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Hello Poets,
Summertime is flying! Don't miss this week's round-up at Leap of Dave. Thank you, Dave, for hosting.
I'm between poetry projects and coming off a summer mostly away from my writing routine.
I'm returning to writing by writing in the style of other poets--to help me find my way back into my own groove. By now, I have a system worked out:
- In my digital notebook, I paste copies of poems found online during my browsing. These poems are found on facebook, twitter, instagram, and inbox subscriptions.
- I keep my notebook in a powerpoint slide show. I start a new slide deck each month. The first slide is a blank calendar. I mark it up with Poetry Friday hosts, monthly prompts, and challenges
- I scroll through collected items and write in a text box alongside a saved poem.
- By right-clicking on a slide in the preview pane, I can duplicate it so that I have an original and then an extra slide to mark up or play with or edit in some way
- Additionally, the "notes" tab at the bottom of each slide is a great place to paste a URL or notes about the source of what I've pasted.
- I have a folder labeled for this year's writing on my desktop. Each month's powerpoint is stored in the folder.
A draft I'm sharing from this week is not quite like Mary Oliver's sense of wonder--more the opposite but still in her style.
The most interesting stars keep finding me. This picture below was recently on twitter. Isn't it an amazing paper sculpture? It begged for a poem that's now on the padlet.
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Linda, I like your poem so much! I noticed just this morning that there wasn't much light when I got up; in fact, I mistook the lack of sun for bad weather. Thankfully, I was wrong. That paper sculpture is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDear Linda, your digital poetry journal is such a beautiful way to keep your writing life! Thank you for sharing. xo
ReplyDeleteLove your morning poem drawn from Mary Oliver’s, especially “August/hanging limp from the calendar.” Still wish we could s-l-o-w all down a bit… And intriguing celestial paper sculpture, thanks Linda!
ReplyDeleteOops, anonymous above is from me, Michelle Kogan
ReplyDeleteLinda, I can't believe I didn't know about your PPt journal. I think I need to switch over from my plain old Google Doc. Would you mind sending a copy of the pages you shared so I can customize? Your last stanza, "hanging limp from the calendar", is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWow, Linda, I am so impressed by your organization of the happenings in your own marvelous poetry world. It's just me & my Word doc! I love your poem's beginning, "the sun has already begun sleeping in". Yes, I'm rising in the dark these recent days! The 'star' find is amazing!
ReplyDeleteLinda, this is an awesome way to write... very cool. Thanks for sharing it. I'm much simpler in my approach, but I have been saving favorite poems that I come across, and hope/plan to go back and use them as mentor texts. I love your "mid August... hanging limp...begging for hatch marks" Fabulous.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your process along with your poem, Linda! It's always amazing to me how many different organizational tools are available. I never thought of using a Powerpoint deck as a notebook! I'm a big Mary Oliver fan so she has inspired many of my poems as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiration you are! I love the idea of using Powerpoint to organize your poems and the things that inspire them. I love your morning poem and how August hangs limp. I hope it's over soon. August, for me, is so oppressive. Thanks for sharing "This Photo" too.
ReplyDeleteLinda, how fascinating to read your process of organizing the poems of your inspiration. I love it! Thanks for sharing. Yes, August--so often oppressive in heat and responsibilities. Bless you as you begin your new school year.
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating in this weeks Poetry Friday. I really enjoyed Mary Oliver's poem. The line They don't even know they have wings blew me away. Your "Autumn is on it's way and there is no un-tilting of earth from it's axis" and "Lap-tops glow at 0'dark thirty" give her poem a run for it's money. Great job!
ReplyDeleteLinda, your digital journal is wonderful. I taught many teachers during my PD presentations and my intense Summer graduate course over the past years on how to make use of an interactive digital notebook. I miss that interaction with teachers but I will reopen the discussion this fall when I keynote 4 times during the year through Zoom (to a reading association on Long Island). "Mid-August arrives hanging limp from the calendar...love the way you gave August a persona. Your star padlet is sizzling with delight. The image you shared is a beautiful piece of art.
ReplyDeleteI think I will bookmark your post to share with teacher learners who are interested. Thanks.
DeleteWow! Thanks so much for sharing your digital process. I found it both fascinating and inspiring! I love the idea of creating a collection of inspirations and then turning to them again and again. The imagery and word choice in your poem are spot on, and your final line is perfect.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thanks so much for sharing your process. I never would have thought to use PowerPoint that way. Your "This Morning" is quite striking, especially the last stanza." The star sculpture is amazing! I was unable to find the corresponding poem on the padlet, but enjoyed seeing and reading about the Blue Star from Scotland. Your "friendlight" is such a wonderful image.
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