People! (a prelude to my source showcase)

Hello hello,

I wanted to write a post concerning my source showcase next week, which is largely centered around people & living source.

I struggled for awhile with figuring out how to fully understand people as a source, because they are so complex and have their own experiences that may differ from our own.

It really struck me last week, when I found out that a CNF piece of mine is to be published. I was elated, and absolutely terrified as this story is a very personal anecdote featuring my immediate family. Although this is my experience, crafted in a way that helps me to process the situation better, I realized that people are so nuanced and may have a completely different take on something that I would. My older sister doesn’t remember half of the stuff in my CNF piece, and she is adamant that some sections “never happened” (though I have a vivid recollection of them).

For my source showcase, I am going to attempt to discover and showcase people as nuanced living sources in a way that reflects my writing. 99% of my poetry is about people, mixed with the specific language of an object that somehow characterizes both the person and gives solid imagery of a person through these objects. My poetry is often trying to understand people better through something that seems wholly other than them (i.e. my father and the language of US Mint). It provides me with a different dimension of that person to help me to describe/relay an experience better.

Aaaaaaanyway, I’d like to pose a few questions to you all to think about prior to my showcase on the 12th:

  1. How would you feel about being the source of someone else’s poetry?
  2. How do you attempt to write about people in a way that shows their complexity and nuances?
  3. What are challenges you’ve had in writing about people or an experience with people?
  4. Have you ever talked with the source of your poetry and asked them about their opinions on being a source?
  5. What people tend to be the biggest source(s) of your poetry?

🙂

 

One Reply to “People! (a prelude to my source showcase)”

  1. Hi Grace! I’m also very much into exploring ‘dimensions’ of people in my poetry. I particularly like the way you described your own processes and techniques for doing this, i.e. characterizing and exploring your father through “U.S Mint” language. I’ve been doing a similar thing in my own writing, kind of grasping on to a facet of someone’s character and assessing them through that specific lens. We do associate specific things with specific people in our life, and those close to us and in our immediate spaces often conjure up more specific, intimate objects or activities.

    That being said, I’m going to go ahead and answer your questions about people as a source for poetry.

    How would you feel about being the source of someone else’s poetry?
    -I don’t think I have a say in whether or not they can do this.

    How do you attempt to write about people in a way that shows their complexity and nuances?
    -Again, to reiterate a bit what I’ve written above; focusing in on a specific language you can use for that specific person, based off of very specific facets of their character. My dad was a big gun fanatic, for example, so i tend to write about him through that kind of a language. My mom is disabled and handicapped, and I tend to write about her character by first focusing on very small movements, (movements are especially important and inspiring when writing about my mom because she usually is not moving, or her ability to do so is very limited).

    What are challenges you’ve had in writing about people or an experience with people?
    -The biggest challenge has been forging a three-dimensional view of their character, because it can be hard to explore or detail other parts of their character or event to get into another person’s consciousness. I’ve been trying to focus on the physical manifestations of consciousness (in external movements) and behavioral patterns to comment on their consciousness and maybe provide a more three-dimensional view of them.

    Have you ever talked with the source of your poetry and asked them about their opinions on being a source?
    -Nope.

    What people tend to be the biggest source(s) of your poetry?
    -Anyone with a story I feel needs to be heard. Anyone who I feel has been misrepresented or glossed over. Anyone who arouses emotions in me. Anyone in my immediate space. Anyone I pass by on my daily commute, daily activities whose movements catch my eye for some reason, or their conversation catches my eye. Virginia Woolf. My Mother. My campers. Children in general. My close friends.

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