Were you one of the many who experienced an” act of poetry” during Random Acts of Poetry week Oct 1 – 7? I was! What a talented “construction crew” we had this year! I’ve always marveled at those individuals who had the gift of rhyming words. But it seems nowadays the words don’t even have to rhyme anymore. Poetry has come a long, long way. There has been a resurgence in the attention paid to poetry especially amongst the youth as they “rap” their way to stardom – have you ever listened to the words of some of the songs on the pop chart? Some - not all - certainly have a way with words that is quite remarkable. Take the lyrics to the BareNaked Ladies song “Pinch Me” – “Try to scream but it only comes out as a yawn, when ya Try to see the world beyond your front door. Take your time cos the way I rhyme's gonna make you smile, when ya Realise that with a guy my size it might take a while, just to Try to figure out what all this is for….I could hide out under there, I just made you say 'underwear'” . My kids just loved that final line – having fun with words is what these lyrics are all about. When you have that realization you form a whole new appreciation for the “new music”. Poetry isn’t just Shakespeare and iambic pentameter; it isn’t just rhyming words or alliteration. We now have E-poetry, Slam poetry, Spoken word or performance poetry. The list is endless. It seems anything can be turned into a poem.
Keeping up with this jivin’ new world, the library held a Grade 8 poetry contest in conjunction with this year’s Random Acts of Poetry. On November 26 at 7 pm at the Brodie Library Fireside Reading room, we will be hearing from this year’s winners. Please join us for a literary evening and some refreshments. If you missed your “random act of poetry”, the construction crew will also be on hand to share some of their poetry.
What is E-Poetry?
“Digital poetry (also referred to as E-poetry, short for electronic poetry) refers to a wide range of approaches to poetry at all have in common prominent and crucial use of computers. Whether a work is poetry or visual art or music or programming is sometimes not clear, but we expect an intense engagement with language in poetical works.” Wikipedia
I don’t get what “Spoken Word” is – do you just read your poem out loud?
Spoken word involves more than reading your poems out load. It has a performance element to it, and often music or sound. There is even the Canadian Spoken Wordlympics. The 2008 Festival of Spoken Word which holds the Wordlympics is set to be held in Calgary.
Does Slam poetry involve any physical contact?
Slam poetry just refers to poetry competitions and usually does not involve any physical contact. This type of forum for poetry has gained popularity in recent years. Toronto and Ottawa both have annual poetry slams. It involves more spoken word or performance poetry. Check out www.capitalslam.com for more information on the Ottawa group, and www.torontopoetryslam.com for information on the Toronto group.
Where do you find “concrete poetry”?
Concrete poetry is not found on concrete like a hopscotch squares. It is not a form of graffiti. Rather, it refers to the shape of the words and is also known as “visual poetry”. Concrete poems “ use typeface, word arrangement, spacing, special characters, and color to dramatize the words’ meaning by the way they look.” It is not a new phenomenon. An early example is from Herbert’s "Easter Wings", in which the overall typography of the poem is in the shape of its subject. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland contains a similar effect in the form of the mouse's "Tale," which is in the shape of a tail. Wikipedia
Barb Philp, Head of Adult Services
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