  Poetry
This week: Edited by: terryjroo
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Sometime last year, I engaged in a couple of discussions about reviewing poetry. I quickly found out that beliefs on reviewing poetry are as plentiful and varied, if not more so, than poetry itself. In fact, many people feel they aren’t qualified to review poetry because they aren’t familiar with the terms and devices used in some poems. That may very well be true; however, everyone is qualified to give their opinion of a poem.
This edition will explore some ideas on reviewing poetry, from both a technical and non-technical standpoint. I hope it will encourage more readers to write reviews because without them, the poet doesn’t know if the poem conveys what they intended. So, help a poet today; give a review!
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The Art of Reviewing Poetry
To have great poets there must be great audiences too.
~Walt Whitman
I’ve heard it said that writers should read twice as much as they write. Not a bad philosophy, in my opinion. Reading opens the mind to possibilities. It also sharpens your skills as a writer. Reviewing from a technical standpoint sharpens your skills even more, because to analyze writing, especially poetry, you should try to comprehend the complexities, discover subtle nuances and evaluate the overall effectiveness of what you read. This intimidates many people, especially if they are not familiar with poetry and its many devices. But, nothing says you must review technically. It is perfectly acceptable to review in a way that simply conveys your level of enjoyment.
Non-Technical Reviewing
Everyone is capable of reviewing from a non-technical point of view. This is also known as emotional reviewing. The main objective, in this case, is to express to the poet how the poem made you feel. Did it cause you to laugh, cry or get angry? Maybe the poem didn’t touch you on an emotional level at all. Could you identify with poem? Possibly you’ve been in a similar situation in which you felt the same way. What was your overall impression of the poem? Did you come away feeling that the poet clearly painted a picture or was some of the canvas left blank? In addition to simply telling the poet these things, you can refer to certain lines or stanzas that you enjoyed the most. You can also point out parts that felt out of place, incomplete, or ambiguous.
Emotional reviews help the poet determine if their words were understood and if they succeeded at expressing the intended message. As a poet, I appreciate emotional reviews because they let me know if my words touched you or if I completely missed the mark. A note on emotional reviewing: receiving a five word review that says “I really liked this poem,” can be very dissatisfying. Try to be a little more specific. Take a minute and ask yourself why you enjoyed or didn’t enjoy the poem. I always recommend that you read a poem more than once because subsequent readings allow you to pinpoint specific lines or words that reinforce your first impression. Often, when rereading, subtleties show themselves more clearly and provide a deeper meaning than what was gleaned from the initial reading.
Technical Reviewing
Technical reviewing is contingent on the reviewer’s overall knowledge of poetry and the ability to understand, not only poetic devices but, the many different forms of poetry. One terrific resource for both poetic devices and forms is "A Poet's Tool Box" [E] by Red Writing Hood <3  . Filled with a huge variety of static items, past newsletters, book items and outside links, this reference item will help to familiarize you with some of the basics. Another good reference on different forms is "Poetry Forms" [13+] by Bianca  . For more on poetic devices, including samples, check out "Poetry Terms and Devices" [E] by Vivian  . All of these items, plus more, can be found in the "Invalid Item" [] by A Guest Visitor .
One of the trickiest parts of a technical review involves determining if any specific form or device was used. I encourage writers to include Author’s Notes, either before or after the poem, that state if a specific form was used and what that particular form’s parameters include (providing a link to the description is very helpful if the description is so long that it overpowers the poem itself). You may also wish to include any specific poetic devices used, though not necessary. I would, however, list the form and devices in the keywords portion of the static item so that someone searching for specific forms or devices can find your use of said items.
Readers that are more technical with their reviewing style tend to be quite particular when it comes to punctuation and grammar. This is a tricky area in poetry. Many poets will purposely exclude any punctuation from a poem and some will not follow standard rules of capitalization. Writing poetry allows for individual styles, and again, if you have purposely decided to forgo the use of these tools, a note in the poem doesn’t hurt. People also have different ideas concerning capitalization of the first letter of each line. Some follow this traditional format, while others will only capitalize the beginning of the sentence. It’s a matter of personal preference. I’ve done poems using both proper and improper grammar and capitalization. The key to making it work is to be consistent throughout the poem.
Finally, when it comes to critiquing technically, using a standardized review layout is helpful for organizing your thoughts and assuring that you don’t leave any important aspects out of the review. An excellent example of a review format is: "Invalid Item" [] by A Guest Visitor If you are looking for an in-depth poetry review that follows a standard criteria, I recommend "Invalid Item" [] by A Guest Visitor .
Combination Reviewing
The vast majority of reviewers on Writing.com seem to fall somewhere in between giving a purely emotional review or a stringent technical review. Personally, I consider the combination review the most helpful. It tells me how my poem impacted the reviewer, acknowledges that the reviewer recognizes specific devices that were painstakingly woven into the poem and reassures me that I followed the criteria of a specific format, if I used one. These are the types of reviews I typically give, as well.
Different Writers = Differences
When you are interacting with a site this size, you will find that different writers like different types of feedback. That is to be expected. The site caters to a variety of writers with different levels of experience and knowledge. Depending on how you found the poem you reviewed, you may know a bit about the writer or you may know nothing. Some reviewers give leeway to young or inexperienced writers (if they are aware) because they don’t want to discourage them, yet others feel that the poem stands on its own merit and it is not helping a writer improve if they factor in personal aspects.
On top of that, members post their poetry for a variety of reasons. Some simply enjoy expressing themselves, some are trying to hone their craft, some wish to learn about different devices or forms and some have aspirations of having their work published. Again, often a reviewer isn’t aware of each writer’s motivation and some reviewers will not factor that into their review. If you wish to merely share your poetry and would prefer not to receive reviews, the option of setting the item to non-ratable is available.
Basic Etiquette
Good reviewers tend to be sensitive to the fact that poetry can be very personal and follow some basic rules for reviewing.
1. Be honest – you don’t have to sugar coat but you also don’t need to be mean.
2. Start with something positive
3. Use care when pointing out areas that you think need improvement (specific suggestions can be helpful, as long as you don’t rewrite the entire piece)
4. Don’t belittle the writer by slamming their work
5. Do not offer personal opinions on the topic. Telling someone that you agree or disagree with the subject matter doesn’t tell the writer if the work was well crafted.
6. End with something encouraging (Write On! Is a good example)
7. Offer to read the piece again if the author decides to rework it and notifies you.
Good writers tend to be open to the idea that not everyone is going to enjoy their work or even understand it. Tips on graciously accepting and responding to a review:
1. Try not to become defensive when you receive a review that falls outside the rules of basic etiquette (this is difficult, especially if the review attacks you or your beliefs)
2. Keep an open mind to suggestions
3. Be polite and send a thank you, even if it only thanks the reviewer for taking the time to comment on your piece
4. If the reviewer offers to read the piece again if you make changes, take them up on it.
5. Most important – remember that reviewers are simply people with opinions. Some of the opinions you will like and some you won’t. How you let other’s opinions effect you is entirely up to you.
I hope these ideas on reviewing poetry are helpful. As in anything you read, use what makes sense to you and discard the rest. After all, it’s simply my opinion.
Let your love of poetry shine!
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fyn   says, “thanks for including my poem in your newsletter...made my day!”
You are quite welcome; I hope you received many reviews!
Mark  says, “Great newsletter! Made me think, and see from different perspective. I appreciate the well thought out/researched aspect of what you offer.
Keep up the great work, please.”
Thank you Mark! I’m glad you enjoyed it, as I really enjoyed putting it together.
Robert Waltz  says, “Great newsletter, Terry! Well researched. You asked for a favorite poet? Leonard Cohen (only because Bruce Springsteen is technically a lyricist and not a poet). Cohen is also known as a singer-songwriter, but his lyrics use the conventions of poetry more than songwriting. I call his works my favorite because they deal with life on a level that is both spiritual and mundane at the same time, and his personal struggles take on epic qualities when translated into poetry.
The rain falls down on last year's man,
that's a jew's harp on the table,
that's a crayon in his hand.
And the corners of the blueprint are ruined since they rolled
far past the stems of thumbtacks
that still throw shadows on the wood.
And the skylight is like skin for a drum I'll never mend
and all the rain falls down amen
on the works of last year's man.”
Thanks for the suggestion, Robert. I may, in fact, use Cohen in a future newsletter!
⭐Princette♥PengthuluWrites  says, “My favorite poet is T.S. Eliot because he can write something as silly as Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and then write something like The Wasteland.”
Definitely a versatile poet, worthy of consideration for an upcoming newsletter.
kundanchhabra says, “I like what you stated in this newsletter. Indeed, it is important to be daring, and to be not limited by definitions of what is and is not 'poetry' - what is considered to be not poetry today will be considered as such some years from now - it's merely a matter of opinion. Still, I am interested - in your opinion, what is poetry?
In my view, if you can say a lot in a few words, it is poetry.
Or if you can bring lots of amazing images and evoke a vast experience resembling infinity, that is poetry, yet that alone is not poetry - poetry cannot really be defined and is best not defined - if the writer considers what he wrote to be poetry, then it IS poetry - no arguments allowed. :)”
Thank you for your comment. My opinion on what does or does not constitute poetry is a topic worthy of an entire newsletter and I certainly will consider covering that topic. Though, I can assure you that some will disagree with my opinion. I cannot accept your comment as fact, that if a writer considers what he wrote to be poetry then it IS poetry. That’s akin to someone pointing at a cat and stating that it’s a dog, when clearly it isn’t. Yes, poetry is dynamic and its definition has changed over the millennia, but some basic elements still ring true. I invite you to explore the Internet (specifically Wikipedia) to aid you in determining a appropriate definition.
monty31802 says, “Thank you for the very informative Newsletter. Even a guy who was in his twenties in the 60s can learn. My father used to say "If you didn't make a mistake, or learn something new today, you didn't get out of bed or do anything.”
I like that philosophy! Thanks for sharing. |
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Poetry: January 31, 2007 Issue [#1522]
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