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Poet Roundtable with
Children's Poets
1.
AOTW: Of the various forms of expression, why do you find poetry so appealing? What can you say in poetry that you can't say as well in prose?
Jane Yolen: The compression of emotion, the rush of metaphoric statement like endorphins in the brain, the single defining line.
Tony Mitton: I love the fact that poetry pays special attention to the musical aspects of language, to rhythm, rhyme and all kinds of phonological play (like e.g. assonance & alliteration). Of course, prose writers pay attention to the musical aspects of language too. Any writer taking care will attend to factors like rhythm, cadence, sound and so forth. But I mean that, for me, in poetry, the musical is sewn in to the very fabric of meaning and image to create a kind of language half way between talking and singing. So it's not so much a question of what can or can't be said as the way of saying it being the focus for me. I sometimes think the relationship of poetry to prose is like that of dance to drama. A story can be enacted in drama or performed in dance. There's not really an issue of which form does it best. It's more a question of the two forms being different artistic media. In the same way, I feel that poetry and prose are different forms or media, and in my case I'm more drawn to poetry, probably because of its more pronounced musical character. I'm very conscious of, and sensitive to, rhythm and beat, both generally and in music. So poetry calls to that bit of me that is slightly obsessional and compulsive. I wanted to be a drummer when I was young, and also got into playing blues and folk guitar. And I'm still drawn to the way poems work like spells, chants or songs. To me they have a somewhat magical or shamanistic quality, weaving the reader or listener into their rhythms to hold the attention of the mind. You can say anything in prose that you can in poetry, but you can't say it the same way. And sometimes the poetry way manages to be extra special and memorable. But don't get me wrong. Good prose is just great. And not an easy option to write.
Nikki Grimes: Poetry, by its very nature, gets straight to the heart of a matter. It doesn't beat around the bush. It is concise, as well as precise, and all of these aspects suit my personality. I am nothing if not straight-forward, and whether I communicate through metaphor or simile, assonance or alliteration, sonnet or haiku, I make sure to paint my picture, or tell my story in as few words as possible. That's poetry. I only revert to prose when a poem won't do.
April Halprin Wayland: Poetry is concentrated --- like a good soup stock. I think I chose poetry because it forces me to focus on one thing, to concentrate on one shiver-down-the-spine moment or one delicious taste or one gentle interaction. Being in my brain is like being in the middle of a huge Fourth of July parade --- with confetti in your hair and teeth, the clarinets and snare drums on either side of you, the heat of the sun, the cymbals right next to your ear...
Poetry's like meditation --- it's a quiet place.
Brod Bagert: I love poetry. Nothing makes me laugh like poetry, nothing makes me cry like poetry, and nothing makes me happier than performing a poem for an audience and feeling the room swell with emotion.
What can you say in poetry that you can't say as well in prose? Anything you can say in poetry you can say in prose, but poetry can make you tap your foot and poetry words feel like chocolate in your mouth and poetry can rush through your brain like a hurricane and go directly to your heart where it will continue to howl, thus making itself very, very difficult to ignore and even harder to forget. Besides, prose says things less effectively, and it usually take a long time doing it.
Maria Testa: For me, poetry is about emotion, often complex emotion, expressed in simplicity. I read and write quite a bit of prose as well, but good poetry appeals to me in the way that good rock music does: It's all about raw, honest emotion --- and a decent voice. That said, I don't know that I ever think about whether or not I can say something better in poetry than I can in prose. The expression is different, the focus is different. Perhaps the reason for writing is different, too.
Andrea Perry: Poetry is just so much more fun! From the first time I ever heard a rhymed story told "Seuss" style, or read Ogden Nash explaining what an octopus was in rhymed verse, I have loved the playfulness of it. Of course I'm speaking specifically of humorous rhymed verse and the fact that when you're writing about oh, I don't know, a burp or a stomach ache, or a jellyfish, plain old prose just doesn't do a thing for me. Poetry can be so entertaining when it is done well.
Ron Koertge: I like to write poems because they're short and I usually get a good idea of what one is about in a single sitting. As far as what I can say in poetry that I can't in prose, I don't think in those terms. Even in prose I don't think about saying anything. The idea of messages embedded in poems/stories bores the pants off me. Writing a poem for me is a little like writing music. I just like to make sure all the notes are in place.
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