I needed to read this right at this moment. In particular, I needed the reminder that there is a time for chaos & a time for order. And I just need to trust that the order will come.
As for metaphors, I’ve been thinking of writing as a kind of weaving lately. I gather all these beautiful threads & then hope they work together. Sometimes it works better than other times.
Aw, so glad to hear. I love the weaving image. When I was at Banff a while back, I was reading through all of these old bits and pieces of freewriting for my essay book and sometimes writing into them and also sorting them by chronology or preoccupation. As I was doing this, I remembered when my friend Kate had been given a bunch of yarn, but it was all snarled and tangled together. We used to sit and talk and gradually untangle the yarn, rolling each colour into its own neat ball for future use. That image of untangling, sorting, and laying out helped me see that work as leading to something valuable.
Perceptive and inspiring. Gracias. One suggestion: substitute the concept of "emergence" for "chaos."
American English lacks a decent verb for "gradually coming into focus." Dangerous inner editorial voices can support the notion that a first draft is solely chaotic ("formless" is the killer term academically). "Coming into focus" is faithful to the phenomenology of writing and talking.
Mm, I love the concept of emergence, especially for thinking about poetic form.
I don't have the book with me at the moment, but what Orr's reaching for with "chaos" (if I remember correctly) is something like mystery or intensity or strangeness, which might be located in the slipperiness of polysemy or in emotional vulnerability or idiosyncratic vision or elsewhere. He talks about thresholds and how these can vary from person to person and change over time.
Don't know Orr's books. Only a scatter of his poems. My sense of poetry emerging comes largely from reading Olson's poems and his essays in conjunction with his fellow artists working with other materials and modes at Black Mountain College (M.C. Richard with pottery, John Cage and Merce Cunningham with music and choreography,) and later, Jackson Mac Low's Happenings -- "Emergence" evokes a sense of horizon just over the next turn -- Emerson's "the horizon is the health of the eye" - all very different than current language gaming for the sake of identity-slotting. "Thresholds" -- does Orr mean liminality, in/betweenness? See his poems lately working mystical Sufi American-style, too easy or too difficult? What vision isn't idiosyncratic? BTW, in terms of poetry having a sweep opening a larger public world, have you read Daphne Marlatt's Steveston? You're blessed to be living where you are, with Daphne round the corner maybe.
That's so great to hear! Let me know if you have writing questions. I don't promise speed (I'm working on 3 different books and teaching, so newsletter comes when I have time), but I love thinking alongside people or directing them to resources.
Yes! We're in different workshop groups but we've been hanging out at the readings and talks and meals. We met briefly at AWP (in that crew with Erika Meitner), and it's been great to have a chance to connect in a more low-key scene.
Great post, Bronwen, thank you for the much-needed advice! As for the fruit thing, grapes and halloumi cheese on a Cypriot shore is my favorite combo :)
Thanks so much, Katerina! And that fruit/water (and cheese! always an improvement!) combo sounds dreamy. I think the closest I've come has been eating tiropita after swimming in the Aegean.
Well, I must say that initially, I would write about having some honeydew melon by the sea on an Aegean island, but then I remembered my childhood summers in Cyprus and… childhood memories are the fondest!
Thank you for this, and for being an ally to process. Lia Purpura is a wonderful teacher. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with her, hosted by Emergence Magazine. Enjoy!
So glad you enjoyed it, Christian. Yes, Lia is so lovely. She brought such calm grounding presence to the group, and we developed so much trust and engagement in one another's work over the course of just five days.
I needed to read this right at this moment. In particular, I needed the reminder that there is a time for chaos & a time for order. And I just need to trust that the order will come.
As for metaphors, I’ve been thinking of writing as a kind of weaving lately. I gather all these beautiful threads & then hope they work together. Sometimes it works better than other times.
Aw, so glad to hear. I love the weaving image. When I was at Banff a while back, I was reading through all of these old bits and pieces of freewriting for my essay book and sometimes writing into them and also sorting them by chronology or preoccupation. As I was doing this, I remembered when my friend Kate had been given a bunch of yarn, but it was all snarled and tangled together. We used to sit and talk and gradually untangle the yarn, rolling each colour into its own neat ball for future use. That image of untangling, sorting, and laying out helped me see that work as leading to something valuable.
Thanks for the shout-out & for the advice! I love the idea of sneaking up on a project. <3
Thanks for your patience! (ha). I'm loving This Little Art btw.
Yes! So helpful! & thanks for asking the question that inspired this post:)
Perceptive and inspiring. Gracias. One suggestion: substitute the concept of "emergence" for "chaos."
American English lacks a decent verb for "gradually coming into focus." Dangerous inner editorial voices can support the notion that a first draft is solely chaotic ("formless" is the killer term academically). "Coming into focus" is faithful to the phenomenology of writing and talking.
Mm, I love the concept of emergence, especially for thinking about poetic form.
I don't have the book with me at the moment, but what Orr's reaching for with "chaos" (if I remember correctly) is something like mystery or intensity or strangeness, which might be located in the slipperiness of polysemy or in emotional vulnerability or idiosyncratic vision or elsewhere. He talks about thresholds and how these can vary from person to person and change over time.
Don't know Orr's books. Only a scatter of his poems. My sense of poetry emerging comes largely from reading Olson's poems and his essays in conjunction with his fellow artists working with other materials and modes at Black Mountain College (M.C. Richard with pottery, John Cage and Merce Cunningham with music and choreography,) and later, Jackson Mac Low's Happenings -- "Emergence" evokes a sense of horizon just over the next turn -- Emerson's "the horizon is the health of the eye" - all very different than current language gaming for the sake of identity-slotting. "Thresholds" -- does Orr mean liminality, in/betweenness? See his poems lately working mystical Sufi American-style, too easy or too difficult? What vision isn't idiosyncratic? BTW, in terms of poetry having a sweep opening a larger public world, have you read Daphne Marlatt's Steveston? You're blessed to be living where you are, with Daphne round the corner maybe.
Thank you for this! As an amateur writer, this post felt like a mini Writing 101 class hehe.
That's so great to hear! Let me know if you have writing questions. I don't promise speed (I'm working on 3 different books and teaching, so newsletter comes when I have time), but I love thinking alongside people or directing them to resources.
Thank you so much! And I will for sure not pass up on the opportunity :) Where can I send my question? (Thank you in advance for making the time <3)
Just email me at bronwentate@gmail.com :)
Will do! Thank you :)
My friend Angela (Voras-Hills) is in Bemidji, too! I hope you've met her/I hope you're having the best time!
Yes! We're in different workshop groups but we've been hanging out at the readings and talks and meals. We met briefly at AWP (in that crew with Erika Meitner), and it's been great to have a chance to connect in a more low-key scene.
ah yes! I figured we would have all hung out at AWP but I couldn't remember the specifics.
Great post, Bronwen, thank you for the much-needed advice! As for the fruit thing, grapes and halloumi cheese on a Cypriot shore is my favorite combo :)
Thanks so much, Katerina! And that fruit/water (and cheese! always an improvement!) combo sounds dreamy. I think the closest I've come has been eating tiropita after swimming in the Aegean.
Well, I must say that initially, I would write about having some honeydew melon by the sea on an Aegean island, but then I remembered my childhood summers in Cyprus and… childhood memories are the fondest!
Thank you for this, and for being an ally to process. Lia Purpura is a wonderful teacher. I had the opportunity to attend a workshop with her, hosted by Emergence Magazine. Enjoy!
So glad you enjoyed it, Christian. Yes, Lia is so lovely. She brought such calm grounding presence to the group, and we developed so much trust and engagement in one another's work over the course of just five days.
I'm excited to do fruit by the water, maybe pears by a waterfall ❤️
Yes! I'm imagining hiking while carrying pears carefully to avoid bruising them. That would make them extra special.