This will be my final post as a columnist for DIY MFA. This is a bittersweet departure for me, but I’m excited to begin another chapter of my life! It’s truly been an honor writing for you all and I thought I’d leave you with some of the lessons I’ve learned from 7 years of writing poetry (I can’t believe it’s already been that long!). 

My hope is that by sharing these lessons, I can inspire some of you to keep pushing forward with your own writing and maybe even pick up a pen and try your hand at poetry yourselves. 

Without further ado, here are my top 5 lessons learned:

Lesson 1: Poetry Can Be About Taking Risks

Poetry can be risky business. Not in the sense of physical danger, but in the sense of vulnerability. When you write poetry, you’re often revealing your deepest emotions and thoughts. It’s an act of bravery to put those feelings out into the world. 

However, taking risks doesn’t have to be about vulnerability or putting yourself out into the world in ways that you’re uncomfortable with. It can also be about pushing boundaries and challenging the reader (and yourself) to see things in a new light. It can be about experimenting with form and structure, playing with words and sounds, and digging deep into your own emotions and experiences to find meaning in the world around you.

The best poetry often comes from taking risks, from trying something new and daring to be unafraid to taking chances and experimenting with language and form. 

So don’t be afraid to take risks with your writing—you never know what amazing things might come from it.

Lesson 2: Poetry Is About Finding Your Voice

When you’re first starting out as a poet, it can be easy to get caught up in the work of other writers. I find myself still doing this, too! You might find yourself trying to imitate the style of your favorite poets or their subject matter. 

But the truth is, the best poetry comes from finding your own unique voice. Your voice is what sets you apart from other writers—it’s what makes your work stand out, so it’s important to take the time to explore yourself as a writer, experiment with different styles and subjects, and find what feels true to you. 

Don’t worry about whether or not your work is “good” or “bad.” Just focus on finding your voice and expressing yourself honestly.

Lesson 3: Read Widely

Reading widely is an important part of any poet’s journey. It can provide inspiration, help you find your own unique writing style, and give you valuable insights into the various ways poetry can be used to express emotions and ideas. 

Reading widely also helps you become more familiar with different poetic forms, styles, structures, and techniques. 

Not only should you read a lot of poetry from different time periods, but I also recommend broadening your horizons by reading works from poets of different backgrounds. Diversity in literature is just as important as diversity in any other field. 

Finally, remember to take the time to analyze each poem that you read. Think about what the poet was trying to convey through their words and why they chose particular language or a certain structure to do so. This kind of thoughtful analysis will help your writing become even stronger in the long run.

Lesson 4: Poetry Can Be Collaborative 

Writing poetry doesn’t have to be a solitary activity. In fact, there is great power in collaborating with other writers, sharing ideas and inspiration to create something greater than the sum of its parts. 

Collaborations can take many forms, from writing duos to group poetry sessions. They allow for diverse perspectives and experiences to come together in a single work, creating something that can be unique and powerful. 

If you’re interested in collaborating with other writers, start by reaching out to fellow poets you admire or joining writing groups in your community. Experiment with different forms of collaboration and see what works best for you.

Lesson 5: Poetry Requires Patience

Writing poetry is not something that comes easily to most people. It takes time, effort, and patience. Sometimes you might find yourself struggling to come up with the right words or phrases, but that’s okay!

It’s important to respect the process of writing and take some time to explore and refine your ideas. Don’t get discouraged if things don’t come out as you expected. Instead, use it as an opportunity to learn more about yourself as a writer. 

As with all good things in life, poetry is a skill that takes time to develop, so don’t be too hard on yourself when you’re just starting out. 

My advice would be to practice regularly: set aside time each day or week to just sit down and write. Even if you don’t feel inspired, write something anyway. You never know what kind of magic might come from just putting words on paper.

And remember, patience also means giving yourself permission to revise and edit your work. Sometimes you’ll need to step away from a poem for a while and come back to it with fresh eyes. Don’t rush the process of perfecting your work—it takes time and effort to craft a truly great poem.

With that, I bid you farewell, poets! Keep writing, keep searching for your voice, and never stop taking risks with your words! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.  

Manuela Williams is a Las Vegas-based writer and editor. She is the author of Ghost In Girl Costume, which won the 2017 Hard To Swallow Chapbook Contest. Her second poetry chapbook, Witch, is forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press. When she’s not writing, Manuela is busy drinking coffee and spending time with her blind Pomeranian, Redford.

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Your hairdresser. The mail delivery person. The landscaper, the hummingbird feeder refill person. The person who diligently washes, folds and presses your socks. 

And, for sure, writers should play around with poetry. 

I’m talking to you, non-fiction writers. I’m talking to you, business and copywriter, you life coaches blogging away about practical steps to evolve the life you want. Hey you—yes, you, that serious journalist with the Pulitzer prize for your coverage of the public health crises of gun violence in the US—I am for sure talking to you about poetry right now.

You might think poetry is only for those sensitive, mysterious literary souls who see magic in the glow of green from a leaf in the sun. 

This is erroneous. (I used that word for you, technical copywriter!) 

If you have a minute, I can assure you that poetry will make your everyday writing infused with life and light. 

Yes, even you, instruction manual writer (are there any of you out there? I am so sorry for never, ever reading them).

Poetry Redefined

Let me redefine poetry for you in a way that makes more sense:

Poetry is a literary work in which special intensity is given to the expression of feelings and ideas by the use of distinctive style and rhythm. (Lexico.com)

Writing how you feel with style and rhythm. 

Like a song. 

Like Eminem’s popular hit, Lose Yourself.

And you don’t even have to sing what you write for millions of fans. 

If you’re still with me, I can tell you are already three steps ahead of this article and are realizing how therapeutic playing around with poetry can be for all kinds of intense emotions like anxiety, depression, shame, and even grief.

So many writers shy away from poetry—and I can understand why. It’s like shining a spotlight into the deepest, darkest sides of your soul. I can see why most writers would rather pretend that kind of belly gazing is for the elite few. 

Why you should consider playing around with poetry

Playing around with poetry will improve your writing. You might say, “Says you, Angela Banagela, but how does it do that?” I see you, skeptical engineer/memoir writer, and good job rhyming my name. 

There are three main ways writing poetry improves prose and those are forcing us to focus, to be mindful, and to work within the restraints of structure.

Focus

Poetry forces you to focus on one moment. That green leaf glowing in the sun. Or on what you are feeling. 

Did you know most people can only name three emotions? Anger, sadness, and happiness. We are complex social beings with the capability of feeling many things at once. When you try to put that into words and do it with style and rhythm, something in your heart breaks open and you realize there are other feelings hidden beneath the obvious. 

Writing poetry is probably the only time I am focused enough on myself to realize how sad I am. Or how joyful. Usually, both at the same time.

About a year ago I sat down and wrote a happy poem about being outside with my toddler, how his inner wild and nature’s outer wild echoed and reflected back at each other. And in the end I realized I was also sad because I knew this time would be short. That soon enough he would be grown and gone, but I wanted to remember that small jewel of a memory. Like a photograph not just of a moment in time but of how we were that day. Joyful, sad, content, grateful.

Mindful

Poetry slows us down. Poems are such powerful, economic animals. You must choose your words thoughtfully, methodically, and mindfully. You could get lost in the effort and when you look up from your paper you realize you’re not the same scattered, stressed-out person who started it. If you haven’t tried meditating for stress relief, try writing poetry first.

Structure

Some poetry have rigid rules around rhyming, placement of syllables, and even form and theme. I’ve spoken lovingly about Haiku in the past, but that is not the only form of poetry that requires us to work within restraints. 

Going from freewriting to a Sonnet, for example, can get all the wheels working from your logical-analytical brain to your limbic system to your creative side. It’s like a workout for your brain AND heart. 

Playing around with poetry is just good for all the systems we need to be functioning well in order to be a positive, contributing member of society. And…fun. 

Practice Playing around with Poetry

I won’t leave you flailing about with that blank sheet of paper staring at you, don’t worry, I got you. Try this next time you’re stuck on an article, or you can’t get motivated:

We’re going old school here: grab a pencil and paper (I like those small spiral notebooks they sell at Walmart), then write the first few thoughts that come to mind when you hear the word “spoon.” 

Write as long as you like. 

Have fun with it. 

I bet you’d be surprised how much your mind has to say about something as innocuous as a spoon. 

When you feel like you’re done, try to make a rhyming poem out of it. Give yourself 15 minutes to write whatever rhyming scheme you want. AABB, ABC, ABC, you get the picture. 

You don’t have time to do this right now—you just read this whole article! Throw the notepad and a pen in your purse (or man bag) and next time you’re waiting and realize you forgot your book, try scribbling out a poem about a spoon, see what happens.

As usual, Neil Gaiman said it best: 

“If you dare nothing, then when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.” The Graveyard Book.

Tell us in the comments: How will you play around with poetry today?

Angela Yeh is an East Coast Canadian native that lives and works in the great state of Texas. Angela loves to garden, write about magic, and eat cake. If you’d like to check out her first published novel, A Phoenix Rises, a finalist in the Dante Rossetti Book Awards for Young Adult Fiction for 2021, that would be peachy. Angela lives with her family, three cranky fur babies and a gecko. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram or her website.

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A (Very) Brief History of Confessional Poetry

In 1959, Robert Lowell’s Life Studies was published, a collection that would later be described as “confessional” by critic M.L. Rosenthal. In his review of Life Studies, Rosenthal wrote that Lowell’s collection read as “a series of personal confidences, rather shameful, that one is honor-bound not to reveal.” He concluded with the following impression of Lowell’s collection: “[it is] impure art, magnificently stated but unpleasantly egocentric—somehow resembling the triumph of the skunks over the garbage can.” 

Ouch. Based on that review alone, one would assume Lowell’s work was incorrigibly self-centered and perhaps even too personal. 

Indeed, at first glance, Lowell’s poems are markedly different from the Romantic poets that came before him. Rather than hiding behind allusion and metaphor, Lowell brought so-called “taboo” topics to the forefront of his poetry. 

Lowell’s struggles with mental illness, his tumultuous relationship with his father, as well as his troubled marriage, are examined directly and written about with unflinching honesty throughout Life Studies. 

In one of his most well-known poems, “Skunk Hour,” Lowell writes: “My mind’s not right.” I’d argue that such a personal declaration wouldn’t have appeared in earlier poetry (or, if such a sentiment did appear, it would most certainly have been obscured by the poet). 

Though Rosenthal was apparently not a huge fan of the confessional mode, Robert Lowell’s influence can be seen in the work of Sylvia Plath, and elements of the confessional can also be seen in the poetry of Ted Hughes, Anne Sexton, W.D. Snodgrass, and John Berryman. 

What Confessional Poetry Isn’t

Before continuing, I want to take a moment to unpack the idea that confessional poetry is somehow “unpleasantly egocentric,” as Rosenthal puts it. I strongly disagree! 

Though Rosenthal brings up some interesting points in his review of Life Studies, I think his initial definition—and subsequent dismissal—of the confessional mode is quite limiting and disregards the potential for confessional poetry to speak to a more universal human experience. 

While the work of “traditionally” confessional poets such as Lowell and Plath (and more contemporary poets such as Sharon Olds) examines particular sources of personal shame, guilt, and trauma, those sources aren’t inherently unique. 

For example, in her 1992 collection, The Father, Sharon Olds traces her father’s illness and death through a series of narrative poems. While the interactions between the speaker and her father throughout the collection are rooted in specifics, it can be argued that the collection moves beyond the personal and “egocentric” by addressing and grappling with the common human experience of death. 

While readers might not be able to identify with the specifics of Olds’s relationship with her father, they can identify, or empathize with, the emotions that arise out of a loved one’s illness and death. 

In other words, I am of the mind that, while confessional poetry is certainly personal, it is in the sharing and reading of the personal that we are able to connect outwards with others who’ve experienced something similar. 

Characteristics of Confessional-Style Poetry

The following isn’t meant to be a definitive list of what makes a confessional poem confessional. Instead, I’d describe it as a list of common characteristics of this type of poetry. 

Some poets and poems fit more comfortably into this category than others. As a matter of fact, I’d argue that many contemporary poets borrow a lot from the confessional mode—it’s a large umbrella! 

Contains autobiographical material. 

In writing Life Studies, Robert Lowell drew on personal experiences, including his mental health struggles as well as his marriage. 

Sylvia Plath drew on the similar subject matter in Ariel, but also expanded upon it. Her poem, “Lesbos,” for instance, reflects a venomous hatred towards the domestic. 

More contemporary poets, such as Kaveh Akbar and Sharon Olds, further expand on the “types” of personal subject matter explored in confessional poetry. Akbar, in Calling a Wolf a Wolf, grapples with alcoholism. Olds has often explored childhood abuse in her work. In Felon, Reginald Dwayne Betts writes about his incarceration. 

A prominent “lyric I.” 

The “lyric I” refers to the first-person speaker in a poem. When the “lyric I” appears in a poem, many assume that it is the poet speaking. For instance, when Sylvia Plath writes a poem using the “lyric I” to describe a troubled marriage, one might assume that she is writing about her own marriage to Ted Hughes. 

If you spot the first-person in a poem, it might be a clue that the poem is more personal in nature. 

However, it’s important to not always conflate a first-person speaker with the poet, as the “lyric I” can sometimes serve different functions within a poem (like in the personal poems of Patricia Smith). 

Writing Exercises

Now that you have a general idea of the history and common characteristics of confessional poetry, it’s time for you to try writing a confessional-style poem of your own. Here are some writing exercises to get you started: 

Exercise 1: One misconception about confessional poetry is that, in order to write something truly “confessional,” one must have experienced trauma or suffering. While it’s true that many confessional and post-confessional poets write about traumatic events, it is not a prerequisite to writing in this style. I’d argue that, at the heart of confessional poetry, is a self or “I” who is trying to express something, whether that be suffering or some other emotion. 

Your goal for this exercise is to write about an event that had a profound emotional impact on you. It does not need to be traumatic or upsetting in nature. Describe the event and emotions using figurative language. Play with the form of the poem. Invent a different “self” to insert into the poem. How do they behave? 

Exercise 2: A common theme in early confessional poetry is the idea of shame/guilt. Write about something you feel particularly ashamed of (and remember–you don’t need to share what you write with anyone if you don’t want to!). 

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever read confessional poetry? What did you think?

Manuela Williams lives and writes in Nevada. She is the author of two poetry chapbooks and one paranormal fiction novella. When she’s not writing, Manuela loves reading romance novels, drinking *all* the coffee, and playing video games. You can find her on Twitter.

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