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    You/Poet: Learn the Art. Speak Your Truth. Share Your Voice.
    You/Poet: Learn the Art. Speak Your Truth. Share Your Voice.
    You/Poet: Learn the Art. Speak Your Truth. Share Your Voice.
    Ebook195 pages1 hour

    You/Poet: Learn the Art. Speak Your Truth. Share Your Voice.

    By Rayna Hutchison and Samuel Blake

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    About this ebook

    Offering a variety of advice for tapping into your creative voice, sharing your work online, and honing your writing skills, You/Poet shows you how to express yourself creatively through the art of poetry.

    You may think that writing poetry requires a specific set of skills. You may have read books on writing poetry that were stuffy and full of strict rules and regulations. But You/Poet proves that all you need to be a poet is the desire to share your inner thoughts and emotions with the world. Let HerHeartPoetry—an online poetry community, Instagram, digital zine, and poetry press—take you on a journey of self-discovery and surprise, and show you how to embrace the world of writing poetry with arms wide open.

    Writing poetry is an act of bravery. It’s just you, your thoughts and feelings, and the words you choose to express them. You/Poet can help you do just that. With encouragement and advice on poetry writing basics, how to identify your unique creative voice, and prompts and exercises to help you channel your thoughts and emotions through writing, this all-in-one guide will help you share your talent with the world.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateSep 4, 2018
    ISBN9781507208359
    You/Poet: Learn the Art. Speak Your Truth. Share Your Voice.
    Author

    Rayna Hutchison

    Rayna Hutchison is the founder and creator of Her Heart Poetry, an online poetry community, digital zine, and now poetry press. The digital community @HerHeartPoetry is one of Instagram’ s fastest growing online poetry accounts, and the zine, HerHeartPoetry.com, attracts thousands of visitors a month. Since her love of poetry began when she was a teenager, Rayna has written numerous original pieces of work, is a published poet and writer, and a passionate poetry junkie. As curator of @HerHeartPoetry on Instagram she has made multiple connections with new and experienced poets, both published and unpublished from all over the world, and demonstrated her commitment to helping others make the most of their poetry journey.

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      Book preview

      You/Poet - Rayna Hutchison

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      CONTENTS

      Introduction

      Part 1: A History of Poetry

      Chapter 1: Poetry 101: An Introduction to Poetry

      Chapter 2: The Contemporary Poet: Poetry Today

      Chapter 3: Spoken Word: More Than Pen and Paper

      Chapter 4: Why We Write: Finding Your Voice

      Part 2: The Craft of Poetry

      Chapter 5: Using Your Poetic Tools: Themes, Images, Metaphors, Similes, and Punctuation

      Chapter 6: Word Choice: Why Your Words Matter

      Chapter 7: Editing and Revision: How the Editing Process Can Make You a Better Poet

      Part 3: Prompts and Activities

      Chapter 8: Writing Prompts

      Chapter 9: Poetry Forms

      Chapter 10: What to Do about Writer’s Block

      Part 4: Sharing Your Work with the World

      Chapter 11: Traditional Publishing Avenues

      Chapter 12: The #digitalpoets Toolkit

      Appendix: App and Platform Guide

      About the Authors

      INTRODUCTION

      Ink

      wells up

      and spills forth,

      staining my fingers with

      poetry.

      Do your fingers itch to capture a thought or feeling through words and ink? Have you imagined becoming the next great poet? Whether you are new to poetry or hoping for a fresh perspective; whether you write free verse or rhyme, short poems or long, currently share your work with others, or are still finding the courage to hit the Post button, You/Poet was written for you. The writing toolbox and creativity-boosting prompts in You/Poet are designed to help you, the budding poet, better understand the craft of poetry and improve your writing, guiding you from beneath the leaves and into the sunlight as a full-fledged lyricist ready to share your talent, truth, and voice with the world.

      To help you on your creative journey, we have divided You/Poet into four parts. In the first part you’ll find a brief history of poetry and the voices that shaped the art form we love—from a famous poet like Homer, who provided the foundation for the poetry we read today, to the poetic forms of today: poetry that is short and sharp, and poetry that has jumped off the page and into spoken form. Here we will also help you to uncover the ingredients that make your poetic voice unique—and how to blend them into poems that you can truly be proud of.

      Once you’ve connected with your voice, we’ll help you to improve your poetry writing. Part 2 is your guide to key poetry concepts, as well activities that will allow you to practice those concepts. You’ll learn the fundamentals of grammar and punctuation, the essentials of every poet’s toolbox; word choice and rhyming; meter; and metaphor. Soon you’ll be describing this very book through vivid metaphor; is it a vessel cut from wood, moving you through poetry as a ship moves its crew through stormy waters? Or perhaps it is a pirate’s tattered map, showing the way to precious treasure (a.k.a. your work—published!). In poetry, the possibilities are endless. Here you’ll also work through the basics of editing, so that once you’ve got the perfect poem written, you don’t have to worry about messing up your flawless post with that one stubborn letter that strayed out of place.

      In Part 3 you’ll be able to put everything you have learned about yourself and poetry together with seventy unique and interactive writing prompts. Sculpt the meaning of a beautiful and uncommon word into a short poem about distance, and ponder the colors and shapes of a photograph, transcribing your thoughts onto the page. Suffering from writer’s block? No worries—these exercises will help kick your creativity into gear.

      The final part of our creative journey is dedicated exclusively to sharing your poetry. From traditional publishing and poetry competitions, to sharing on social platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, you’ll discover a complete guide to translating your words—and the emotions within them—onto the digital page, connecting with other writers, and gaining an online following—everything you need to get your name and work out there! You/Poet is your road map for finding your voice and your place in the ever-growing digital poetry community—the incredible journey starts here.

      PART 1

      A History of Poetry

      Many of us have a box stashed away inside our closet: old pictures, journals, and poems written by a younger version of yourself. Isn’t it high time you took that thing out again? Shake off the dust and ready your pen, because poetry is flourishing once again—thanks to the digital age we are in! Join the ranks of those who have been writing and regaling poems since we learned to write and regale, and find out how that beautiful heritage pertains to you, a poet residing in the twenty-first century.

      Part 1 is where we lay the groundwork for you, a burgeoning poet, as you set out on this creative—possibly rhyming—adventure! You’ll learn about the rich history of poetry and how it relates to your personal experience as a writer in the twenty-first century. You’ll also discover the first steps on the path toward identifying your own voice as a poet, so that by the time the first chapter is done, you’ll feel ready to take on the contemporary world of digital poetry. Let’s start!

      CHAPTER 1

      Poetry 101: An Introduction to Poetry

      Someone asks you, What is poetry? What do you tell them? More importantly, do you think you can explain it in a way that he or she will understand and appreciate poetry once you’re done? Poetry is incredibly difficult to define, because it is something wonderfully different to every person. To one person, poetry is simple nursery rhymes: tales that teach kids to share, take risks, and be nice. To another person, however, poetry reveals something within him- or herself regarding their place in the world: it shows what it means to be honest and vulnerable, tells stories inspiring bravery and risk-taking, and helps us tackle subjects that might otherwise make us uncomfortable. Our reasons for writing, reading, and enjoying poetry are varied, but no matter the cause, poetry’s effects remain consistent across the board: it’s all about expression. In this chapter, you’ll look at poetry through a wide-angle lens to get the big picture. First, you’ll read about the history of poetry to understand its origins. After that, you’ll learn about poetry’s varied uses, and finally, you’ll return to the twenty-first century, where you’ll see how even the most delicate subject becomes relatable through poetry.

      BACK IN MY DAY . . . 

      Before the days of smartphones, tablets, computers, and even typewriters, people used to write poetry on leaves and chunks of tree bark. If they were especially skilled, their poems were chiseled into stone. No wonder few of those original works are still around today!

      SO CLASSIC!

      Millennia have passed since people began exploring the art of expression, and in that time we’ve experienced major advances in medicine, education, technology, and countless other fields. But there are a rare few wheels that, even after 2,000 years of advancement, simply do not require reinvention. Poetry has definitely seen its share of additions, but the forms and general composition of poetry from ancient days are still in use today. Okay no, we aren’t burning our poems into wood or chiseling them into stone—but as far as the basics are concerned, poetry is the same today as it was back when Homer first recounted his epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey.

      The term epic might be a little confusing: nowadays epic is mostly used to describe something incredible (dinner was epic, an epic fail, or, "Epic wave, brah

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