I thought that was clear / LONG UPDATE

Something I'm running into recently are clarity issues. I like to think my work is clear; in fact, one of the reason why I avoid abstractions for abstractions' sake stems from what I feel is a bad turn in terms of American poetics: the dissolution of narrative in favor of the "OMG, we're in the (post-)modern condition--our lives are so fragmented--I'm flush with ennui and memorized manifestos throughout various disciplines." I think it's just the way my mind processes information.

I'm an inherently "logic first" person, so it's harder for me to see connections issues when/if they exist, as I can relatively easily rationalize the connections in my head. I thought my bra poem was sufficiently clear, playing with being in both the present and past, and how indecision can eventually relent and become a decision that is only good for the moment(s) of the action. Obviously, I was wrong--my bra was "too intellectual," and no one ever talks to bras (even though there probably could be empirical studies done to show where focus lies when a male speaks to females--eyes wander [I'm not saying rightly or wrongly]).

That stanza, mainly, was to show a kind of "stasis" the bra maintains--there is so much that depends on the bra being on or off (love to creepily pervert WC Williams), which is what I thought the poem hinged on. External forces becoming impatient with the bra being on; the bra only wanting the best for her wearer. I think this why I may have taken exception to the idea for the bra being "friends" with the male article of clothing named at the end--maybe friend was the wrong word (maybe it should have been acquaintances?)--if you are around someone enough, people will ascribe the label of friend rightfully or not. I didn't mean this as some quirky tone shift--I, again, meant it more as this sort of situation where familiarity doesn't always means pleasantness--being stripped, even if consensual, doesn't always mean the parties will feel the "best" about it. That may get into a deeper issue altogether that my poem (or me, currently), doesn't want to address, but I guess I require too much suspension of belief, or overly trust the reader to get my intended meaning.

Everything is open for interpretation--I welcome that--but defining what is and isn't possible for an inanimate object seems...weird. Or counterproductive. What if one of my risks (it wasn't, but still) was making the seemingly nonsensical make sense? What happens if I would have named dropped Derrida or Wolfgang Iser or I.A. Richards and said, "them the gaps--fill them with your baggage"? Maybe I'll revise it with the concept of "this is a bra" and make sure the things are within the bra's reality...or make it a bra polyptotes. I plan on revising each of the six exercise poems I created anyway, and I did get good feedback in terms of strengthening the piece in its current state (I'm not saying I didn't), but...yeah.

While waiting for my wife's hair to be done, I typed the following into the memo section of my phone as a start to a poem, but it may fit here, too: "I have a distinctly different concept of funny. Maybe it's because i see simulacrum in everything, including the 'real'." Does simulacrum have a point in this poem? Maybe if only that things are being represented. But, if I poorly (and circularly) connect this back to me being primarily a "logic" thinker, if I see everything, regardless of it's level of realness as fake, does that taint how I structure things? Dream logic doesn't work outside of dreams--maybe the notion "I know exactly what this means" is only applicable if someone is as warped or non-sequitor as me. Oops.


As a less heavy aside, I've started the image search--I don't know how I'll bring 'em in with me, but I definitely have a firm grip of "what" to look for. I'm debating finding relationship images (as all my poems, whether I want to or not, tend to be about relationships), but music, science, and Christian imagery are no-brainers: the circle of fifths, band/artist images, sheet music; Fibonacci images in nature (sunflowers, shells, etc), hyperbolas, areas shaded under a curve, diagrams of various body systems (like cns, lymphatic), Newton's cradle; rosaries, crosses, crowns, silver coins, fire. I'll think about them more tomorrow (and the weekend), and may just narrow it to the top 2-3 in each category to provide a) the most inspiration and b) to cut down how many trees I'm killin'.

This feels like a lot--then again, I've been "away" from the blog for a while, relatively speaking. I feel I should go through and wantonly quote some words now...but I've learned my lesson :)

So, I'll end with some fun stuffs (as the vast majority of this has been heavy), and post the top five six songs I've been grooving to lately--I always write with music (whether as a response or just something to help the juices flow), so maybe you'll find inspiration in my selections, too. I'll provide a rationale for each and then BAM! you with an embedded youtube link for your convenience. Some of these may not be work safe, but I warned you in my initial post about that!

I guess these are in some sort of significant order, too:


1. Cynic - Integral Birth

I discovered Cynic a few years back (they're actually quite "old" as bands go, but with only two full lengths, widely spaced apart in time). I'm a big fan of prog (progressive music [rock, metal, etc]), and rightfully or not, an association with prog is excess and decadence, along with technical proficiency (forebearers: Yes, Rush, King Crimson, UK, early Genesis, ELP)--newer prog is more in the metal vein, which is usually associated with technicality (whether this is speed, technique, or both). Cynic is technically proficient, but there's something...rewarding about the vocals--the sort of detached/futuristic feel they take, in contrast with the growled vocals. Musically, if you're a fan of tech, this has everything--groovy bass and drum lines, a nice chord progression, and hella tasty solos (specifically, for me, the second one is especially nice--I may try to cover it on the acoustic, as I think it's just within my proficiency scope). The image repeated in the chorus "a million doves / orbit round the earth with tears of blood" seems so beautifully restrained and poetic simultaneously.



2. The Receiving End of Sirens - Planning a Prison Break
Their lyrics, I feel, are so poetic, in addition to the additional textures they get from three singers. Very uplifting/contemplative, especially the idea of transcending the body and announcing that "this is the last night in my body." That, it's a bit refreshing (if you get more into TREOS' oeuvre), that a band not strictly math/metalcore experiments with odd time signatures and breakdowns. Go fig.



3. Keyshia Cole and Monica - Trust
I've been getting more into/back to R&B lately--maybe it's an attempt to reconcile with my roots, maybe it's a result of me not having an access/outlet to play "heavy" music since I'm no longer in a "college town"--and I'm not sad with my choice. To be perfectly honest, a lot of R&B (or what mainstream society [and, to an extent, what minority society perpetrates]) is shit, musically, holistically. The premium now, really, is having a catchy beat/hook--lyrics aren't really a premium, but if the song has sufficient knock (read: car-rattling bass), a solid horn section, or a random appearance from someone from Young Money (Lil' Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Tyga et al.), you're money. Telling realistic stories with emotions seems abandoned in favor of tales of excess, bottle of rosay and moscato, the finest dro, the finest hoes, etc. This song is about a simple concept: trust. The song wants that eternal relationship, wants to be one, realizes that life is so complicated yet making the attempt to trust can be so important. Man. Think about the chorus: "I know you've seen a lot of things in your life / It got you feeling like this can't be right /
But, I won't hurt you; I'm down for you baby." 'Nuff said.



4. The Dream - Sex Intelligent
Straight up, this is nothing but guilty listening and me living vicariously through The Dream. The lyrics are...well, interesting. Interpret interesting whatever way you want after listening. I've posted this before--unfortunately, most versions on youtube aren't the one that's on the cd (I've explained this in an earlier post, but it may bear repeating). Also, my wife dislikes me singing this song. I wonder why.



5. Alicia Keys ft Drake - Un-thinkable (I'm Ready)
Plain and simple, one of the few songs in recent memory that have almost made me cry. Listening closely to the lyrics, it's a "bad" song in terms of content (the speaker saying she's ready, essentially, to be the other woman [which may mirror how she functioned in real life in terms of Swizz Beats, but that means nothing to you if you don't follow the urban music scene]), but man is there just an overall chill vibe and stunning vocal performances (maybe more for Drake, as his singing seems to benefit in other songs from the "judicious" use of Auto-Tune). Still, resonant. Very much. The wife doesn't like when I sing this, either.



EDIT
6. The Dillinger Escape Plan - The Widower
Shows maturity (not that dissonance isn't mature), but seems a logical progression from the last track of their previous effort, Ire Works, entitled "Mouth of Ghosts." There is the "typical" DEP shenaningans we've (and by we've, I mean people who fancy this brand of music) come to expect near the end, but something reads "powerful" in this song, even if the lyrics don't make a hell of a lot of sense. The idea of breathing someone's name after they leave is haunting.




-Glenn

Trot/Reflection on "Speed Rounds"

Alrighty, folks--so I'm about there--maybe a slight tweak here and there, but peep the following:

My mastertape is sketching relationships through the simultaneous prisms of science, christian religious imagery, and musical imagery (both in terms of theory and allusions to extant works).

My notes: "Extant works" will be narrowed (soon) to Pop (which will allow me a lot of variety in terms of what's "popular"), or R&B (as I'm currently obsessed with what I dub "guilty pleasure" R&B, or R&B that is essentially varying degrees of overtness in terms of baby-making-music™). Either way, it will encourage me to a) listen to more music (oh darn!) and b) incorporate what's already in this ol brain into new poems (can you say new jack swing, baby!).

In terms of the speed rounds:

I did this twice--the first time, I was re-doing my trot (oops), but I think that helped me narrow my scope. In terms of actual writing creative works, some felt "better" than others--specifically, "Logical Analysis" was still very helpful/resulted in some intriguing stuffs to investigate, but I was surprised how much "life" my poem from "Animism" gained--a talking bra = FTW.

My "Negatives" poem feels...sloppy, as it was weird trying to find opposites (or stuffs with enough contrast) to fit the either...or...this format. "Hesitation" was "ok," but I definitely need to build on it. "Olfactory" yielded some ideas that I have to tease out, and "Polytopes" may also be saucy. I think each poem does have something to salvage, and it is a lot clearer with these poems (versus using my normal process) that there is still tons of work to be done. I do enjoys the rigors of requirements, but with so much of the style choice out of my hands (and not topic), I felt it much more difficult to generate things. But I still generated things, which is cool. And I really enjoy the revision process, as I've begun to treat poems I'm supremely dissatisfied with as nothing more than glorified word banks, cutting and moving as needed. For these specific exercises, I will try to stay as true to the translated original as I can...but maybe some creative rule-breaking here and there may be warranted.

Also, I should be getting awesomer as the semester progresses, as I shouldn't feel like death in the coming weeks. Been sick since school started--hopefully it didn't show (or catch!).

-Glenn

Placeholder?

I will have more to say tomorrow, but for now: relationships. Bam!

-Glenn

Light v Dark

Again, (somewhat) philosophical thoughts stemming from Stevens/Moore. Distilled: what is the role of the poet/poetry once a/the realization is made that there is no/maybe no First Idea/prototype/ideal, that there is no "true" universal in terms of objects/emotions, and that each poet is (really) creating fictions that a reader can consciously choose to engage with on whims?

This idea (or would it be these ideas?) stem from Stevens' "Ideas of Order at Key West," "The Snow Man," and "The Man Whose Pharynx Was Bad"--"Ideas" is so "positive," I feel, because it seems to drive home the idea that potential alone is an argument for why poetry exists. Even though an attempt to paint reality is futile (as hinted by the allegory of the cave), these attempts provide inspiring moments, maybe in terms of the harmony of sounds only. Language, as concept, is inherently abstract--rules sorta/kinda agreed on to make communication possible. But you strip away meaning, and what do you have? The careful ordering of sounds. Consider operas--when people cry, is it over the (sometimes overwrought) writing, or the power that the voice alone, with careful training, can evoke?

The downside (as hinted by "Snow" and "Pharynx") is this highlight of representation--at it core, poems are just exercises in "nothing"--nothing is "truly" gained/lost by the poetic process, especially if one chooses to ignore a poem altogether. Essentially, poems do not "shed light" on human conditions; rather, they widen the nets of darkness that exist already in an uncertain (or possibly absurd) life.

The debate then has, as its basic premise, the following questions: is potential alone a reason for poetry? Is the notion of what the self, when properly motivated and "trained," can do enough? Is poetry, being very reductive, just an act of (sometimes) shared acts of solipsism that allows the self to transcend and be rewarded with immortality?

Some tough questions to wrestle with, especially an aesthetic like mine that values more the "real" in terms of visceral that can be elicited, not necessarily language games.

-Glenn

Theory?

One interesting idea brought up by some of discussions in Thursdays (9/16) class was theory. Things like semiotics or "flarf" (which, I think may be less theory) made me wonder about the role theory should play for a poet. I know, at least for me, that my MA in creative writing was more of an "English" degree in the sense that there was a lot less craft and a lot more "English" (took a theory class [have the Norton on my shelf], Old English, and lit classes more focused on English canon than necessarily poetic canon). I'm familiar with these terms, and if not in my immediate recall memory, a quick glance at a book/existent notes make the ideas "pop" fresh. So the point--if the MFA is a "craft" degree, what sort of premium should there be on "theory" outside of poetics? Should a writer be familiar/well versed in things like semiotics or post-colonial theory, reader response or new historicism, difference and hermeneutics? I think some of these come intuitively, and as tools, how "helpful" are they if someone wants to simply "produce" rather than "critique"?

I know for me I like having this sort of theoretically background as I like entertaining academic discussions in person, and sometimes I find these theories opens up ideas that I can address in poems without having it read as a lecture (I know for sure I have a few poems about sign/signifier/signified). However, if a writer wants to write purely from "life," why does the writer need to know "academically" about the oppressed--wouldn't the writer eventually get close (or nail) these sorts of theory by experience alone?

I guess this is neither an argument for or against theory in a "craft" setting--rather, I find it interesting how a "little" knowledge can go so far.

hmph.

-Glenn

I'm being bombarded with ideas...

...and I love it. Love trying to connect the (seemingly) disparate or more generally, being autodidact. Reading Harold Bloom on Stevens in Stevens and Moore, and the ideas of ethos/pathos/logos is really resonating with me. He defines them in a way that is weird, initially, but it begins to make sense and essentially breaks down into limits/boundaries, potential/movement, and recognition/actualization.

I've been consciously trying to work some Bloom into poems to give me a better hang of it, and I think this knowledge deepens how I can work through relationships (or, I think as mentioned earlier, maybe my "main" theme is binaries). Binaries are all about ethos--limits. The liminal spaces that are physically manifested like shorelines or walls or mentally presented like self-doubt and wonderment. I think I like working so much in binaries because I feel there is so much to be learned/gained in this "middle" and pushing "outward." I think it also allows me deeper reflection onto my own feelings, what "gray areas" they touch and how they may be reconciled/resolved into something more firm. I just want to ensure this resolution isn't something "extreme"--just because there are two sides of the wall doesn't mean both can't be walked equally or that the wall shouldn't be used as balance beam.

So:

-Theory in poems without beating theory over reader's head = fun; interesting; positive adjective x.

-Bloom's specific idea of ethos/limits = what I play with in poems--I now have another point of reference for what I "do."

-Glenn

Binaries

I dug the additional binaries people came up with the poem I submitted as part of my "mastertape" work. The only one I consciously "wrote" was between the "sacred" and "secular" in terms of viewing sex, but people saw beyond this to deeper religious motifs (such as what it means to pray and the interplay of god/the devil), additional relationships such as the internal versus the external, and also the (in)adequacies of language. With that in mind, on the Metra home, I just generated a shit-ton (well, for about 10 minutes) of possible binaries/relationships to explore. Well, would it be more appropriate to discuss that my work focuses on "binaries" as the "biggest" theme, with "relationships" being just one binary? I think it may. Anyway, list (some are already mentioned above, but I'll rename then--if someone in this class stumbles across this blog [or if I end up giving the URL and this is still "early" on the page), please offer additional suggestions (also, I won't "quote" things like "right," etc, as I think this tension is implied):

Language as adequate versus language as inadequate; Good versus evil; Internal versus external; Light versus dark; Right versus wrong; Sacred versus secular; Hot versus cold; Black versus white; Old versus young; Old versus new; Thought versus action; Blindness versus sight; Natural versus the scientific; Sound versus deafness; Fast versus slow; Endless versus finite; Ephemeral versus permanence;
Isolated versus surrounded; Gravity versus weightlessness; Happy versus sad; Fucking versus making love; Genuine versus trite; Original versus copy; Truth versus lie;
Life versus death; Movement versus stasis; Euphony versus cacophony

Imagistic

I got (sorta, in a half, roundabout way) compared to Imagist Pound in workshop earlier. I guess that's what throwing in a "Pound's metro" will do to you. I still think it's very appropriate to my current focus: relationships. I think I much prefer images, as the pictures they can create can do so much more for a poem. I think about Tony Hoagland's notion of three poetic "chakras": diction, image, and rhetoric, and I very much identify myself as an "image" poet. While my word choices are conscious, they are not my meaning--rather, they work more in concert to sharper/refine an image I wish to capture. I find myself employing little, if any, rhetoric in my work, as again, I try to let the situations "speak" without providing commentary/direction. I guess this makes my rule update (specifically in terms of metaphor/simile) more relevant--metaphors allow for a more a more striking/arresting image. Consider Pound's "Metro" in its current state:

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;
Petals on a wet, black bough.

This is "classic" metaphor--the "is" is implied making the direct substitution/connection between the faces and petals on a bough. Consider how this changes if this becomes

The apparition of these faces in the crowd are like
Petals on a wet, black bough. (emphasis, obviously mine).

To me, there's something less...fresh or compelling here. It seems more common, like "oh yeah, the images are kinda like that." Making that (in my opinion) bold choice to say that's what they are offers the reader something meaty in terms of equating human features in all their complexities to the complexities of both a petal, a wet petal, and how this exists on a black bough.

-Glenn

Double Post--but nothing (much) in terms of consequence

Revision, upon further reading, of my ten rules:

10 Rules (For Writing Like Glenn Taylor)

1. Use music as inspiration during the whole process, whatever you define the “process” to be.
2. Keep it short and sweet.
3. Make line-length flexible and variable.
4. Make sure the poem is aurally/sonically tight.
5. Compose mainly in the first person.
6. Avoid abstractions for abstraction’s sake.
7. When debating between simile and metaphor: metaphor.
8. Focus more on the emotions, not the intellectual.
9. Use allusions/facts/knowledge to ground the poem in reality.
10. Make use of the major theme of relationships (living or non-living) in the poem.

I feel more comfortable with "this" set, as it is much more refined/imperative (this is where I went after initial posting and thinking/revision), and I think it addresses something more directly in my previous posts--figures of speech. While wit/[black/off-] humor is a part of who I am as a poet, I think a "bigger" rule concerns the use of figures of speech. Metaphors win, as noted by the previous entry, on account of their (or what I perceive to be their) directness or precision in terms of "meaning." And, I can definitely see how these rules can begin to overlap/blend to form the harmonious (e.g., injecting fact-based metaphors to take abstractions beyond the state of simply "existing" as abstractions). With that in mind, I a) may edit my previous analysis (or "checklist") of a poem entitled "Laws of Motion" or b) just keep this in mind with future projects specifically for this class.

Whew.

Also--should these all begin as "must" e.g. must use music...?

-Glenn

Metaphor v Simile - A CRAZY mathematical approach

Intense conversations in my Stevens/More class, specifically in terms of metaphor v simile. Weirdly enough, drawing/thinking about it "mathematically" is interesting. With metaphor, you have a direct substitution--you are literally equating one thing as something else. When you say "you are the sun," you are literally saying that the "you" is a sun, not like a sun (this distinction is important and will become even more important a bit later). What stemmed interesting from this metaphor (before moving on) was a classmate's notion (Jeff) of metaphor being replacement--once you ascribe an existent object to a new object, that "old" object no longer exists. So, when you say "you are the sun," the "sun," as "we" know it ceases to exist--rather, only "you" exists as sun. Very interesting idea. Anyway, back to math: this is saying 3 = 3 or 3^2 = 9 -- there's only "one" right equation for each. Which may be too much a distillation, but represented on a number line, if you say a value equals a specific value, there is no "wiggle" room--if you say a point exists at (3,2) on an x-y coordinate plane, it is "fixed," in the same way a metaphor is a direct replacement--there, again, is no "wiggle" room--there is no approximation--there just is.

As far as simile, I originally diagrammed limits (as the conversation began a bit with how similes/metaphors are plays on "limits"), and the notion of approaching infinity (note: I think I am remembering my calculus correctly, for the most part [which is senior year high school--sorry, younger me, for not finishing off calc II freshman year of college and completing the trifecta of English, math, and computer science])--if there is no "real number" (or, to use earlier language, a "fixed" point), an expression can only approach a fixed number, never be a fixed number. Visually, again, this makes more sense, as you can plot the limit and shade the area underneath--the "further" you get on the limit, the "closer" it gets, but again, it never "stops." More simply, think of the common fraction 1/3 or 2/3--what do these equal? If you said "33%" or "66%"--WRONG (caps only for effect, not sarcastically). As with limits, this becomes more of a truncation--1/3 is actually .33333333333 to some indefinite spot, and the same with 2/3. You can safely approximate its meaning (no one, really, outside of a math context, is going to be like "OMG, don't equate 1/3 to 33%, geez!"), but saying 1/3 = .33 or 33% is "wrong" on a technicality. So, waht does this mean? A simile can only (to varying degrees) approximate a relationship. A simile offers more "options" or "possibilities" in terms of relationships--if you say "you are like the sun," you (as writer) still offer the reader flexibilities--you open different ways/qualities for this "you" to be sun-like. Is this "you" radiant, "yellow," "splotchy"? Well, you, as writer, can explain this or not in text, but the simile is not bound to a sort of fixed/definite meaning.

Summarizing, mathematically, it's "easy" to note the difference between metaphor and simile. With metaphor, it's more an all or nothing prospect or proposition--3 cannot "cease" being 3--saying something equals 3 imbues all of 3's "qualities" into that something (becomes prime, Fibonnaci, etc). Saying 3 = 4 is just...weird. And wrong. But mostly weird. Now, saying something like pi = 3.14 is "right" only in a sense of precision--I think pi is at least in the 200 in terms of post decimal digits, and each matters in terms of applications such as areas/volumes of circles/spherical objects. When you say pi = 3.14, you are asking the audience to "trust" this so far as there is known wiggle room--they have a solid footing as to what "this" means (knowing the numerical approximation/representation), but they are also aware that this number is unstable, and, as needed, it can be "changed" with little in terms of "loss."

Phew.

So, how does this affect my poetics, my masterplan, my rules? Well, while not a "rule" in existent in my "10 rules," I do note in my work that I make more use of metaphors than similes, and I think this is a direct result of the "precision" each offers. I like the ideas that, with metaphor, you are literally "transforming" something--"she" can become "light," not "like light." It's a more direct, confrontational (in a positive sense) approach. It seems less "hiding" behind words/play and more a statement of "truth" within the poem. Similes, to me, feel, at times, a bit like a cop-out--if you are going to compare something, why only approximate its relationship? Saying "she" is "like light" seems to already be questioning of itself and, if the comparison already begins unsteady, what's to say it will "hold" for the poem's duration?

-Glenn

Try #2

Ok, so, since I have to generate poems anyways, I decided to do a "second take" in regards to my mastertape and rules. This time, I used The-Dream's "Sex Intelligent" as "muse."

NSFW NSFW NSFW (note: the video has literally nothing to do with the song--however, it's the only version I could find on youtube that has the song as presented on the CD, which is what I was listening to while composing).



The process this time felt a lot smoother--maybe it was because I wasn't trying to get "everything" out in one take (I took time to read/digest my writing before moving on at points), but this may underlie a bit my fickleness as a writer or lend some credence to the concept of "inspiration." The music felt like it "spoke" to me more readily, and I think it was a direct result of me not doing much "intellectualizing" before hand. I still knew I was going to use the "rules" and masterplan, but I think I was less concerned about "following" the rules (not in terms of disregard, but more in terms of "checklist paranoia") and more trusting of my writing, knowing that if I could readily note 10 consistent traits in my writing, the traits would manifest themselves when I wrote organically, and I didn't have to necessarily "babysit" the writing.

Now, going through the checklist, I note:
1)I used music to compose (The-Dream - "Sex Intelligent")
2)Less than a page, typed (which, in hindsight, is a weird rule, as I write poems as blocks of text first with ink and paper and the line breaks manifest on first revisions, which are done on the computer. ).
3)I may distill this rule to just "no rules in terms of line length," as I really use the line to "tell" me when to stop.
4)I think the rhythm is tight--I found unexpected internal rhymes and nothing seems overly "chewy" to say.
5)Definitely in the first person.
6) Not much in terms of abstractions here--yay me.
7)This is one rule I question whether I should change, as I definitely have a humor/wit side, but I'm not sure it manifests itself in every poem. I do have the caveat "when appropriate" in the rule, so it may be fine/be open for flexibility, but this poem definitely lacks any sort of "wit." Le sigh.
8)I think I stay trued to the emotions of the poem--very much a "plea," although I'm not sure if this plea is genuine or not in the speaker's eyes.
9)Made use of Newton's laws of motion both in the title ("Laws of Motion") and throughout the text (concepts like energy)--also, definitely some biblical references (St. Peter).
10)Definitely, at its core, a relationship poem, but there's an interesting, to me, conflation towards the end where religion gets brought in, and throughout, there is a sense of what is "right" in terms of physical versus spiritual/instinctual. Also, I did manage to tie in some musical concepts (such as waveforms and timbre), so score all three.

Based on this, I'm just interested to knowing if the rules can "change" over the semester (whether completely or simple tweaks) or not. I definitely feel my mastertape is in place (the idea of relationships as aided [a little bit or a lot of bit] by music), but I think my rules may need changing as I discover more of my poetic self via writings/exercises.

So, end products are "Trust" and "Laws of Motions" for this week's activities--I'm unsure which one I want to use, but I'll definitely be ready for this Wednesday.

-Glenn

p.s., it's so weird to me to "write" this, mainly because I've given up proper capitalization not to "buck" the system, but it allows me to type faster without using my left or right pinkie for the "shift" keys. Working my way back into academe slowly. Ha.

"Mixed" Media?

So, I'm not sure if you "get" this by now, but I'm a huuuuuuge music fan. It drives me, literally, whether it is walking to/from campus, doing household chores, or literally driving to Michigan. I compose to music, and while I don't necessarily consider my work "mixed media" as of yet, I've flirted with the idea. Someone on my thesis chair suggested I compose music to "accompany" the thesis, and I may eventually do so. I also toy with the idea of employing music during readings, but I'm worried about the music distracting or taking focus away from the words. Anyways, I do feel there are growing opportunities to re-purpose "text" or re-engage text via music.

For example, there is the resource Who Sampled Who, which is a pretty thorough examination (with links) of how new "texts" are constructed with old "texts." This may not be true "mixed" media, but it does play with the notion of process and how one "central" text can result in many differing results.

Along those same lines of "it may be mixed media but not by the book," I think of this. It's kind of sad to think of it now, as a key member recently (and by recently, 9/8/10) left the band, but this was a song writing contest. Based on the "text" supplied, those interested were to "compose" to the text. In the contest's own words, "What if we let you, the crazy and demented DT fan, interpret one of our charts to try and guess what the song we've written actually sounds like before anybody has gotten to hear it?" The chart, if you don't click on the link, contains information like key/time signatures and "feels"--for example, there is a section called "UK Rise" and another section called "Crimson Climb." Each of the songs that were selected as "winners" are solid compositions (well, if you're into the whole prog rock/metal instrumental thing), but none of them are near dead-ringers for the final product. I think, even though this may not be by-the-book mixed media, it does provide a good argument to mixed media's value and that it is not "distracting"--people, generally, don't produce the "same" thing (which English [or language] being generative kind of "proves"), so it's really interesting to see how "disparate" parts (in this case, just text descriptions with tempo markers and other vague musical annotations) can result in "beauty."

Think of how ekphrasis works--reading the poem in isolation may provide one picture, but if the picture is on the page (or the poem written into the picture), you add layers of additional depth by simple juxtaposition alone.

I think it will be cool once we hit the "mixed media" part of this semester, as I'd totally welcome the opportunity to have additional "texts" within my text--I may have to break out the pink Kodak camera, my acoustic guitar, and my insane falsetto.

-Glenn

Poem

Well...that was interesting. I started writing after loading the dishwasher--opened up my windows media player, put it on "repeat," and pressed play to The-Dream's "Panties to the Side." I keyed in on a phrase on the pre-chorus, "If you get tired of faking it: call me."

Obviously, the poem went in a very sexual manner, but I don't feel it's too gratuitous. The song itself is all about bravado, with basically is establishing/repeating how The-Dream will quench any/every sexual desires the target female has. He tries to differentiate himself and his qualities in the bedroom without too much in terms of the vulgar. The basic scene is approaching a girl in a club and "running game" on her, hoping to bring her home. In the same sort of way, my poem focused on this same sort of "game," with the speaker trying to establish himself as "ripe" for the sexual picking for his desired object. It took a good...5 repeat listens to really get going--I got a few lines (mostly, the beginning) while loading said dishwasher, but a lot of the time, I had my eyes closed, leaning back in the chair, and wondering "what comes next"?

My process is writing a full draft in a Moleskein with a Pilot Precise black ink pen--I try not to cross anything out when generating, but sometimes, I'll use brackets to indicate stuff I know I immediately want to remove upon first revision. Looking down, I don't see any brackets, but I do have a feeling of stuff I would like to trim. From there, I'll type it on my computer as one block text--this will be the "template" file, and I will eventually name it/put it in a correspondingly named folder within the "poetry" section of my computer. From there, I will copy the document itself and begin revisions, each round getting its own "document." This way, I don't "lose" anything if I want to revisit "old" information in "newer" drafts, and it gives me an additional way to track my work aside from the Excel spreadsheet I set up.

Anyway, I'm not sure about the "poem" thus far--it was, again, an interesting experience, but it felt especially weird to compose with my rules in mind, as these more generally come innately versus a kind of "check" method I employed. In fact, I think it may have slowed me down, as I was trying to make sure I hit every note of the list versus just going with the flow.

Bleh.

-Glenn

Ten Rules (for writing like me)

Very little fanfare/initial description. I hope these aren't too much--I'm still trying to trim some of the "fat" from them, and maybe I'll do so by having a short, imperative rule followed by a description underneath (sort of like a "1a" or "*"). These rules come from, very plainly, the fact that parts of the modern poetic scene "scares" me by what I perceive as a premium of "nonsense" or fragments because "that's how things work in a (post-)modern society." Yes, there are fragments, but don't puzzle pieces begin as fragments, too? Do your parents congratulate you when you half-finish a puzzle or when they can see Epcot and fireworks, clearly? Anyway, I said little fanfare and there goes a mini-rant. I guess this is why I don't blog much anymore. Oops. Ok, for reals this time.

10 Rules (For Writing Like Glenn Taylor)

1. Make use of music while writing, whether writing directly in response to the music or simply using the music in order to achieve certain headspace.
2. Keep it short and sweet—the end product should be no more than a page, typed.
3. There is no need for a fixed line length; however, avoid ending too many lines end-stopped or enjambed.
4. Make sure the poem is aurally/sonically tight—there should be a natural rhythm, so no need for strict meter or rhyme schemes unless writing in a form that requires them.
5. Compose mainly in the first person.
6. Avoid abstractions for abstraction’s sake—ensure every figure of speech counts, is relevant, and resonates.
7. Make use of black/dry/off-beat humor/wit as appropriate.
8. Focus more on the emotions engendered by the poem, not the “intellectuality” of the poem—being “too cute” is not cute.
9. Make allusions to realistic situations/facts to help ground the poem—if nostalgia is used, avoid using it tritely.
10. Make use of the major theme of relationships (living or non-living) in the poem. These relationships should usually address religion, sex, and/or music.

I'll use these rules (and my mastertape, which I probably won't share) to compose a poem for the first assignment (which I'm pretty stoked about). I probably won't post the poem itself (as I may want to publish it, and journals are weird if you publish "online," and you never know your readership), but I'll make sure that I note my process and be super holistic in terms of how I feel through the process.

That's all for today--I'm not feeling too well, and the king size tempur-pedic (or fast food) may be calling!

-Glenn

Working Through

...and 99 revisions later, mastertape is donezo. Definitely both a lot easier and harder than I thought. I feel weird, mainly because I completed an MA, and my project is very much what I work with: relationships. I did manage to refine "how" I work with relationships, for the most part, and maybe the biggest thing, why I choose relationships. I'm socially awkward. A lot of times, I feel the funny guy/high-energetic personality is just a front to prevent people from asking questions I'm uncomfortable answering. I always say that I am only "serious" when writing, although this is not entirely true.

When I'm alone, I just think, and this thinking usually goes down the line of relationships--the ones I currently have, the ones I did have, and sometimes, the ones I wish I could have. My neuroses, I guess, is that I regret nothing and everything simultaneously. I am always thinking about random "what-if" scenarios, mostly outside the realm of possibility, but always within the sphere of Earth. My mind always thinks of things that could happen, and in a sense, maybe this is a fault. Maybe being too grounded in reality and having somewhat "lofty" ideas doesn't work--some ideas cannot exist in gravity.

Where was I? Oh yeah, relationships.

Something brought up in class, both in terms of Arielle's "Kafka" experience and Ames(sp?) distillation of a statement that (if I can read my notes correctly) goes something like "lineage resulting in self-hating." You grow up so..."buried" in something that you begin to hate it. I have adverse reactions to caramel corn now because of Morley's Candy and a week-long binge when I was about 10. In the same way, I'm weird about relationships (especially "Black" relationships) because most images in today's media are dominated by stereotypes, especially as a result of "eccentric" professional athletes and entertainers. I still get odd looks if I say I'm from Detroit, which is usually followed-up by some question of which suburb I'm from as I don't "talk black." hmph. I haven't addressed this relationship (how being black positions me in society/ies) much (and maybe I should/need to), but I have in terms of more traditional couples/boyfriend girlfriends from across the spectrum, whether they are more "broken" love poems or just raw, visceral, "baby-making" poems. I think this is just a way for me to work through/filter myself when dealing with "real" people, as I feel less "crazy" will be likely to come out, although it still does. Going back a bit, maybe writing more "black" poems will help me assuage feelings that every person who sees me has already filled his/her schema with a mold that cannot be broken.

I also finished my ten rules, but that shall be a separate post. Tada.

-Glenn

Open Sesame

Hey [all]:

Initial post shenanigans. Initial...caveat? There will be some NSFW stuffs appearing from time to time, so don't be alarmed by that. Also, I'll try to make this as hypertextual as I can--that way, if clarification is needed, it can be gotten. Other than that--I'm a pretty mediated fellow, so I'll do my best to put...something up each day. For today, it will be (and by it, I mean this blog post will be) about part of my "10 Rules for Writing Like Me (Glenn)," and specifically, my first rule of Fight Club--music.

I need to have music going. I know some people like peace/quiet/waking up at extremely odd hours of the day/night to write, but I need to hear something aside from thoughts or breathing. I tend to write in the Ekphrastic mode often(I did just use wikipedia--don't kill me), although my medium tends more to be auditory art versus visual. A lot of times, I will know a certain "feel" I want a poem to have, and use a song/genre to get me in a good head space for it. Connecting this a bit back to my mastertape (which I will try to refine soon, very soon), I'm a big fan of emotional connections in poems, and more specifically, the intimate/sensual that a poem can elicit. This does not mean every work of mine has to be "sexual" (although it happens frequently), but I do like the notion that life, as a whole, is a series of collisions, and there is something...well, intimate about these collisions. I also tend to obsess greatly about things--a song, a person (oops), anything that I don't know--I feel I need to know things at times. These obsessions often times fuels a poems content. For example, I am very much obsessed with this song, currently: .

In general, I would label this under my "guilty pleasure r&b," where the bravado is on some insane level but there is some sick groove that underlies it. Anyway, I'll probably use this song to compose to soon--with music, I don't necessarily go for key words within the songs, but again, a feel. In this songs case, there is just something...pulsing in it. I think in a way music for me is a sort of synesthesia--I don't see colors or necessarily taste anything when I hear a song, but I do get a sense of "what" should happen.

I have a feeling I'm rambling now, so I'll try to encapsulate: I must have music. I have tons of obsessions. Music tends to be a constant obsession. I filter the "rhythm" of a poem out through music. Clear enough?

-Glenn