Some things seem to obviously belong in a poem: budding flowers, big feelings, the moon. And chances are, we all have our own places and images and seasons that call to us for writing. (I spent months working to write poems that would capture the stark beauty of winter in the upper midwest, and I still think of my first book, Double Jinx, as living in a season of winter.)
But what about all the things we leave out?
Today’s exercise will ask you to write into the things you’ve left out of your poems, whether that’s because they feel taboo or scary, or just because of your ideas about what belongs in a poem. Late in the writing of Pocket Universe, I made a list of all the words related to birth and babies that I hadn’t yet used, and gave myself the challenge of writing them into the poems. (“Your Best Post-Baby Body” is one result of that project, as is “My Sentimental Baby,” (not online, sorry!) into which I managed to jam colostrum, vernix, aureola, and more.) I’ve also always loved Erika Meitner’s insistence that all the ordinary places and tasks of our lives—Walmart, rest stop bathrooms, buying diapers and tube socks at Target—belong in poems.
today’s exercise
Make a list of 10 (ish) words you never use in your writing. Write at least one sentence with each one, and see where it takes you.
three upcoming events
This Saturday, I’ll be reading at Avalon Free Public Library at 2PM. If you happen to be in the area, I’d love for you to join me for some poems, then hopefully some restorative staring at the ocean.
Then, on Sunday, April 24th, at 7PM eastern, we’ve got a great reading for the Long Devotion at the Mercy Street Readings series via zoom. Contributors Sun Yung Shin, Raina J. León, Chelsea Dingman, and Hope Wabuke will read. You can sign up at bit.ly/mercystreetreadings
Next Saturday, April 30 from 1-4pm eastern, Emily Pérez and I will be leading a workshop at Rutgers-Camden’s Writers House titled Writing through the Confetti Time of Caregiving. (The workshop draws on poems and essays from The Long Devotion: Poets Writing Motherhood—and attendees will get a special discount code for the book!) You can attend the workshop in-person or via zoom. Whether you’re parenting little kids or caring for family members or just trying to figure out how to sustain a writing practice in the middle of a busy life, I think you’ll find the workshop really practical and encouraging. You can read more and register here.
I’d love to hear from you. You can always reply to this email, comment below, or find me on twitter (@nancy_reddy) and instagram (@nancy.o.reddy).