Annotated Bibliography of Poetic Sources

“It’s Such a Beautiful Day”, dir Hertzfeldt, Don, produc. Bitter Films, distr. Cinemad Presents. USA, 2012. Film.

  • A man named Bill struggles with his health and failing brain as his memories slip out of his head. Used as a way to show fear of losing, fear of failure, and fear of not making a difference on this shitty little rock. 

“Hospice”, Antlers, The, dist Frenchkiss productions, Watcher’s Woods, Brooklyn, USA, 2009. Album.

  • A man struggles with caring for his girlfriend as she dies from cancer, while simultaneously coming to terms with the abuses which she has delivered him. Used to show struggle, pain, inevitable tragedy, tiny victories and major losses, as well as great structure and instrumentation.

“Låt Den Rätte Komma In” or “Let The Right One In”, dir Alfredson, Tomas, produc EFTI, Filmpool Nord, and Sveriges Television, distr. Sandrew Metronome. Sweden, 2008. Film. 

  • A young boy befriends a vampire girl, allowing him to overcome the struggles he faces with his bullies. Used to display an interest in language, purity, beauty in white snow, the joys in youth, young love, happiness in others, hatred, anger, hope, and ambiguity in endings. 

3 Replies to “Annotated Bibliography of Poetic Sources”

  1. I think you could draw inspiration from the book of poetry Wild Embers by Nikita Gill. I chose this book for you for the pure reason that it’s very different from the three films you shared. I haven’t seen any of those films, but you mention that all of them are about a male figure and his struggles with himself and with caring for another. Nikita Gill writes about her struggles with herself and caring for others. I think you would be in a unique position to compare and contrast the deeply personal issues that you find these male figures in film having with those of a female figure. I have read the book a couple times, and I thought it was great! I actually have a copy if you’d ever like to borrow it!

    Another source for you to consider is “I Can’t Go On Without You” by KALEO. I think you would find this song inspiring because it reminds me of how you described “Hospice.” The voice is positively haunting. It feels as though his lover was his heroin. He was addicted to them in the worst way. The ghost of their love is a withdrawal. I think it would compliment “Hospice” well, but take that with a grain of salt as I’ve never seen it before.

    My last recommendation is The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton. This book follows a young boy as he faces issues of class. I don’t want to give anything away in case you haven’t read it (it’s a very popular book for middle/high school English classes). I picked this one because it seems as though you find inspiration from stories of people coming to terms with the struggles they face in life. This is a classic story of a protagonist dealing with how bittersweet and unfair life can be.

  2. First & foremost, I want to recommend the song “Parade” by The Antlers (they are a great band, but this song & “Putting The Dog To Sleep” are so powerful). In addition to this, some artists/songs similar to The Antlers are:
    -The Microphones (“The Moon” specifically is one of my favorites, but the entire album “The Glow, Pt. 2” is fantastic…)
    -Sun Kil Moon (This music is depressing, like sit in your therapist office with your headphones on & listen to “Carissa” depressing… but I think his themes are interesting, an interesting mood setter for inspiration)
    -Sufjan Stevens (He doesn’t exactly remind me of The Antlers, but I feel like you might appreciate the tone his music creates… try listening to Carrie & Lowell)

    I also remember you mentioning to me that you enjoyed poetry that was ‘nasty’, or poetry that made you uncomfortable. I would recommend that you try reading Charles Bukowski, specifically “Love Is A Dog From Hell”. This collection gave me a lot of inspiration and insight into writing uncomfortable images, especially when related to romantic or plutonic love (which allows for a very interesting contrast & avoidance of cliche). In addition to this, I remember reading “The Diary of a Teenage Girl” around tenth grade of high school. Though it stood out most to me in my younger years, I still see it as a very beneficial read. In addition to this, it is a graphic novel, so it might allow for a new perspective when creating uncomfortable poetry.

  3. There used to be a great online magazine of poemfilms called Rabbit Light Movies, run by the poet Joshua Marie Wilkinson. It’s defunct, but you can find some on YouTube, e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54_INQZkFEI. Check them out…there’s a lot of potential here. Also Redell Olsen has a book called Film Poems (http://lesfigues.com/book/film-poems/). It might be interesting to see where the techniques of poetry and film overlap for you and what the latter might do for your writing. Or, to see where you might be interested in writing poems that feel like movies…

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