I wish there was a poetry iPod. You know what I mean--you could store all your favorite poems on it so you'd never forget them. Then you could just hit "shuffle" and get your favorites delivered to you randomly. Hmm...maybe I'm onto something here. (Now, I think, is a good time to say that if anyone ever produces or creates something like this, I thought of it first. I want royalties!)
Until I'm able to figure out how to make this product, I think I'll start a new series of blog posts. I'll call it "Poetry Mix Tape." Here's how it works...
Each week, I'll pick a theme and provide a list of poems that I really like that fit the theme. I guess I should probably pick a day of the week to do this, so let's go with...Wednesdays!
Naturally, you, dear reader, are invited to participate. I encourage you to create a mix tape of your own that fits the weekly theme. Leave your list (or a link to where we can find your list) in the comments section. And, if you don't like the theme, feel free to create your own!
(Now, I think, is a good time to say that The Small Nouns needs subscribers! I know there's about 2 of you who read on a regular basis, but I want more. So, what are you waiting for? Use the links in the sidebar to get The Small Nouns delivered to your inbox or RSS Reader. Now would also be a good time to politely beg all my fellow bloggers out there to please add me to their blog rolls! Ten hits a week just isn't cutting it with my ego.)
So without further ado, I give you this week's Poetry Mix Tape. The theme--Poems about Poets and Poetry.
"Poetry" by Marianne Moore
"Digging" by Seamus Heaney
"Poet's work" by Lorine Niedecker
"Valentine For Ernest Mann" by Naomi Shihab Nye
"Poets Hitchhiking on the Highway" by Gregory Corso
These are poems I really enjoy. I hope you enjoy them, too. And I look forward to reading the poems in your Mix Tape. Even if you're only able to contribute a poem or two, please do so in the comments.
The Poetry Friday round-up is being hosted by The Stenhouse Blog this week. Be sure to check it out!
Fun idea! "Valentine for Ernest Mann" is in my virtual poetry iPod, and I enjoyed reading your selections which were new to me. How about "Poetry Should Ride the Bus" by Ruth Forman, "Bivalves" by Christopher Morley, and "Poor Poets" by Francisco X. Alarcon?
ReplyDeleteTabatha, thank you for you Mix Tape contribution. I had never heard of these poems and they are all so terrific that I have to share links with everyone:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tcnj.edu/~knecht2/Poetryshouldride.htm
http://poetry4u.net/xe/poem/17629
http://www.poetrymagazine.com/archives/2003/May03/alarcon.htm
THANKS!
How about all the ones Amy (Poem Farm) has been writing for Poetry Friday?
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm sorry to say, but I lost count when I went over to iTunes to browse the poetry podcasts. Still, I will challenge you to make your dream happen! (on the flip side, I'm thinking about co-opting your idea for my classroom...but we won't put ours out on iTunes...or maybe we will!
Mary, those are some good ones on Amy's blog. I have been following them and enjoying.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's not so much a podcast I'm looking for, it's a way of saving a list of my favorite poems. There are so many and I find more every day that I don't want to forget them. Maybe what I really want is more of a digital binder. One that will spit poems out at me at random. I'd also like a flying car...
Maybe I'll use the idea in my classroom, too. What grade do you teach? We could collaborate and connect via the web! Just some food for thought...
I teach 4th grade. If your school has Macs, it's easy to make podcasts in GarageBand. I'm going to try to resurrect Poetry Friday in my classroom, and maybe instead of just performing/reciting favorite poems after some time to read alone and together, there will be an option to record (with a live audience), either voice only or on video. Hmm...I'm liking this idea. We could probably find a way to share our work, as long as it was classroom-only (not the whole wide web)...thinking aloud here, but I'm liking it!
ReplyDelete"Poet's Work" -- great! Talk about condensed.
ReplyDeleteFrom the poems of Niedecker's that I've read, she's a master condenser. Popcorn Can Cover is a prime example and one of my faves.
ReplyDeleteI like your poetry iPod idea. I wonder if you could create some kind of App for the iPod or iPad that has to do with poetry, too. That could be fun. By the way, I feel your pain about having subscribers/followers. I just started my blog a few weeks ago and am not sure what the future holds. It might be nice to keep up with each other and see how our journeys are going. Good luck!
ReplyDelete"Because you Asked About the Line Between Poetry and Prose" by Howard Nemerov
ReplyDelete"Litany" by Billy Collins (not really about poetry, but he mocks the conventions of love poetry)
"Why I Am Not a Painter" by Frank O'Hara
"Poetry" by Pablo Neruda (GREAT last line, Ben; check it out)
Thanks for the great poems, links, and ideas!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous post, and so many great comments, too! I'll have to bookmark it so that I can explore all these poems!
ReplyDeleteOh, Leah, those are some good ones. This could turn out to be one great mix tape. I have to be honest, I don't really get the Nemerov poem. I mean, I like it (love the near rhyme of drizzle and invisible), but when I read it with the title...I'm a little clueless. But that's okay, it's a great poem. The Collins poem is one of my favorites. My fifth graders loved it for its seemingly complete randomness. I've never thought about it as a poem about poetry, though. Is that naive of me? You really got me thinking on that one. The O'Hara poem is great, too. And you're right about that last line of the Neruda poem.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the contribution, Leah! And here's links to those poems for anyone that wants them:
Nemerov: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20007
Collins: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=30605
O'Hara: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/archive/poem.html?id=171361
Neruda: http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/poetry-2/