A Poets View

I know this may sound strange but in order to develop your poetry skills and find your own authentic voice you need to read more that write.  This is true especially for emerging poets who have just begun to write and are still trying to become comfortable with all the different styles of poetry.  Reading the traditionalists as well as the contemporaries is essential in mastering your craft.

Reading Byron, Keats, Poe, Longfellow, Whitman and any of the 19th century poets will teach you form and style.  The contemporaries will lend even more dramatic styles to your learning experience. 

In my opinion Sylvia Plath was and still is the Mother of imagery.  She employed an intuitive curve in her poetry that is just unmatched.  Imagery is one of the most important elements to writing poetry so I think it essential to read Sylvia Plath.

Another learning tool which is alot of fun is going to poetry readings.  You don’t have to read yourself but by going to them you will hear different voices and as a result how different words sound.  This is important because as a reader of poetry you want your poem to have an ebb and flow with a lyrical beat.  If you’ve written a poem with broken lines and words which do not compliment each other you will not hear that ebb and flow.  This is one of the reasons why reading the traditionalists is very important.

The key is to read as much as you can, read everyday and you will soon develop your own unique voice.

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