Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday May 13, 2022: Community

 
 
This week’s host for Poetry Friday is Rose Capelli. Hop over to her blog to see the Poetry Friday roundup. More on Rose (and some other poetic friends) below.
 

Community

When I picked out my words for the year, I chose NATURE AND NURTURE. It was really what I needed to be reminded of for this year. Three years into this pandemic and I’m really still struggling with nurturing myself. I joked with a poetry friend the other day that I should have chosen the word POETRY. So far in 2022, I have really leaned into poetry more than ever. I’ve been building some poetic habits for awhile now, but I realized I have jumped in with both feet more than ever before.
 
I’ve been taking classes this year offered by poets. I’m a #1 Learner in my Strengths Finders profile. Sometimes for me that shows up as me trying to learn as much as I can about something. In the past few months, I’ve taken classes by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Georgia Heard, one by Irene Latham, I hosted and attended a workshop by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, and this past weekend I attended an Anthologies 101 class with Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell.
 
 
I’m a big water-logged in the picture because I’d been at my daughter’s crew competition in the rain. But I was determined to figure out a way to attend this lovely class of poets. It was well worth my time! I’ve thoroughly enjoyed becoming more involved in communities of poets. 
 

Nevermores

I’m also not afraid of a challenge (though I’ll admit, sometimes I take on too many). When a call went out on the Inked Voices community to form a small group of writers who wanted to write a poem a week, I jumped at the chance. Our fearless leader, Ryan, named us the Nevermores (a hat tip to Poe). Our Poetry Friday host, Rose, is also part of the group. Patricia (also a Poetry Friday regular) is too. I have learned so much from this group of poets. They have pushed me to write more poetry. They have forced me to stretch my skills.
 
Even though I wished I’d chosen POETRY as my word of the year, I realized that it already connects to my 2 words. Writing a haiku a day has forced me to get out in NATURE and pay attention more. And all of this involvement in the poetry community has been very NURTURING! Just what I needed!
 
 

Haiku of the Week

 
fuzzy diner
bumbles on barely bloomed bells
upside down
 
–Photo and Haiku © Marcie Flinchum Atkins, 2022
 

What I’m Reading

by Philip Gerard
 
I just finished leading a book study on CREATIVE NONFICTION in the Inked Voices community. It doesn’t talk about poetry at all, but it really was a good deep dive for me as I think about my writing. I write a lot of lyrical nonfiction and nonfiction poetry, so it was a good craft book for me to read while still keeping poetry, unique structures, and lyricism in mind for my own work.

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