Physician Poet John Stone talked about the poetry process as a way of going deep. I was privaleged to hear him in writing classes and workshops he taught at Callanwolde Fine Arts Center in Atlanta and at Winthrop College in South Carolina, back when I first began to write poems. What stuck with me all these years was John Stone's belief that poetry has to go below the surface. The poet must do some digging in "serious dirt."
Poets often discuss the poetry process as an act of going deep, digging up something, bringing up something that was buried below the surface, such as finding the ore, mining for gold. The metphor of fishing comes up in such a discussion of the poetry process. The poet casts a line, snags something, hooks something that lies below in the murky deep. Seamus Heaney's famous poem " Digging" is an example as is Adreinne Rich's famous poem "Diving Into the Wreck."
Here are two poems by poet John Stone. "Digging" and "Looking Into a Ditch" show his writing process. These are two poems I read again and again and often share with my students. --Nancy Simpson
About Me
- Nancy Simpson
- Nancy Simpson's LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE, New and Selected Poems was published by Carolina Wren Press (N.C. Laureate Series, 2010.) She is the author of ACROSS WATER and NIGHT STUDENT, State Street Press, still available on WWW at Alibris and Books Again. Her poems have been published in Southern Poetry Review, Prairie Schooner, The Georgia Review and other literary magazines. "Carolina Bluebirds" was published in THE POETS GUIDE TO THE BIRDS, Anhinga Press). "Grass" was reprinted in the 50th Anniversary Issue of Southern Poetry Review: DON'T LEAVE HUNGRY ( U.of Arkansas Press.) Seven poems were reprinted in the textbook, SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN POETRY,(McFarland.) Two poems were published in SOLO CAFE, Two more poems were published in SOLO NOVO."In the Nantahala Gorge" was published in Pisgah Review. "Studying Winter" was reprinted in Pirene's Fountain Anthology and "The Collection" in Collecting Life Anthology. Most recently, Southern Poetry Review Edited by James Smith, published "Our Great Depression," and The Southern Poetry Anthology Vol. VII: NORTH CAROLINA,Edited by William Wright, reprinted "Leaving in the Dead of Winter."
4 comments:
I certainly agree with John Stone on this. Sadly, I couldn't download the plug required to listen to his reading. Even so, this reminded me of one of the most important tools required for writing poetry.
Your blog is pure gold.
Thank you Nancy! Pat
Pat, Thank you for saying that.
Nancy, Hat's off to all your poetry publications recently. Also, I've enjoyed reading John Stones poems. Your blog is growing! Glenda Barrett
Nancy-I enjoyed both these poems by Stone-would be hard for me to choose which is my favorite between these and the others you've already shared.
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