if we are to be remembered at all it will most likely be for one or two poems. I say keep writing what you love. I think this topic is timeless. It seems, though, that if a poet or writer or musician is doing the good work of writing/composing often, reading/listening new work, and living in the world, the work should change. I’m still interested in many of the same things I started writing about seven years ago, but they come out differently now even if there is a common voice at the core.

I’ve even received encouragement (especially for the sake of a ms.) to dig back into a certain topic and write even more poems of the same focus.

Generally, I think a couple of problems lie in the way:

One, being reluctance to change due to fear of how new work will be accepted (or because one thing/style/voice was so well praised that the author feels compelled to continue the pattern…

Victoria Chang talks about this same topic from a slightly different angle in a recent post here: (http://bit.ly/8A8fV0).

So many of us write because we feel called to. At the same time, many of us are working to be “career poets” of some sort—that is, to find success in this lifetime. But I think it is important to keep in mind that if we are to be remembered at all it will most likely be for one or two poems.

I say keep writing what you love.

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