In business it is a common practice to read biographies to learn how other successful people approached their challenges and “rose to the top.” Is it possible to do the same with literature? Can you read all the great books of the past and learn how to write one yourself? If you read every Puschart…
Category Archives: Musings
Congratulations President Obama
I have felt that Barack Obama would win this election for several weeks now. I was right. I have no idea what kind of president he will be, but I know that he can give an inspiring speech. Tonight’s speech was spectacular. John McCain also gave an honorable speech and he is commendable for his…
Why Poets Make Good Capitalists
Capitalism and poetry go hand in hand. I imagine that the first poets sold their songs and chants on an open market, traded their entertainment services for fur and weapons. But today you’re more likely to find a poet bashing the excesses of capitalism and proclaiming the virtues of socialism. But I’m not sure why….
The Post-Literate Age And The Coming Epic (Reprise)
I had intended for this series to be a three-part series. But I found myself digressing into a lengthy discussion on technology in the previous post. I found it to be necessary because I believe technology will be an integral part to creating and publishing literature in the 21st century. We do not yet know…
Post-Literate Poetics And The Coming Epic
It’s been a busy three days. Political conventions, distractions of one sort or another, computer issues, etc. But you don’t want to hear about any of that. You came to read about the future of the epic. So let’s get on with it, shall we? The Epic Is Not Dead (Thanks Walt Whitman!) Epics are…
20th Century Epics And Carrying The Torch Of Tradition
I realize this is a rather sketchy history, but today I’m discussing the literate age of poetics, mostly the 20th century. I’m not going into great detail on purpose. Nevertheless, it should be helpful to see how the epic has changed over time. When we think of the great epics there are certain stories that…
How Many Types Of Poetry Are There?
I’d like to offer a great big thanks to Timothy Green, editor of Rattle, for getting me thinking on this. He commented on a former blog post about the nature of didacticism and I wanted to respond in a way that calls for more than a simple comment on a post. Here’s his comment: The…
Allen’s Rules For Writing A Poem
Mary Biddinger, editor of Barn Owl Review, asks, “What are your written or unwritten rules.” The responses, on her blog, are very interesting reading. Mine is here: Allen’s Rules For Writing Poetry First, I have no rules. I don’t follow other people’s rules If there is a rule that I’m supposed to follow then I…
Apposition Vs. Exposition (Or Who Writes The Rules?)
Yesterday I sicked my inner sicko (psycho?) on the appositives to see if I could get away with murder. Today I’m going to prosecute myself. Seriously, if I were to answer yesterday’s post with a rebuttal, I’d say there are three types of poetry where appositives are a positive. They are: Prose poetry Narrative verse…
Let’s Play ‘Kill The Appositives’
I have this fun little game that I play with my poems. It’s called Kill the Appositives. In case you are grammatically challenged, I’d like to explain what an appositive is. It’s really a negative, but some people see it as a positive (pardon the intentional pun). I was reminded of this game when reading…
