Poetica Magazine

A few years ago Zachary's Mom hailed me outside the center where I teach a class for young poets. She said her son’s third grade teacher remarked on Zach’s new self confidence and wondered what had happened. The mom said, “I told her he had taken a Young Poets Workshop.

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Granted, a short series of workshops for young poets does not always have such dramatic results, but it may present a rare opportunity for a child to develop self esteem by expressing, in a poem, his or her unique thoughts and feelings. The medium itself permits a great deal of freedom. Two major ground rules -- don’t worry about telling the exact truth or spelling all the words right—allows children to express themselves without inhibition.

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The late Kenneth Koch, founder of the nationwide Poets in the Schools Program, wrote, "Children have a natural talent for writing poetry and anyone who teaches them should know that. Teaching is really not the right word for what takes place. It is more like permitting the children to discover something they already have."

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He goes on to say that removing the obstacles that intimidate children, like rhyming and special forms, allows them to tune in to their own feelings and let inhibition give way to “carefree inventiveness."(1) The so called crazy ideas that come from children are welcomed in this environment as they are the fuel for invention, enjoyment and self-confidence. Here are two examples:

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I used to be a cloud floating in the sky

But now I’m a pencil. Work, work, work!

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Frustration tastes like Domino’s pizza burned black.

Frustration smells like Brussels sprouts for dessert.

Frustration feels like a $100 bill lost down the sewer

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As will be discussed later, classes or workshops that work on these principles are important and available in most areas of the country. This is also an opportunity for poets who wish to teach.

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One key to success in teaching young poets is to offer a variety of themes over a series of workshops and to make sure the each of the subjects grabs them. Whereas most of the topics in poetry workshops for young people work well for all age groups, very young children may prefer to write about a favorite food or amazing things they have never seen. They enjoy comparing themselves to an animal, weather or musical instrument. The comparison poem introduces the concept of “simile,” as well. Here is an example from a third grader:

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ME

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I am like a fast fox in the woods

I am as loud as a drum or as quiet as a harp

I am as strong as a tornado or as weak as the rain

I am like a squirrel climbing a tree.

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Older children like to write about sports, the environment, feelings and social interactions. One approach that appeals to pre-teens and teens is writing a letter that cannot be answered: to the sun, to peace, to Thomas Jefferson. An eighth grader wrote the following poem, which stands out for its rhythm and simple but powerful expression of feeling.

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DEAR KATRINA

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You came, we ran, some stayed and fought,

You made havoc in four of our states.

You hit us hard,

You killed our people,

You tore us apart,

Trashed our homes, flooded our streets

Treated us like little ants.

You killed our young, you killed our old,

You took our friends and families.

You left nothing but painful memories,

Now we have to clean the mess

While you go into hiding.

Katrina, you made us turn on each other.

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Part 2 of this article will cover other techniques that trigger the young poet’s muse: the warm-up, reading the poems of others as well as student poems and adapting the classes to the needs both of the children and teachers.

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  (1) Koch, Kenneth, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams, p.25

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Thank you for reading JWorld Café, The Poetica Magazine Blog

Natalie Lobe, Guest Blogger

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Natalie Lobe’s poetry collection, Connected Voices, was published in 2006; Island Time in 2008. Her most recent publications are in Blue Unicorn, Iconoclast and Comstock Review. Ms. Lobe is a Poet in the Schools for Maryland and Anne Arundel County and teaches at Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts in Annapolis, Maryland. She is also a reviewer for the on-line Montserrat Review. Ms. Lobe lives in Annapolis with her husband, Bernard.