Allyson Whipple

Category: writing

  • The Artist’s Way: Week 2

    I finished week two of The Artist’s Way on Saturday, amidst the fun of the Georgetown Poetry Festival. The whole week was busy, between general life, working on the poetry festival, and an emergency root canal (one of the teeth damaged in my car accident a few years ago decided to start dying). I ended the week feeling like I hadn’t accomplished much, because it was a struggle to fit the exercises in with everything else. But I did work every day.

    I’m really enjoying doing the morning pages, even though it requires getting up even earlier. My head feels clearer throughout the day when I do a big brain dump first thing in the morning. They’re definitely paying off. I also feel like certain projects I’m bandying around are coming together, especially my next poetry book. I have a title and a basic structure for the next collection, and it feels as though I’ll actually meet my goal of a rough manuscript draft by the end of the year.

    This week’s progress was small, but no less incremental. I look forward to seeing what week three will bring.

     

  • The Artist’s Way: Week One

     

    I’ve been hearing about The Artist’s Way ever since I moved to Austin, and saw it on the shelves on a regular basis when I worked at BookWoman. I have to admit, for the past four years, I thought it looked incredibly hokey. I knew lots of people who had done it, but I couldn’t get past the apparent cheesiness. But then, this summer, a poet I admire mentioned she would be doing The Artist’s Way again, and it wouldn’t be her first time. So I finally decided to give it a shot, no matter how cheesy.

    So far, I have to say that the book has surprised me. In the first week, I have already been challenged, already made to think. Writing morning pages has allowed me to resuscitate a journal writing practice that has been stagnant for several years. Writing out daily affirmations doesn’t actually feel all that hokey. In fact, it’s refreshing. I’m also surprised, as I’m working on my affirmations, all the inner resistances and criticisms I have toward realizing the full potential of my creativity. It’s been worthwhile just to realize all the little ways my inner critic comes out.

    I’ve also realized, while working through these exercises, that I have far more people in my life who support my work than I have people who create negative energy. I am very lucky to have so many wonderful friends, teachers, and supporters in my life.

    The artist date is also a lot of fun. For this exercise, you go and do something fun all by yourself for a few hours. This week, I went out to Mount Bonnell and took a bunch of photographs. I hadn’t been out there in over two years, and had a great time wandering. The image at the top of this post is from some graffiti I found there; I found it particularly apt.

    Speaking of photography, one of the exercises this week made me realize that I want to be more serious about my photo practice. So I’ve looked into workshops and joined some Meetup groups. I’m excited to see where this particular creative journey goes.

    The one thing I have done differently is a slight tweak in terminology. Cameron uses the term “The Creator” in affirmations and in essays. When writing out my affirmations, I use “the world” instead. As an agnostic, I don’t feel comfortable writing out affirmations that invoke something resembling a deity. But “the world” is something that is larger than myself, and is something my skeptical mind accepts as real.

    I did the reading for Week Two this morning, and I’m already looking forward to doing the exercises, going on my artist date (possibly the Elizabeth Ney museum, but I’m still deciding), and seeing where the week takes me.

  • Notes on form: Haiku

    Lately, I’ve been perusing Jane Reichold‘s essays, insights, and wisdom about haiku. I’ve especially been inspired by “Some Thoughts for Rethinking Haiku,” which posits a series of questions about the form. Since haiku often result as part of my small stones practice, I decided it would be a fun exercise to respond to these questions on my blog. So without further ado…

    Should there be a better term for poetry written in English that is the result of admiration and emulation of haiku?

    Not one that I can think of.

    Is the so-called “haiku moment” any different from the seconds of inspiration that occur with other works of art?

    For me, it is. The haiku moment seizes me very suddenly when it happens. It’s a moment of clarity that forces me to stop and write. Even if what I put on paper isn’t a haiku in the proper form, it’s the impulse, the words themselves, that matter. With a standard poem, there is less of a triggering moment. Other poems come to me gradually, over time. They’re less sudden. (I would love to hear from other writers as to their answer to this question.)

    It is traditional that a break occurs between the two phrases of a haiku; either after the first line or after the second. Do you miss this in haiku that read as a run-on sentence?

    I do. I find myself very attached to line breaks, and less engaged when a haiku is written as a run-on sentence.

    And haiku one-liners; how do you feel when you read them?

    It’s harder for me to focus when the haiku is just one line. I like the tiny build of three lines. I like the way my brain responds to line breaks.

    What about those where a break happens at the end of each line? Or the phrase breaks are mid-line?

    This is the way I prefer to read haiku, probably because I have spent so many years reading poetry with line breaks, so my brain expects things to be a certain way.

    Do you feel haiku need punctuation? If so, where and how much?

    Sometimes a comma, semicolon, or em-dash might be necessary, but it depends on the poem. I definitely think haiku should have as little punctuation as possible for the poem to make sense.

    While reading haiku can you see a link between the images in each one? Are there two “poles”, pulling your mind in opposite directions before the “snap” of the spark that joins dissimilar things?

    In a well-written haiku, yes. This is something I actually try to achieve in all of my poems, not just haiku. (I often say that I’m primarily inspired by haiku even though I don’t write in the form all the time; I like the compression, and the way connections are expressed in such a small space.)

    What makes a haiku different from other three-line short poems?

    Honestly, I think the syllabic requirements, and not much else. I call many of my small stones haiku even though they don’t meet form requirements, though often change that designation when submitting work, because editors don’t always agree with me.

    Do you miss a reference to nature or is that less important than the way the linkage works?

    I think the linkage is most important. Nature is part of traditional haiku, and still has a place in contemporary haiku, but from my personal aesthetic, I find the linkage more compelling. The expanse of nature is not the only thing that can be expressed in a confined space.

    Do days go by when you are too busy to write haiku until a pressing deadline forces you to look! and there they are haiku all around you?

    At this point in my life, I’m glad to say that I’m never too busy for haiku (or small stone, depending on your definition). No matter how busy my day is, I am able to carve out a few minutes to reflect and write one of these brief poems. Haiku are all around me, no matter how busy I am, though they seem to be more easily observed before noon.

    How often have you thought of a good haiku and neglected to write it down?

    Probably fairly often in the past, but since I neglected the moment, I’ve forgotten about it entirely. These days, I don’t care what I’m doing. I whip out my notebook and jot it down. If for some reason I don’ t have paper and pen available, I type it into an Evernote document on my phone. I no longer make excuses for missing a moment.

    Do you miss the time you are not open, searching for the crack in the reality of this world where you can slip in to find haiku?

    I’ve become adept at taking time no matter what, though on busy days, when I can spare at most ten minutes, I feel frustrated that I don’t have longer.

    What activities bring you into a state of awareness where haiku occur?

    Seated meditation. Walking outside. Dancing, or watching people dance. Watching my dogs run around and play.

    Would you like to spend more of your day in that consciousness?

    Most definitely yes. The 40-hour workweek is not conducive to it, though.

    What can be changed to accomplish this?

    Setting up a meditation ritual, and sticking to it.

  • Work published at Haiku Journal

    I have an haiku in issue 13 of Haiku Journal. The entire issue is free online, and I’m proud to be sharing space with such wonderful writing.

    I especially love this one by Peter Sacco:

    Between each movement
    the trio rests ─ the dark hall
    echoes with coughing

    My own contribution to this issue was written last year, in the midst of the terrible Texas drought. I’m glad I found a home for it here.

  • New poem at Big River Poetry Review

    At the Blue Willow reading last weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting John Lambremont, Sr., editor of Big River Poetry Review. He drove all the way out from Baton Rouge to hear us read, and his presence was very much appreciated.

    Big River Poetry Review is a new publication; it debuted online this past spring. In addition, it will run an annual print anthology. Rather than publishing once every few weeks or months, John Lambremont’s aim is to update daily, sharing poetry on an ongoing basis.

    I submitted some poems soon after returning to Austin, and I’m happy to share that one of my poems, entitled “What is dust?,” appeared on the site earlier this week. I’m very happy to be a part of this new publication, and look forward to watching its growth over the coming year.

  • Haiku up at Extract(s)

    I have an haiku up today at Extract(s). The photo that accompanies it is an original one, taken while standing at the top of Enchanted Rock on a cloudy day.

    This haiku came out of my small stones practice. Not all of my small stones are haiku — in fact, most of them aren’t — but some of them do end up being in haiku form. It was composed during that brief, blessed rainy season.

    There was a time in my life when I didn’t enjoy writing haiku, but now I find it one of my favorite forms. And in the past few years, I feel like my longer poems are really inspired by the compression of haiku. I like to fit my words into tight spaces, and give a rich image while still managing to be sparse. There is so much concentration that goes into a haiku (both in the sense of compression and attention), and that’s why I’ve come to adore them so much.

  • Fun Flash Fiction Win

    Chuck Wendig frequently hosts flash fiction challenges over at his blog. Two weeks ago, the challenge was to tell a story in three sentences. There were just over 160 excellent entries. It’s amazing what people can do with so few words**.

    I checked back in the comments section yesterday morning, and lo and behold, I was one of the winners! Meaning I get a free copy of 500 Ways to Tell a Better Story. (Which you should buy. I mean, I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve bought and read many of Chuck’s other books. His fiction is great and his writing advice is indispensable.)

    This is what I did with three sentences:

    The king died, and then the queen died. The estate got tied up in probate. When the revolution came, the lawyers ended up in the guillotines.

    You should really go check out the rest of the entries, too. Especially the other winners. I was particularly blown away by Robert Thomas’s entry.

     

     

    **I still hate Twitter, though. I felt like I was slowly developing ADD whenever I used it.

  • Your Daily Poem

    I normally like to make my publication announcements early on the day that they appear, but Tuesdays are always hectic. And now that my day is done, there’s a cute little dog blocking access to my laptop and demanding cuddles.

    Maxwell actually gets mad at the laptop sometimes. He has some jealousy issues.

    However, life and adorable-dog interruptions aside, I’m thrilled to announce that my poem, “Lizard,” was published at Your Daily Poem this morning. I’ve been a subscriber at YDP for a while now, and it’s exciting to be a part of a site that brings a little bit of joy to my inbox every morning.

    I’ve been trying to write persona poems lately. Getting out of my own head and into the head of someone else is definitely an interesting exercise, even if it doesn’t lead to a poem that I consider a keeper. Normally, I write from the perspective of a friend, or from a person I have noticed while out and about, or sometimes even a person who is entirely fictional. “Lizard,” as you might have already guessed, is written from the perspective of the title character.

    Specifically, this little guy running around the grounds at Round Top.

    I’ve loved lizards ever since I came to Texas. They eat insects. They’re ostensibly good luck. And they’re cute. This poem in particular was inspired by the lizards I encountered at Round Top when I was there for the poetry festival. While one of them stayed still long enough to pose for a few photographs, most of them darted out of sight pretty quickly, and I could only imagine that they were slightly annoyed by the presence of all of us poets trampling on their territory. And thus, a poem was formed.

    It’s free to subscribe to YDP, and I encourage you all to sign up. It’s a nice way to get a little literary inspiration and excitement as soon as you check your email in the morning.

  • Words Matter

    Last night, the above joke appeared on my Google+ stream. At one point, a woman made a comment about how the “how can u” people didn’t do “any meaningful work.” Since I had insomnia anyway, I pointed out the classist assumptions in her statement. Education (both grammatical and sexual) and employment  are both associated with poverty level. To automatically assume that the “how can u” group doesn’t do any “meaningful” work is highly problematic. Working two part-time service jobs to make ends meet is certainly not what many people would call “meaningful,” but it doesn’t give us the right to call lower-class people lazy and make fun of them.

    This woman and I tussled for a bit, and ultimately, she gave me the “it was just a joke” line. She told me that this joke, and discussions of poverty and education, were two different issues.

    Words matter. I know this. Words matter because they are the building blocks of human communication. They are how we transmit ideas. The are how we teach. When we think, we think in the language we know. Words are one tool we have for developing our worldviews. It’s almost scary how much power they have.

    Words always have meaning. It doesn’t matter if you’re making a joke. It doesn’t matter if you’re being serious. Words still always mean things, and those meanings cannot always be erased in context.

    But words also are not always overt. In the picture at the top of the page, the punchline is that “Grammar Matters.” Now, I love good grammar. I love good punctuation so much that I have a tattoo of a semicolon on my wrist. I do believe that grammar matters.

    However, this image isn’t just saying that grammar is important. The words don’t just literally mean that. They are also implying that if you don’t have good grammar, you’re the kind of person who gets STDs and doesn’t do anything meaningful to improve the world.

    As I mentioned above, poverty can have a huge impact on education and employment. I signed a bunch of confidentiality agreements at my day job, but I can tell you that I spend 40 hours a week seeing the disparity of education levels between wealthy and poor communities. There is a huge gap between Dallas and Brownsville. Houston is so big and diverse that there are huge gaps within the city itself. Depending on where you are in Texas (in the USA, in the world), you may or may not be learning to write. You may or may not be learning about safe sex. You may or may not be learning basic concepts in math and science. You may or may not even finish high school.

    The image above makes fun of the huge disadvantages that economically disadvantaged people face on a daily basis. On the surface, the words are saying, “Ha ha, let’s make fun of all the stupid people who don’t know how herpes is transmitted.” (Let’s not even touch on the fact that you can come from an economically wealthy community and be taught, in public school, that abstinence and religion is the only option you have available and doesn’t actually educate you.) But what it implies is that if you have not had the advantages of a good education, if you are poor and struggling to make end’s meet, if you don’t have energy after working 60 hours a week to fight global warming, or any spare money to invest in stocks, then you are less of a person. It implies that if you haven’t had the advantages of a middle- or upper-class person, you don’t measure up.

    I don’t see this image and discussions of poverty and education as separate issues. The reason this image exists is because these disparities exist, and somebody thought it was funny to mock them. This is funny because there is class inequality in this country, and some people like to try capitalizing on that for their own amusement.

    This image is not “just a joke.” It is a reflection of the way we view and judge the undereducated in the United States. And I, for one, am uncomfortable with laughing at those who haven’t had all the privileges I had growing up.

    I believe that language has the power to change the world. One of the ways it can do that if if we stop using it as a tool to mock others who are undeserving of our scorn. Thing before you speak. And when you do, don’t just think about what your words say on the surface. Think about what they suggest. Think about what they imply. Think about what you might be really saying.

  • I’m Ephemeral!

    It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of poetry chapbooks — small collections, cheap enough that you can buy a bunch at a time and discover something new. That’s one of the reasons I also enjoy zines. They’re an easy, inexpensive way to discover someone or something new. I’ve never made one of my own; working on the chapbook is enough for now. But my friend Quinn Collard makes zines, one of which is called Ephemera. She just released issue #5 last week, and I have a poem called “Bonded” in it. My contributor’s copy arrived on Monday, and I’ve enjoyed flipping through it. I’m really excited to be included, and to have contributed work to a friend’s project. If your a friend of poetry, typewriters, and other miscellany, check it out!

    My friend Quinn Collard