{"id":545,"date":"2024-04-28T22:28:36","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T02:28:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theangelwriterspiritualreal\/?p=545"},"modified":"2024-10-10T23:05:41","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T03:05:41","slug":"an-inspirational-poetry-journey-for-national-poetry-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theangelwriterspiritualreal\/2024\/04\/an-inspirational-poetry-journey-for-national-poetry-month\/","title":{"rendered":"An Inspirational Poetry Journey for National Poetry Month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

"The

https:\/\/stock.adobe.com\/images\/poetry\/401300598?prev_url=detail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Every April is National Poetry Month<\/strong><\/a> in the United States.\u00a0 This is a month that is very special to me because I happen to write poetry (on and off), and I have several favorite poets I like to read.\u00a0 \u00a0Since this special month is coming to a close, I would like to talk about my journey with poetry and why this month especially is close to my heart.<\/p>\n

So, how did I get into poetry?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I had written some lines and lyrics on and off as a kid.\u00a0 Then one day, in 1993, on a TV show called MTV Unplugged<\/strong>,<\/a> I watched a couple of all-poetry episodes called Spoken Word<\/strong><\/a> and something hit.\u00a0 I fell in love with what I saw.\u00a0 Readers such as Henry Rollins<\/strong><\/a>, Jim Carroll<\/strong><\/a>, and were reading words on a page in a way that was not hip-hop or rap, but something\u2026different.<\/p>\n

Then while tutoring a student who needed some extra help in Spanish, she told me about this local coffeeshop nearby where we went to high school that had open-mike nights.\u00a0 It turns out she happened to be a poet and went there every week.\u00a0 It also turns out that\u00a0 the \u201copen-mic\u201d experience<\/strong> <\/a>was more than poetry but music, performance and more.\u00a0 After I attended that first night, I was hooked and started to listen, write, and then eventually read my own work.\u00a0 \u00a0I was a bit shy at first but eventually I got advice from the regulars, and made friends that I instantly connected to.<\/p>\n

When I had to do a project in high school, I ended up creating a small chapbook and read my stories and my work talking about the environment, including a superhero based on my biology teacher that recently resurfaced in an article for the Environmental and Sustainable Committee in the National Federation of Business and Professional Women\u2019s Club March Magazine<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0It was not only fun, but I really turned the idea of doing a presentation\/project on it\u2019s head, and everyone absolutely loved it.<\/p>\n

In university, the only chances I really had in doing open-mike night was at various festivals that my university alma mater put on.\u00a0 However, even though I didn\u2019t read much, I still wrote a lot.\u00a0 I did have a poem published before I graduated in the Madonna Muse<\/strong><\/em><\/a>\u00a0 literary magazine.\u00a0 I thought that was a nice little mark to leave.<\/p>\n

"Open-mike

From Personal SANYO DIGITAL CAMERA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While living and teaching in South Korea, I met a group called the Seoul Artists Network<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 This was a group of teachers, artists and other vagabonds who came together once a month to perform their works.\u00a0 I, of course did my poetry and discovered really creative ways to not only write it but read it.\u00a0 I even met some artists in the city of Pusan who also did open-mike poetry. During this time,\u00a0 I met some amazing friends, some that I still keep in touch with and at least one who I sadly found out passed away last year.\u00a0 It was here that I went into a writing frenzy with my poetry and just writing in general, finding inspiration wherever I could.\u00a0 I also read a lot of different writers such as Jack Kerouac<\/strong><\/a> and Maya Angelou<\/strong><\/a> among others.\u00a0 I also had a poem published through Rattapallax<\/strong><\/em><\/a> in celebration of the International Year of the Mountains (2002)<\/a>.<\/strong> While I did not have a chance to read my poem, I did try climbing a mountain.<\/p>\n

Back stateside, I discovered Def Poetry Jam<\/strong><\/em><\/a> on HBO<\/strong><\/a> and instantly got hooked like I did with the MTV Unplugged<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>episodes.\u00a0 This time it was a more diverse group of writers.\u00a0 At this time, I was in the middle of transitioning into a new aspect of my life.\u00a0 I posted poems where I could on various chatgroups, a newsletter via AOL conversation groups<\/strong><\/a>, and even a Myspace blog<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 At one time, I even tried publishing several books through Lulu.com<\/strong><\/a>, but had to take those down due to keeping up with costs and only being able to sell just one book.<\/p>\n

I was starting to feel that poetry wasn\u2019t as popular as it was and utilized my talents elsewhere.\u00a0 Granted, I was writing poetry on and off, but nothing that really got published.\u00a0 There were times I would read my work that I specifically wrote for special events online such as Artists for Life<\/strong><\/a>, but that was it.\u00a0 As my life got busier, my poetry got a bit more stagnant.\u00a0 The love for poetry also seemed to have hit a low in the country as well.<\/p>\n

However, recently my drive for poetry is resurfacing again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I share my story with you because poetry became my voice when no one understood me.\u00a0 It became my identity.\u00a0 And from that I discovered my writing skills.\u00a0 However, not really in academics, even though I earned a Master\u2019s Degree in Korean Studies, but in creative writing, culture, and these days in music.\u00a0 Anything related to the creativity and the arts is my genre.<\/p>\n

With the advent of changing social philosophies and changes in presidencies, those voices that are being suppressed with various social media bans, and other First Amendment rights<\/strong><\/a> are rising up creatively.\u00a0 It also does not hurt that the Grammy Awards<\/strong><\/a> now honors a Spoken Word Poetry category<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Former President Obama<\/strong> <\/a>and current President Biden\u2019s<\/strong> <\/a>inaugurations featured poets on stage who read powerful words of poetry.\u00a0 These were such notables as Amanda Gorman<\/strong><\/a> and Richard Blanco<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>who I tip my hat to.<\/p>\n

What was big in the 1990s and early 2000s and come back like a fashion statement.\u00a0 It might be a retro thing or just an expression thing.\u00a0 However, for me, its a rediscovery thing.\u00a0 It\u2019s being able to connect with the writing community, going up on stage again for open-mike and more.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what I\u2019ve done since the end of March.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve participated in a Transgender Visibility Day Open-Mike Night<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong> I\u2019ve sat in on Zooms of a local poetry group based in Ann Arbor, Michigan<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 I\u2019ve read my poetry on-air once a week for my Saturday night show on NK Airplay Radio<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 And now, I\u2019m going to share with you one of my poems below:<\/p>\n

This poem was written for my Power of Relationships book that I had tried to publish on Lulu.com<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ode to Differences<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Being the original one or independent<\/span>***
\nTaboo<\/span>
\nCausing<\/span>
\nTaunting<\/span>
\nEmbarrassment<\/span>
\nIgnorance<\/span>
\nClosed-mindedness<\/span>
\nThe differences make us complete<\/span>
\nYet these differences divide and scare us<\/span>
\nWe are taught differences not similarities<\/span>
\nCausing us to struggle with ourselves<\/span>
\nViolence<\/span>
\nWar<\/span>
\nAnger<\/span>
\nGreed<\/span>
\nSelfishness<\/span>
\nCausing us to implement dialogue<\/span>
\nSharing<\/span>
\nCommunication<\/span>
\nWhere are these things of the mind, body, and<\/span>
***\nsoul?<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are a poet, like poetry, or just write casually, I\u2019d like to hear from you.\u00a0 Who are your favorite poets?\u00a0 What inspires you?\u00a0 Can you identify with my journey?\u00a0 Please comment below.<\/p>\n

If you want to get to know more about me and my other articles on Patheos<\/strong><\/a>, please check it out here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

About Susan:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Susan is a fan of music and culture and kind of considers herself that way.\u00a0 To get to know a little more about her, as well as future updates, you can find her at the links below:<\/p>\n

My Patheos Column<\/a><\/p>\n

Visit my Facebook author page<\/a>.<\/p>\n

and Website<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every April is National Poetry Month in the United States.\u00a0 This is a month that is very special to me because I happen to write poetry (on and off), and I have several favorite poets I like to read.\u00a0 \u00a0Since this special month is coming to a close, I would like to talk about my […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4872,"featured_media":725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,644,641],"tags":[656,653,647,650],"class_list":["post-545","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-poetry","category-writing","tag-creativity","tag-inspiration","tag-poetry","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nAn Inspirational Poetry Journey for National Poetry Month<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Every April is National Poetry Month in the United States.\u00a0 This is a month that is very special to me because I 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