Ripped From The Headlines
As one of my Lexington Poetry Gauntlet side quests, I am taking a documentary poem workshop taught by Marianne Worthington that I am finding very inspiring as a writer but also think could be tremendously useful for teaching writing – argumentation in particular. This is a definite endorsement of both Worthington and the Carnegie Center for Literacy & Learning, btw. Note: You do not need to be in Lexington to attend many of their programs!
I know that I personally struggle when I attempt to write about many issues that are both topical and timeless and I am far from satisfied with my first attempt at a documentary poem, but Worthington has offered me some useful insights that I think will help me grow as a docupoet – an aspiration that I did not even know I possessed. Yet I think this urge lies at the root of my cowboy era (see America loves a cowboy, How To Break A Cowboy, A Suggested Male Studies Curriculum (in three tankas), and A Recommended Reading List and my more recent obsession with myths and monsters (see Fool’s Baking).
“Rooted in reality, written with a keen observer’s eye, and shaped with a sense of song, documentary poetry tells the truth in an artist’s voice. For generations, through wars, crisis, and political upheaval, documentary poets have helped make sense of some of our most difficult moments – by expressing what might otherwise be impossible to say. So what are they writing about today?” – Wisconsin Public Radio
What is in the headlines that disturbs you? What societal trends concern you? What truths do you think need sharing that journalism cannot offer with the raw emotional power of poetry? Learn more about documentary poetry:
- From Reznikoff to Public Enemy: The poet as journalist, historian, agitator.
- Documentary Poetics: A Reader’s Guide
- Documentary Poetry, Poetics, and Craft
