Tower Poetry Society

Promoting poetry sine 1951

Tower Poet’s Talk is Back — and it didn’t disappoint!!

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Poet’s Talk, February 8, 2025 — with long-time TPS member, Bernadette Rule… “Seminal Poems: Poems that make People into Poets.”

Distinguished poet, Bernadette Rule, gave a brief talk on a poem’s effect on one’s creative spirit. As part of this interactive presentation, poets were invited to share a poem that had such an effect on them.

Bernadette asked, “What was the first (or one of the first) poems that taught you the power of poetry, and perhaps turned you toward writing?”  We were invited to come prepared to talk about a poem that stopped you in your tracks, made you wonder how the writer did that, how s/he created those effects.

“If I read a book and it makes my whole body so cold no fire can warm me, I know that is poetry. If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry. These are the only ways I know it. Is there any other way?”

― Emily Dickinson, Selected Letters

There were 17 folks in attendance!! — 3 TPS Execs., 8 members (including the Presenting Poet), & 6 non-member friends.

Bernadette’s friend, William Duane Tucker, passed away and left her his treasured book collection. She could tell that he loved his books as he seemed to involve them in his day-to-day rituals. They had notes in the margin and food and drink remnants throughout. The last book she opened ‘took the top of her head right off!!’ And, it sparked the idea for today’s workshop. The book was: “First Loves – Poets Introduce the Essential Poetry that Captivated & Inspired Them” (edited by Cormela Ciuraru).

Bernadette talked about certain poets and poems that had influenced her poetry journey. Then, she invited each participant, going around the room, to talk about what poems or poets had influenced them. Some poets (primarily teachers/professors) were readily able to cite certain portions of their seminal poems; others, read from notes and poems they had brought, and all talked about the effect that poets/poetry had had on them, on art they create, and work that they generated based on making/experiencing art; how events and experiences in their lives had informed their poetry journey.

Some of the works and poets cited through the discussions:

Robert Louis Stevenson 

Child’s Garden of Verses

Child’s Christmas in Wales

Dylan Thomas 

Lewis Carroll   —  Jabberwocky

Juvenile –  I’ve Never Seen a Purple Cow; Ted the Turtle (the origin of this one remains a mystery)

Jean Little – Growing Pains (“This made me feel like I wasn’t alone. It blew the top of my head off!” – N.S.)

Matthew Arnold  — Dover Beach

Nelson Ball

Melissa Allen’s site, veryshortpoetry.com (The Journal of Very Short Poetry – 25 syllables or less)

William Wordsworth  — I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

Homer, in Translation & Virgil in translation

Geothe

Rainer Maria Rilke (in German)

Paul Simon  — Sounds of Silence

What did Paul Simon say about sound of silence?
“The Sound of Silence was the first song I wrote which seemed to come from some place that I didn’t inhabit,” Simon tells The Guardian. “At age 23, it was unusual, well beyond my age and abilities. Then it happened again throughout my writing. Bridge Over Troubled Water was another song that came mysteriously.
From: themusicradar.com — Oct 4, 2024

Samuel Coleridge  —  Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Check out this Metal version by Iron Maiden)

Gerard Manley Hopkins, John McCrae, John Gillespie Magee (High Flight), and other war poets

Rod McKeun‘s poem “Gently, Gently”

World Poetry Café – Co-op Radio Station in Vancouver, BC (thanks to Ed for sharing – an interview will air on Feb. 13, 2025)

*** Bonus Resource: Definitions of Poetry ***

Whether people came to poetry early in life or later, there was always a poetic catalyst that got them started. We appreciate the participant’s eager participation. It was a neat opportunity to share in a way we don’t get to do in regular workshops. Thank you, again, Bernadette:)

Several people made connections afterwards and chatter continued outside the room and into the parking lot.

Upcoming:

  • AGH Ekphrastic poems due by February 10!
  • Poetry Parlour (open mic) — Saturday, February, 22, Westdale Library, 2 – 4 pm
  • TPS Summer 2025 submissions due February 28, 2025
  • next regular workshop — Saturday, March 8, Westdale Library, 2 – 4 pm
  • Come celebrate Poetry Month by visiting the AGH — Saturday, April 5 & 26, 1 – 4 pm — Tower poets will be onsite to read the poetry that the art inspired. (A booklet will be available of the poems for the month of April so you can read the poems at the same time you view the artwork that inspired them.) Note, the Reading Event is free, as the permanent collection (2nd floor) is free access (no admission).

 

“In Other Worlds” – A Carnegie Gallery Exhibit – Safe havens for a weary soul

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This exhibition features the colourful textiles of established Hamilton artist and Carnegie Gallery Artist Member, Lorraine Roy. Beyond her well-known imagery of trees and the Canadian wilderness, these new imaginary landscapes also include charming cottages, fanciful islands and cheery animals. They suggest a more lighthearted and uplifting approach to provide “safe havens for a weary soul”. The exhibition also features the poetry of Jennifer Lynn Dunlop.

 

Lorraine Roy website: lroyart.com to view the artworks alongside the poetry.

 

 

 

Wow! – See websites in this post for a closer look!

 

Poet, Jennifer Lynn Dunlop

Being familiar and a fan of both textile artist Lorraine Roy and the poet that inspired many of her current works, Jennifer Lynne Dunlop, I knew I was in for a treat when I viewed the current Carnegie Gallery exhibit “In Oher Worlds – Safe havens for a weary soul.” I was certainly not disappointed, and, in fact, I was even more impressed than I even imagined – I was blown away. At first glance, the pieces are a stunning cornucopia of vibrancy; colours beckoned me into Roy’s world. Upon a closer look, I noticed the precise stitching details of each piece of fabric that comes together to form each whole gorgeous piece. As a mixed media artist, I am awestruck that Roy manages to achieve such detailed representations of nature through her medium of textiles. (I mean, I even struggle to sew on a button, but I can fussy cut!)

About Lorraine Roy

From Lorraine Roy’s Artist’s statement, I learned that Roy has a formal education in Horticultural Science, so it makes sense that she creates pieces featuring nature. She “creates imagery that evokes the intimate connection we have with the natural world.” Drawing viewers attention to “the intimate webs that connect trees, fungi and animals, revealing that our earth is a living breathing organism” has become more and more vital in these current times. Roy is a true Earth Hero! (As is Dunlop through her poetry!) Lorraine Roy states, “With all my work, my intention is to arouse emotional connection by shining a warm light on Nature’s unseen forces.”

Tower Poetry Society member, Jennifer Lynn Dunlop’s poetry is always a delight to read. Through her words, she can transport the reader to the place in nature where she stood to compose her poems; to the place that Lorraine Roy depicts in her visual interpretations of the poems.

I spoke with Jennifer, “It (the process) was interesting.” She told me that Lorraine created about half of the pieces of art based on Dunlop’s poetry, and she wrote some new poems based on the art that Roy created. What a connection; a symbiotic relationship; a truly beautiful thing when artists and their mediums collide and it leads to a boom of creativity! Collaboration at it’s finest!

Speaking of collaboration… this past year, Lorraine Roy has worked with Tower Poetry Society to present, PoARTry – a dance of visual art & poetry – an online exhibit with a new artist/poet pair featured in the TPS Blog on the first Saturday of each month. Poets created poems, as poets do! Then, artists each selected a poem that called to them and inspired artwork in their medium of choice. Artists, there are still poems left if you want in on this fun project. Check it out here!

I certainly hope we see a book out from these two talented ladies! Check out the “In Other Worlds” Exhibit at Carnegie Gallery in Dundas for yourself and get transported into the magical world of nature in this “safe havens for a weary soul”.

The exhibit is on until July 30th, so there’s still time!

In August, Tower Poetry members are invited to select an Artwork from the Carnegie Gallery members exhibit for Artwalk (part of Arts Dundas Weekend) in November. Details will be along soon, members! Learn how you can become a member, too.

Written by Nicola Schneider.

National Writing Day is coming! Wednesday 21 June 2023

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I came across this motivating day during COVID. I don’t think it matters that it is a UK celebration… any day is a wonderful day to celebrate creative writing in my books!!

Get ready to take part in the annual celebration of creative writing.

Grab your pens, pencils or laptops and make your voices heard. Anyone can take part in our annual celebration of writing for pleasure and self-expression — at home, school, work or wherever!

Use our free activities to inspire your creativity and share your writing online using #NationalWritingDay.

firststory.org.uk/writeday  | @writeday

I think I’m going to go ahead and try out the “Roll the Dice” activity!

Here are over 105 creative writing exercises by Imagine Forest to give your brain a workout and help those creative juices flow again… https://www.imagineforest.com/blog/creative-writing-exercises/

Feel free to share any creative outputs — or your favourite word-generating exercises — in our  TOWER POETRY FACEBOOK GROUP!!

Saturday, April 29 is Independent Book Store Day!

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Independent bookstores are struggling more and more with competition like Amazon or big chains like Indigo, so make a point to support your local shop.

Bookstores are places of connection and community, and this is the perfect day to celebrate Independent Bookstores!

Support an Independent Bookstore

There are hundreds of books to read, you just gotta pick one up and get reading. Support a local bookstore by heading over to one, browsing, and buying some books from there. And this isn’t the only day to buy from them, it’s a great idea to consider making purchases locally all the time!

For those who enjoy the atmosphere at a local bookstore, it might be a great idea to help volunteer for events at the bookstore and inspire others to become book-lovers as well!

Here are a bunch in the Hamilton area:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://lmvhamilton.wixsite.com/lovebooks-hamilton

https://www.facebook.com/therivertradingcompany

https://www.facebook.com/100057140275176/timeline/?ref=page_internal (Books & Beats)

 

For more ideas to help you celebrate Independent Bookstore Day, check out: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/independent-bookstore-day/

 

Here is an online place to discover new Canadian authors and publishers: The Book Band. Check it out. The Book Band — it’s a great place to discover poetry, indeed!

Poem in my Pocket Day

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#NaPoWriMo is almost over. It doesn’t matter whether you will achieve 30 poems in 30 days, or you’ve just checked it out for the first time, or you now know of a fun resource to use if you ever want to get a month of motivation for writing poetry. I have managed to engage in poetry most days, by at least reading some of the poems that other people wrote inspired by the prompts at https://www.napowrimo.net/ or diving into the poetic resources shared throughout the month.

Today, Thursday, April 27, 2023 is Poem in My Pocket Day!

The League of Canadian Poets exists to support poets and poetry in Canada, just like we do at Tower Poetry Society Hamilton. Poem in Your Pocket Day is an international movement that encourages people to center poetry within their daily interactions. On PIYP Day, select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others at schools, bookstores, libraries, parks, workplaces, coffee shops, street corners, and on social media using the hashtag #PocketPoem.

The site features a collection of poems to celebrate poetry in 2023. You can read them online, listen to an audio recording, or even print out a handy booklet to make sharing poems even easier! Check it out here: https://poets.ca/programs/pocketpoem/

The site includes links to French poems and many ways to celebrate. But really, any day can be Poem in Your Pocket Day!

Sing a Song about it with Emily Arrow: https://youtu.be/oxF0nB8ZzXQ

PS. PoARTry Dance #4 will be posted on Saturday, May 6!!

International Haiku Day & NaPoWriMo Mid-Month Check-in…

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Poetry everyday? Not quite. Poetry most days? Yes — sometimes editing or reading or teaching* or writing poetry. Or, attending a Tower Poetry Workshop!

My poems don’t usually come about in one sitting, unless they do, but that tends to be the exception to the rule. I often pull out old poems or ideas for a poem or even random jottings and try to rework or edit or merge some together. Whatever happens, happens. The goal of National Poetry Month is simply to enjoy poetry and share that joy with the whole wide world… read your favourite poems, share them and discuss them; write them, whatever floats your boat:)

The NaPoWriMo site is a great way to celebrate poetry month as each day it features a poet (so you can read and enjoy a fellow poet’s work), shares a resource (always useful), and offers a poetic prompt. while I don’t always have time day-to-day to write complete poems daily, I do save the prompts for those times when I’m stuck when trying to write.

** IF YOU FEEL LIKE SHARING YOUR HAIKUS, YOU CAN DO SO IN THE TPS FACEBOOK GROUP DIRECTLY, OR DROP A LINK TO YOUR PERSONAL POST. I, FOR EXAMPLE, OFTEN POST TO MY SITE: HTTPS://WWW.EVERYDAYARTEVERYDAY.COM/IBLOG.

Happy Writing, from the TPS Web Coordinator!

More Content, here…

Link to Haiku Day Blog — https://www.everydayarteveryday.com/iblog/monday-april-17-2023-is-international-haiku-day

Link to Funtastic Teacher Blog — https://funtasticteacher.weebly.com/blog—come-learn-with-me/teaching-poetry-to-middle-school-students-during-national-poetry-writing-month

 

 

NaPoWriMo is coming!

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Have you ever NaPoWriMo-ed before??

What?    30 poems in 30 days

NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April. Details here: https://www.napowrimo.net/about/

https://www.napowrimo.net/ posts an optional daily prompt to help you get inspired, features a different participant each day, as well as a daily poetry-related resource.

Here is an interesting teaser: https://www.napowrimo.net/napowrimo-glopowrimo-is-on-the-way/ I particularly love the second online prompt generator… Is generator (a) or (b) your style?? Maybe our choice says something about who each of us is as an artist, a human,… or, maybe it means nothing at all😊 And, the Eater of Meaning sucked me down the rabbit whole for a few many moments…

… Anyway, back to it…

My NaPoWriMo Experience…

I have dabbled with NaPowriMo for 10 years (2013, really?! Wow — Happy 10 years to me!). Have I ever managed a poem a day?… Well, only once in April 2020, the first official month of COVID, and I suspect many folks were actually able to do this one. What else were we doing?! Plus, there was no better way to deal with the turmoil of those crazy times. Sometimes, when April has been too busy, I’ve done another random month, like Poetember in 2018. I have always started NaPoWriMo all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed but sometimes I don’t make it further than that (I’m looking at you, 2019!). Usually, I make it through about half a month. I’ve learned to go with the flow. If not writing an actual poem each day, I might work on editing, or pairing an old poem with media, or doing Word Work activities (like Wordle). So, more accurately, I aim to spend at least 30 minutes on poetry work for 30 days. (In a perfect world, I do that already, but lets just say, I use Poetry Month as a much-needed poetry push in the right direction😊)

** If you feel like sharing your poems and prompts, you can do so in the TPS Facebook Group directly, or drop a link to your personal post. I, for example, often post to my site: https://www.everydayarteveryday.com/iblog.

Other resources/prompts…

Happy Writing, from the TPS Web Coordinator!

Tuesday, March 21st/2023 – World Poetry Day

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Poetry can change the way people view the world, inspire others, and mend the bonds between people and create harmony with one another.

However, poetry to many can be considered a dying art in a world filled with technology and more advanced ways of conveying messages of art and beauty.

World Poetry Day aims to appreciate the sentiment that poetry can create, forming meaningful relationships and expand one’s mind about history and cultures.

Learn about World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day takes place every year to promote the teaching of poetry, as well as the publishing, writing, and reading of this form of writing around the world. It was declared by UNESCO in 1999 and they stated that their purpose for creating this day was:

“with the aim of supporting linguistic diversity through poetic expression and increasing the opportunity for endangered languages to be heard”

They also stated in their original declaration that World Poetry Day was about giving fresh impetus and recognition to international, regional, and national poetry movements.

All in all, this is a day that is designed to inspire and educate, as well as giving poets all around the world recognition for their creative brilliance!

History of World Poetry Day

World Poetry Day was conceived during the 30th General Conference in Paris in 1999. Those at the conference had the ambition to support the growth of linguistic diversity through poetics and help in increasing awareness of endangered and dying so they can be heard.

World Poetry Day also honors poets, revives the practice of poetry recitals, and promotes poetry as a form of art that connects people to their humanity. With generations upon generations of poets and time periods to choose from, poetry can gain insight into the ideas and feelings of that time.

By also attending poetry recitals, people can experience the languages that words and emotions are spoken through and experience emotional bonds with others.

World Poetry Day is hosted by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, a subsection of the United Nations that promotes the advancement of culture through effort, communication, and passion.

World Poetry Day is annually celebrated by schools, organizations, libraries, and publishers all over the globe through teaching about poets, styles of poetry, and the languages that they’re read through.

Throughout the day, people host festivals, talk about their favorite poets and learn about the different ways that poetry can be written and spoken. UNESCO also offers social media kits and other resources to help those around the world learn about how to read poetry and understand its meaning in day to day life.

How to celebrate World Poetry Day

Celebrate World Poetry Day by reading some poetry. Look up poets such as Sylvia Plath, John Keats, William Wordsworth, and Ezra Pound. If you want to learn more about poets out there, then attend a college class on poetry, or head on over to a spoken word event to catch up on the latest poets on the stage.

There are lots of other exciting ways that you can celebrate World Poetry Day. Rather than reading a poem, why not watch a poetry reading? Thanks to the likes of YouTube, we have access to all sorts of videos today, and so it should not be difficult to find a poetry reading that interests you. The live recital of a poem, especially from the author who has written it, is extremely powerful. It takes the depth of meaning of the words to a whole other level. We would recommend taking a look at readings from the likes of Hera Lindsay Bird and Jay Bernard. They’re pretty incredible!

If you have children, World Poetry Day is the perfect opportunity for you to increase their awareness of this literary form and show them how fun and exciting poetry can be. After all, not all poems are serious! Poems can make us laugh, especially those that use clever wordplay and puns.

You can find lots of great books of poems that have been specifically designed for children. We would recommend Roger McGough’s Poetry Pie, which features more than 50 poems that will make your child laugh. Other good options include Cat Among the Pigeons by Kit Wright and Gargling with Jelly by Brian Patten.

If World Poetry Day has got you feeling inspired, why not write your own poem? You don’t need to be the next Shakespeare to enjoy writing poetry! Whether you decide to share it with other people or keep your poems to yourself is entirely up to you. If you’re feeling at a loss, don’t worry. It can seem a bit overwhelming if you have never written a poem before! It is always good to start with a goal in mind. What are you hoping to achieve by writing the poem?

Some other types include communicating your theme, using concrete words rather than abstract words, using similes and metaphors, using images, and avoiding sentimentality and cliches. You will find lots of interesting books and videos online about writing poems, so you can look up some of these to help you. There is no right or wrong way to write a poem or to begin the process, it is all about finding what works for you, and so it can definitely help to listen to some of the different methods that people use.

Find your favorite poet and share them on social media using the hashtag #WorldPoetryDay. Let your friends and family know today’s a day to appreciate language and the way we communicate with one another.

Source: World Poetry Day (March 21st) | Days Of The Year

 

Check out my other Blogs for Poetry Prompts:

Everyday Art Every Day Prompts — Write Like Your Fav Poet: World Poetry Day – Tuesday, March 21st, 2023 – Everyday Art Every Day

World Poetry Day — Tuesday, March 21st – Nicola Schneider, OCT – a spot of reflection (weebly.com) for an “I am Music” poetry prompt…