Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday: Analog Desk

March 25, 2022 /

This week’s Poetry Friday posts are hosted by Amy at The Poem Farm. Hop on over there to view all of the week’s posts. 

Analog Desk

In December of 2020, I was still working from home. My school stuff had taken over my writing space. I needed a sacred space for writing. A space where no screens were going to be glaring at me. Nine months in front of a screen had really hurt my eyes. I created an analog desk. No computer. No phone. Just writing by hand. I thought I’d try it for my winter break in December 2020.

It’s still there more than a year later. Still no computer. Still no phone on this desk. This desk is still my sacred writing space. It’s where I do morning pages. It’s where I write my poetry. It’s where a do a lot of my brainstorming and most of my revising–all longhand. Pen on paper. 

I have another surface where I can take my laptop. But this space, has been more important than I could have imagined. 

If you want to see more posts about it, I posted about it on Instagram on Day 1 and a year later. 

Haiku of the Week

This week’s haiku is from another one of my nature walks. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in February that felt really warm for a change. 

burble of water

tumbles over pennywart

smatterings of green

–Haiku and Photo by Marcie Flinchum Atkins, 2022

What I’m Reading

The Practicing Poet edited by Diane Lockward

I keep this book in my car in my writing bag, and I love reading it in bits and pieces. It features essays on different parts of poetry writing by various poets. The essays are short and all give an exercise to try at the end with examples. I’m reading it from beginning to end and marking it up right now. Then I think I’ll go back through this one and try each of the exercises that I marked. I highly recommend if you want to practice different poetic techniques. 

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28 Comments

  • Margaret Simon

    March 25, 2022 at 7:15 AM

    Love your word choices in this haiku…burble, pennywart, smatterings. Thanks for the book recommendation, too. Happy almost National Poetry Month. Are you doing a daily project?

  • Irene Latham

    March 25, 2022 at 7:53 AM

    Marcie, You had me at burble. I’m interested to hear how you feel writing longhand impacts your creativity and writing practice. And thank you for the book recommendation! xo

    • Marcie Flinchum Atkins

      March 25, 2022 at 4:02 PM

      Irene, yes, I love writing by hand and revising by hand. I write all of my poetry and picture book first drafts by hand. Then I print stuff off and revise on paper. It helps me tremendously. Plus I can see physical evidence of so many changes!

  • Rose Cappelli

    March 25, 2022 at 8:04 AM

    Thanks for the peek at your analog desk. I do a combination of long hand and processed writing, but my laptop can often be a distraction. Your photo and poem are so beautiful together! I love the sound of burble and tumble and that unexpected pennywart. And thanks also for the the book recommendation! Your recommendations have taken me in new directions.

  • Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

    March 25, 2022 at 8:37 AM

    Burbling and smattering…sigh of happiness! The evolution of your analog desk from Instapost to Instapost is great to see. I have been blending two desks with paper and screens at each. Now I am thinking that this may need to change. Thank you for the inspiration. And for the book recommendation – I just ordered it! xo

  • PATRICIA J FRANZ

    March 25, 2022 at 11:31 AM

    I love your analog desk, Marcie! I think it’s why I carry a spiral notebook and a pencil… no distractions, no dodging extraneous visuals, just immersed in word and moment. I’m looking forward to getting a copy of The Practicing Poet. You have such wonderful resources! Thank you!

  • tanita

    March 25, 2022 at 2:41 PM

    An analog desk is an idea whose time has come, indeed. I think I’ll pull in a table from the garage and see if I can’t make one…

  • Linda Baie

    March 25, 2022 at 8:09 PM

    Hi Marcie,
    I don’t have room for an analog desk, but I can sit in one space & write, without the laptop! I like adding a sketch or two sometimes, too. It’s funny but I have been going through, slowly, The Strategic Poet by Diane Lockward, same author as your book, & I didn’t know there was more! I love your “smattering” in the poem. Thanks for the tips & the poem.

    • Marcie Flinchum Atkins

      March 25, 2022 at 9:01 PM

      Yes, after I started reading THE PRACTICING POET, I bought THE STRATEGIC POET too. It looks great! I love that it features essays from so many different people. It increases the chances that something will resonate! Also, I feel like a notebook is a mini-analog desk, right? 🙂 Just having a device-free zone is helpful for me.

  • jama

    March 25, 2022 at 8:55 PM

    Chiming in on the love for your analog desk. Enjoyed your haiku. Can’t go wrong with “burble.” 🙂 Diane publishes such great poetry books, both how-to’s and single poet collections.

  • Mary Lee

    March 26, 2022 at 12:04 PM

    Turns out I already HAVE an analog desk, but didn’t know that’s what it was named. Now I just need to sit at it and write or create instead of letting it continue as a “receiver of piles” desk!

  • Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

    March 27, 2022 at 2:56 PM

    Count me in for the “burble and smatterings” fan club! Hmmm… it would make a good book title too. 🙂 So nice to see you among the Poetry Friday crowd, Marcie. I have no idea how long you’ve been posting here since I’ve been away for several months, but I’m glad you are. Thanks for the book recommendation too!

    • Marcie Flinchum Atkins

      March 27, 2022 at 4:14 PM

      Thanks, Michelle. I’ve only been back for about a month. I posted years and years ago from a different blog site. But I’ve just recently come back. Welcome back! Thanks for the idea about the title. Maybe one day it will be!

  • Elisabeth

    March 28, 2022 at 3:07 AM

    When I created a workspace for myself years ago, it was an act of affirmation to myself – a way of saying “I’m going to do this, and take it seriously,” so your story about creating an analog workspace really resonates with me.

    Your haiku is lovely – full of words that evoke the scene you describe as I read the poem: burble, tumble, smattering – they burble and tumble through the poem like the water over the pennywort.

    Thanks for sharing your poem and the book recommendation – it looks like one I’ll want to add to my library!