Rae Stoltenkamp

I write therefore I am

Poetry

Eye to Aye with Poetry

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Recently in my writing group we had a very interesting conversation about poetry and why so many people feel they are unqualified to comment on it let alone attempt writing it. Both myself and another very accomplished poet argued that poetry should be for everyone and the reason so many people are put off is because their introduction to it has been stultifying. We are made to feel that if we don’t understand form, method, metre, then we’d best step aside and leave it all to the professionals. But I believe we all intrinsically grasp poetry because it is first and foremost about the sound of words. Us humans relish rhythmic sounds. It’s why we listen to music, sing and dance. I stand by this opinion as I have to teach children about poetry and am met by their fear of it coupled with the idea it will be too difficult to understand.
In a classroom full of resistance to poetry I start with just one word. Your basic, everyday common noun. I ask them to list several objects: book, cheese, knife, snake etc. Then I show them how very easy it is to turn this one word into an image which we instantly recognise. At this point I ask them to choose a favourite word and turn that into a picture. Even the child who considers itself utterly uncreative is able to complete this exercise. Now I explain that this is an Image Poem and since each of them has created one, they are now, each and every one of them, bonafide poets.
By Flynn




Every time I do this exercise I watch my classroom assistants look at me with confusion. It must be a trick. It can’t be that simple. Yet I maintain it is. For me, poetry starts with just one word. 







I remember once being told that a poem is like a painting or drawing but instead of using colour and line, we use words. I think poetry helps us understand the texture and flavour of a word. Starting small is a beginning and we should always savour the good things in the world.


By Jojo




One word can then become three lines containing seventeen syllables and suddenly your budding poet has created a haiku. The journey through poetry has begun. I favour learning by doing. The more you do something, the more you hone the skill. Muscle memory for the brain.



By Rachel




I started writing poetry when I was about 12. The impetus was my English teacher at the time – Miss Donalda Patrick who always wore her hair in Princess Leia buns. She asked us to create an anthology of our favourite poems. Under each we had to state why we had chosen that particular poem. 






I didn’t have the vocabulary I currently possess to express how those poems made me feel. But this was when I realised I relished certain words for their connotations and the way they felt on my tongue and palate as I sounded them out loud. This was also when I began to understand the value of the spoken word – how a poem read to oneself took on a whole different timbre when read aloud by Miss Patrick. There was none of those hideous pauses at the end of lines when they weren’t warranted or the dum dee dum delivery I had been taught at primary school. It was magic.

Of course at the time my poetry rhymed. I was 12 years old. And surely, all poetry rhymes when you’re that age. Now I write and care not a fig for convention. I play with form, in so much as I understand of it. My knowledge is minuscule compared to other poets I know. The main thing is that I write because I feel the need to express myself and I write what is important to me. The rhythm of it, the sound of it pleases me. Of course I look for validation. Who doesn’t? But I don’t let my lack of knowledge stop me. I can learn all that stuff. That’s what reference books, courses and the internet are for. Right?
Coming soon…

A collaborative poetry collection told from the point of view of the animals. Some of their views are not exactly pretty.



Interview With A Poet II

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                    Caroline Natzler

Caroline Natzler is a poet and creative writing teacher. Her first book was a collection of autobiographically based short stories, Water Wings, published by Onlywomen Press. Her poetry collections are Speaking the Wetlands (Pikestaff Press), Design Fault (Flambard Press), Smart Dust (Grenadine Press) and Fold (Hearing Eye). She teaches at the City Lit in London and also runs small private classes.

 
At Last
                                      I slip along the organised, brimming canals
                                      remember no dreams

                                       aware of the holes in the sides
                                       water bubbling in and out

                                       the growing rings within the trees as I pass.

                                        I know how to steer, hold true.

                                        All I have to do is given me,
                                        routines like the comfort of pets

                                        as if this were home.

from FOLD (Hearing Eye)


See Caroline’s comments about this featured poem further down in the interview.
? How old were you when you started writing poetry?
I don’t know when I first started writing poetry, but the first poem that was published was when I was 13 and a half. It was called The Magic Glass and was a lyrical, dreamy poem about the light patterns thrown by a glass (of water I assume!) on our polished wood dining room table. A magazine for teenagers called The Young Elizabethan paid me, I think, ten shillings and my mother was delighted and said maybe I would be a writer. That is a moment I treasure; she had wanted to be a writer and I feel lucky to have been able to fulfill her dream, by proxy as it were, as well as my own.
 ? What was it which first prompted the urge to write?
 Probably being quite shy and finding it difficult to voice my inner feelings any other way. And just some sense that writing would reach the heart of – what, I don’t know – not just my experience but the truth of things. For longer than I care to admit, and for long after I ceased being religious in any obvious sense, I felt writing was akin to prayer, that my writing would reach whatever creative force moved the world into being. I really only stopped feeling this when my mother died; the poem Mother in Smart Dust tries to explore this.
? Do you have a specific writing process?
 No. But I think there are two patterns at the moment; sometimes an experience, a thought, a feeling, an image will just come, quite urgently; other times I have to sit down and force myself to do a writing exercise to prompt a poem. Either way I usually work on a poem intermittently through the weeks or months, jotting things down in my notebook wherever I happen to be, or working on it at home.
? Do you prefer music or silence when you write?
If I’m at home doing any sustained work on my poetry I need silence, though as much of the work is done when I’m walking around, on the train etc I accept the background noise I suppose.
? Has your legal background hindered or helped your writing process?
  
An interesting question! I don’t like to think I have a legal background as that part of my life always feels like a mistake, although I worked in the voluntary and public sectors so I don’t feel politically or morally compromised! Perhaps the habits of mental discipline and accuracy helped, though I was always a careful thinker and writer.
? You also teach writing. Can this get in the way of your creative process?
When I started teaching I did feel the work drew fire from my own writing. I became more self-critical, (since so many of my students wrote well!) and much of my creativity went into devising approaches and exercises for my classes. I felt teaching had stolen the pleasure away from writing and that writing was no longer a private, intimate activity but part of my public identity. Publishing also had that effect initially. By now the teaching and the writing fit quite seamlessly into my life.
? How much time do you spend reworking a poem?
I think I’ve answered that question earlier. Occasionally a poem will slip out fully formed, as January did (in my new collection Fold), but normally it takes between 3 weeks, say, and 6 months of intermittent work before I’m either happy with it or have to resign myself to binning it, maybe saving one image or phrase to generate a new poem.
? You chose a feature poem for this inteview. Can you say why?
I agonised over which poem should be the featured one but eventually decided on At Last (from Fold) as it has elements I’m pleased with and is interesting in relation to the poetic process.
I like its mystery and its simplicity. I like the uneasy balance between calm,
order, fulfillment, living in the present; and awareness of time, change,
mortality.
And it amuses me whenever I read it for two personal reasons.
“the growing rings within the trees” came from an exercise where I’d
referred to the plastic rings which are coiled around the arm of my angle-
poise desk lamp. The mutations that happen in the course of writing a poem
can be quite surprising.
The other reason it makes me smile is that I’ve never owned pets and, as
far as I know, I don’t want to. Yet the line “routines like the comfort of pets”
feels right. I become a slightly different person when writing, or my
subconscious gets a look-in!

All Caroline’s collections are available through Amazon.
Experienced writers interested in Caroline’s small group sessions are welcome to apply.  If there is a space in a group she may ask to meet and read some work.  Caroline can be contacted at carolinenatzler@hotmail.co.uk

Interview With A Poet II

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                    Caroline Natzler

Caroline Natzler is a poet and creative writing teacher. Her first book was a collection of autobiographically based short stories, Water Wings, published by Onlywomen Press. Her poetry collections are Speaking the Wetlands (Pikestaff Press), Design Fault (Flambard Press), Smart Dust (Grenadine Press) and Fold (Hearing Eye). She teaches at the City Lit in London and also runs small private classes.

 
At Last
                                      I slip along the organised, brimming canals
                                      remember no dreams

                                       aware of the holes in the sides
                                       water bubbling in and out

                                       the growing rings within the trees as I pass.

                                        I know how to steer, hold true.

                                        All I have to do is given me,
                                        routines like the comfort of pets

                                        as if this were home.

from FOLD (Hearing Eye)


See Caroline’s comments about this featured poem further down in the interview.
? How old were you when you started writing poetry?
I don’t know when I first started writing poetry, but the first poem that was published was when I was 13 and a half. It was called The Magic Glass and was a lyrical, dreamy poem about the light patterns thrown by a glass (of water I assume!) on our polished wood dining room table. A magazine for teenagers called The Young Elizabethan paid me, I think, ten shillings and my mother was delighted and said maybe I would be a writer. That is a moment I treasure; she had wanted to be a writer and I feel lucky to have been able to fulfill her dream, by proxy as it were, as well as my own.
 ? What was it which first prompted the urge to write?
 Probably being quite shy and finding it difficult to voice my inner feelings any other way. And just some sense that writing would reach the heart of – what, I don’t know – not just my experience but the truth of things. For longer than I care to admit, and for long after I ceased being religious in any obvious sense, I felt writing was akin to prayer, that my writing would reach whatever creative force moved the world into being. I really only stopped feeling this when my mother died; the poem Mother in Smart Dust tries to explore this.
? Do you have a specific writing process?
 No. But I think there are two patterns at the moment; sometimes an experience, a thought, a feeling, an image will just come, quite urgently; other times I have to sit down and force myself to do a writing exercise to prompt a poem. Either way I usually work on a poem intermittently through the weeks or months, jotting things down in my notebook wherever I happen to be, or working on it at home.
? Do you prefer music or silence when you write?
If I’m at home doing any sustained work on my poetry I need silence, though as much of the work is done when I’m walking around, on the train etc I accept the background noise I suppose.
? Has your legal background hindered or helped your writing process?
  
An interesting question! I don’t like to think I have a legal background as that part of my life always feels like a mistake, although I worked in the voluntary and public sectors so I don’t feel politically or morally compromised! Perhaps the habits of mental discipline and accuracy helped, though I was always a careful thinker and writer.
? You also teach writing. Can this get in the way of your creative process?
When I started teaching I did feel the work drew fire from my own writing. I became more self-critical, (since so many of my students wrote well!) and much of my creativity went into devising approaches and exercises for my classes. I felt teaching had stolen the pleasure away from writing and that writing was no longer a private, intimate activity but part of my public identity. Publishing also had that effect initially. By now the teaching and the writing fit quite seamlessly into my life.
? How much time do you spend reworking a poem?
I think I’ve answered that question earlier. Occasionally a poem will slip out fully formed, as January did (in my new collection Fold), but normally it takes between 3 weeks, say, and 6 months of intermittent work before I’m either happy with it or have to resign myself to binning it, maybe saving one image or phrase to generate a new poem.
? You chose a feature poem for this inteview. Can you say why?
I agonised over which poem should be the featured one but eventually decided on At Last (from Fold) as it has elements I’m pleased with and is interesting in relation to the poetic process.
I like its mystery and its simplicity. I like the uneasy balance between calm,
order, fulfillment, living in the present; and awareness of time, change,
mortality.
And it amuses me whenever I read it for two personal reasons.
“the growing rings within the trees” came from an exercise where I’d
referred to the plastic rings which are coiled around the arm of my angle-
poise desk lamp. The mutations that happen in the course of writing a poem
can be quite surprising.
The other reason it makes me smile is that I’ve never owned pets and, as
far as I know, I don’t want to. Yet the line “routines like the comfort of pets”
feels right. I become a slightly different person when writing, or my
subconscious gets a look-in!

All Caroline’s collections are available through Amazon.
Experienced writers interested in Caroline’s small group sessions are welcome to apply.  If there is a space in a group she may ask to meet and read some work.  Caroline can be contacted at carolinenatzler@hotmail.co.uk

Interview With A Poet I

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While on a writing holiday in Skyros(2005), I made the conscious decision to leave teaching and become a full time writer. During this time I’ve attended a plethora of writing courses and have had the privilege to meet several fabulous poets.
One of these, Caroline Natzler, has graciously agreed to be interviewed for my blog. I met Caroline about two years after my decision to take my writing more seriously when I joined a writing class at City Lit. The large group environment didn’t suit me. So I signed up for Caroline’s privately run small group sessions.
Cover photograph: Nathan Vidler
It is mainly due to the critique and support I found in these sessions that I completed my first novel, Six Dead Menand began sending it off to agents. I had little joy in this department but as many of you know I subsequently published it as an e-novel through Autharium. Now the sales of my book have not made me millions. But the sense of pride and achievement gained are immeasurable.
Without the encouragement of Caroline and the group members I doubt I would have had the gumption to attempt such a thing. I am still writing up a storm as followers of this blog well know.
I am very privileged to have her as a teacher and mentor and take this opportunity to thank her in advance for agreeing to be interviewed.
Caroline’s interview and a featured poem from her latest collection FOLD, will follow in an early November post.

Interview With A Poet I

by Leave a Comment

While on a writing holiday in Skyros(2005), I made the conscious decision to leave teaching and become a full time writer. During this time I’ve attended a plethora of writing courses and have had the privilege to meet several fabulous poets.
One of these, Caroline Natzler, has graciously agreed to be interviewed for my blog. I met Caroline about two years after my decision to take my writing more seriously when I joined a writing class at City Lit. The large group environment didn’t suit me. So I signed up for Caroline’s privately run small group sessions.
Cover photograph: Nathan Vidler
It is mainly due to the critique and support I found in these sessions that I completed my first novel, Six Dead Menand began sending it off to agents. I had little joy in this department but as many of you know I subsequently published it as an e-novel through Autharium. Now the sales of my book have not made me millions. But the sense of pride and achievement gained are immeasurable.
Without the encouragement of Caroline and the group members I doubt I would have had the gumption to attempt such a thing. I am still writing up a storm as followers of this blog well know.
I am very privileged to have her as a teacher and mentor and take this opportunity to thank her in advance for agreeing to be interviewed.
Caroline’s interview and a featured poem from her latest collection FOLD, will follow in an early November post.

Interview With A Poet I

by Leave a Comment

While on a writing holiday in Skyros(2005), I made the conscious decision to leave teaching and become a full time writer. During this time I’ve attended a plethora of writing courses and have had the privilege to meet several fabulous poets.
One of these, Caroline Natzler, has graciously agreed to be interviewed for my blog. I met Caroline about two years after my decision to take my writing more seriously when I joined a writing class at City Lit. The large group environment didn’t suit me. So I signed up for Caroline’s privately run small group sessions.
Cover photograph: Nathan Vidler
It is mainly due to the critique and support I found in these sessions that I completed my first novel, Six Dead Menand began sending it off to agents. I had little joy in this department but as many of you know I subsequently published it as an e-novel through Autharium. Now the sales of my book have not made me millions. But the sense of pride and achievement gained are immeasurable.
Without the encouragement of Caroline and the group members I doubt I would have had the gumption to attempt such a thing. I am still writing up a storm as followers of this blog well know.
I am very privileged to have her as a teacher and mentor and take this opportunity to thank her in advance for agreeing to be interviewed.
Caroline’s interview and a featured poem from her latest collection FOLD, will follow in an early November post.