Some Site News

Though I had drastically cut back using Twitter the past five months, it still appealed to promote The Five-Two and my other projects to a larger audience than similar social networks—until the recent news that its algorithm makes a secret list of VIPs more visible than everyone else. With that I deactivated my Twitter account.

Now I do promo on my Mastodon account. Of course, you can also keep up with The Five-Two by visiting regularly, and you can contact me with the form in the sidebar.

I also want to mention I received a notice from Blogger last Monday that a Five-Two post was placed behind a sensitive content warning. The notice didn't say which post, and I haven't seen a warning sifting through the archives myself. To limit future warnings, I've updated the submission guidelines referencing Blogger's content policy and encouraging contributors to be creative, not graphic.

Lastly, I've shortened the sidebar. You can see the five latest Poems of the Week and more by clicking Poem of the Week.

Poetry as Witness to Tragedy

Within hours of hearing about the midnight movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, I received a 5-2 submission I read as a response to the tragedy. It may surprise you I don't think it was too soon.

One reflexive response to tragedy is to construct narratives, to try and make sense of it. However, does tragedy ever make sense? Can sane, peaceable people fathom warped thinking and violent eruptions? Is anything gained from trying?

As a form not bound by narrative, poetry is uniquely qualified to reflect our brokenness in the aftermath of tragedy. I'm here to read if you're moved to write.

Finding Your Poetry

I nudge people to submit to The 5-2 whenever I can, of course, and many tell me they'd love to write poetry, but they don't know how to start. Some are even great prose writers. As a teacher, there's nothing I love more than stirring someone's imagination, giving him the tools to create something that shows his individuality and dedication.

I discovered I wanted to write at thirteen, but didn't dedicate myself to poetry until I was an adjunct English professor at Hofstra University, working the technical side of a faculty poetry website. You might say my motivators were a desire to contribute and a fear of embarrassment, a fear so strong, I made sure I wouldn't be embarrassed.

Three books helped and continue to help me: In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop by Steve Kowit, The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises From Poets Who Teach by Robin Behn and Chase Twichell, and Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge. There are, of course, several good books on writing poetry, and a different one may help you. For that reason, before you seek out books on writing poetry, try to connect with a poem you've read. Does it move you or not? Why? Analyze your reaction and try to write a poem in response, bypassing for now the need to generate an idea all on your own.

That's how I started. Let curiosity lead you from there. I look forward to reading your work.

Prose or Poetry: Do You Have to Choose?

This is the second of two instructional posts inspired by Steve Weddle's interview with me, specifically the question, "Is poetry harder to write [than prose]?"


I've always appreciated the sound of poetry, but from grade school to grad school, I felt I was on firmer ground writing prose. It wasn't until I helped Robert Plath with the HTML code for a faculty poetry site at Hofstra that I committed to writing poetry. (Have I mentioned my interest in writing began when an eighth-grade classmate had a book published in the school library? Jealousy is a great motivator.)

I think you do have to commit to whatever you do to get the most out of it, but this doesn't mean you have to choose one and make it a career path. Prose is better than poetry for some ideas and vice versa. I recommend you sharpen both tools, have both at your disposal, so when the time for each one comes, you're ready.


Yesterday, Prose and Poetry: Different Mindsets

Prose and Poetry: Different Mindsets

This is the first of two short instructional posts inspired by Steve Weddle's interview with me, specifically the question, "Is poetry harder to write [than prose]?"


I answered that poetry isn't harder; it just has different goals from fiction. Prose—fiction or nonfiction, novel or short story, article or essay—proceeds more or less linearly from beginning, to middle, to end. In drafting prose, the writer focuses on fleshing out the details and the action. An increasing word count is considered progress.

The goal of poetry is to communicate the power of a moment, emotion, or viewpoint in as few words as necessary. There is some fleshing out, but much more time is spent choosing the right words to sharpen the image, to express precisely what you feel.

Prose writers are often taught to get ideas out in early drafts and refine those ideas in later drafts. Poets typically reach the refining stage much sooner. If you primarily write prose and find your poetry lacking, it may be because you're concerned with beginning, middle, and end instead of capturing your feelings in the moment. It may be because you've never warmed to the task of revision, a task essential to finding the right words for a poem. I hope this post helps you tackle what's holding you back.


Tomorrow, Prose or Poetry: Do You Have to Choose?