Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

BeingWhitmanesque.FurtherexplorationofourpoemsthroughthelensofWaltWhitmanandseveralimportantcontemporaries:TupeloPressWritingConferences,BayArea,California2017

• March18-19,PortolaValley

• March23-24,SanFrancisco

• March25-26,Berkeley

Hereweare,approximatelysevenweeksawayfromourBayAreaPoetryConferences:aweekendinagorgeousprivatehomeinPortolaValley,CA,amidweeksessionintheheartofSanFrancisco,oneoftheworld’sgreatcities,aweekendinstoriedBerkeley.I'msoveryexcitedaboutourupcomingworktogether!

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

Here’sourpre-conferenceinformationandassignments.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,pleasedon’thesitatetoemailme(orKirstenMiles).Moreparticulars(housing,times,directions,etc.)abouttheconferenceswillfollowinplentyoftime.There’saLOTheretodiginto.Ihopeyouenjoyandlearnfromtheseideas,exercises,andmaterials!

WhatWeWillDo:Inadditiontoworkingwithourownpoems(you’llbring8copiesofapacketofpoems,butmorespecificsonthatfurtherdown),we’regoingtolearnhowtolearnfromWhitmanbyfiguringoutwhathe’sabout,howheestablisheshis“voice,”byfiguringoutwhattotakefromWWandhowtotakeit,andbystudyingotherpoetswhoseemtohavelearnedtheirlessonswell.Asthere’salmostnomoreproductivemethodformakingimportantleapstothenextlevel(ortwo)asawriterthanhavingtheexperienceofexploringthecreativeprocess,real-time,wewillspendtwofulldaysdoingjustthat.Here’swhat-and-howtopreparesothatyou’llgettheverymostoutofthesetwo-dayconference(s):

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

Pre-ConferenceAssignments:AsIsay,whenwemeetintheBayArea,lettingWaltWhitmanbeourspiritguide,we’regoingtofocusonthewildandun-sprung,the“shaggyandunshorn.”We'regoingtogiveourselvespermissiontopermitourpoemstothrowofftheirnicemannersandgorogue.Thegoalistoun-tameourinstincts,toloosenthereins,toallowthethunderinghoovesofourownlinescarryus,withnerveandverve,toplaceswe’reoftentoorefinedortoopolitetogo.It’saboutvoice,andit’saboutsoul(nottheabstractthing,the“soul”thathoversoverourheadsandmaybeout-livesus,butrather,I’mreferringtothe“soul”thatlivesatourmostearthboundcore,thatworkssohard,day-after-day,tomakeuswhowemightbe.Thelittleenginethatcould,ifonlyweletit.Pleasebringwithyoueight(8)identicalpackets,eachoneconsistingof6ofyourownpoems,andofthose6poems,atleastthreeshouldbefromtheexercisesoutlinedbelowthisverybriefextractfromapieceonWhitmanbyJohnUpdike.So,first,here’sUpdikeonWhitman.Pleasethinkaboutit.WaltWhitman:EgoandArtJohnUpdikeFebruary9,1978Issue

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

“Theproofofapoetisthathiscountryabsorbshimasaffectionatelyashehasabsorbedit”:thusWaltWhitman’sprefacetoLeavesofGrassconcludes,andthetwelvedecadessincethisbraveassertionwaslaunchedupontheairbyanobscureBrooklynjournalisthavegiventheproof.WhitmanisnotonlythefirstnamethatcomestomindwhenwethinkofanAmericanpoet,buthehasdonewhatnotevenShakespeareinhisnation’sliteratureachieved:hehasappropriatedtohisownimagetheveryideaofpoetry.Poetryistruth,heclaims;itisfactsandcandor;poetryisfreeandunbuttonedandinclusiveandfearless;itsmatteris“theroughsandbeardsandspaceandruggednessandnonchalancethatthesoulloves”;itis“performancedisdainingthetrivial.”WhitmanwrenchedfromAmericanpoetrythepossibilityofitsbeingamerecraft,andthrustuponitthedutytobecelebrationandprophecy,tobe,noless,averbalappropriationoftheuniverse.Further,hethrustuponAmericatheideathatitwas,thiscrassgreennation,poetic.“TheAmericansofallnationsatanytimeupontheearthhaveprobablythefullestpoeticalnature.TheUnitedStatesareessentiallythegreatestpoem.”SuchnotionswerenotnewwithWhitman.SixyearsbeforethefirstpublicationofLeavesofGrassin1855,LongfellowhadacharacterinKavanaghsay,“Wewantanationalliteraturealtogethershaggyandunshorn,thatshallshaketheearth,likeaherdofbuffaloesthunderingovertheprairies.”Andeighteenyearsbefore,inaddressingthePhiBetaKappaSocietyofCambridge,EmersonhademployedaringingrecoursetothefirstpersonsingularthatmightbeWhitman’s:Theworld—theshadowofthesoul,orotherme,lieswidearound.Itsattractionsarethekeyswhichunlockmythoughtsandmakemeacquaintedwithmyself.Iruneagerlyintothisresoundingtumult.Igraspthehandsofthosenexttome,andtakemyplaceintheringtosufferandtowork,taughtbyaninstinctthatsoshallthedumbabyssbevocalwithspeech.Ipierceitsorder;Idissipateitsfear;Idisposeofitwithinthecircuitofmyexpandinglife.SomuchonlyoflifeasIknowbyexperience,somuchofthewildernesshaveIvanquishedandplanted,orsofarhaveIextendedmybeing,mydominion.Astheperorationends,Emersonthrowsoutthechallengetotheyoungscholarsofhisaudience:WehavelistenedtoolongtothecourtlymusesofEurope….Ifthesinglemanplanthimselfindomitablyonhisinstincts,andthereabide,thehugeworldwillcomeroundtohim….Anationofmenwillforthefirsttimeexist….________________________

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

Ok,manythankstoJohnUpdike.Now,ontoyourhomework:Belowaresomepoemstoread,ponder,andtoinspireyourownoffspring(off-sprung)poemsbeforewemeetintheBayArea:MayIsuggestthatyoubegineachdaybetweennowandwhenwemeetinMarch,firstbyreadingtheseessentialpoemsfromWhitman’sLeavesofGrass:Then,here’syourhomework(not,ifthelinksdon’twork,pleasecopyandpasttheURLintoyourbrowser):1.First,concentrateonclosereadingsof:”OutoftheCradle,EndlesslyRocking,"“http://www.bartleby.com/142/212.htmlAsIEbb’dwiththeOceanofLife,”https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/51003“TotheMan-of-WarBird,”http://www.bartleby.com/142/267.html“OntheBeachatNight,”http://www.bartleby.com/142/267.htmland,“OntheBeachatNightAlone.”https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/beach-night-aloneTohelpyoualong,herearesomegoodthoughtson“OutoftheCradle”http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/s_z/whitman/cradle.htm2.WriteyourownversionofpartorallofanyofthesepoemsofWhitman’s,beingbothyourselfandWhitman.Changethelocationsifyouwish,changeanypartofthepoem,buttrytowriteinaWhitman-likevoice.Really,trustmeonthis;thisisalltheexplanationyouneed.3.Then,readcloselyandwithaffectioneachofthecontemporarypoemsI’velinkedto(orcopied)below,startingwithC.D.Wright’s(whichis,ofcourse,attheend).4.Finally,writeyourownversionsofanytwoofthesecontemporarypoems—meaning:writeanewpoeminawaythatreflectsthestyle,voiceandessence.Chosepoemsthatcatchyourmind’sfancy,onesthatfeedsthatinnersoul-engineofyours,oncethatyoucanreallyclimbinside.

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

Seeifyoucanpermitthe“I”ofyourpoemstobecomeaWhitmanesque“eye”—Inotherwords,letyourpoem’sregard—it’sgaze,it’s“I”—transcendtheself,andbecometheportalfortheessentialstuffoftheworldthat’snotyou.ThisiswhatEmersoncalled“thetransparenteyeball.”Thepoems:MarkWunderlich:“TakeGoodCareofYourself”http://www.everseradio.com/take-good-care-of-yourself-by-mark-wunderlich/RobinCostsLewis:“MotherChurchNo.3”https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/58756\NickFlynn:“IfThisisYourFinalDestination”https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/58448SherwinBitsui:[Whatlandhaveyoufromtheblooded-outregionofyourface?]https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/53167AdaLimon:“WhatitLooksLikeToUsandtheWorldsWeUse”https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/56379PaisleyRekdal:“DearLacuna,DearLard”https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/detail/42355CarolynForche:“LightofSleep”LightofSleepInthelibraryofnight,fromthedarknessofinkonpaper,thereisawhisperingheardbooktobook,fromGreatCatastropheandTheWorldofSilencetoTheEncyclopediaofEphemera,ahistoryhavingtodowithaerialleaflets,airraidpapers,billsofmortality,birthcertificatesandblottingpapers,childlost-and-foundforms,donorcards,erratumslips,executionbroadsides“liberallyspatteredwitherrorsofallkinds”soldbyvendorsatpublichangings,funeralia,withdrawingsofskeletonsdigginggravesandinvitingustoaccompanythecorpseofxtothechurchofy,giftcoupons,greetingcards,housekeepingaccounts,ice-paperstoplaceinwindowsforthedeliveryofblocksofice,jurypapers,keepsakes,lighthouse-duesslipsforallshipsenteringorleavingports,marriagecertificates,newsbills,noticestoquit,oaths,paperdolls,plaguepapers,playingcards,quackadvertisements,rationpapers,razor-bladewrappers,rewardposters,slavepapers,songbooks,taxstamps,touringmaps,

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

unionlabelsandvicecardsleftintelephoneboxes,warrantsandwatch-papersusedtokeepthemovementsofthepocketwatchesunderrepairfreeofdust,willsandtestaments,xerography,yearbooksandtheZoetropediskalsoknownasthewheeloflifewhereinfigurespaintedinarotatingdrumareperceivedtomove,fasterandfasterwhetherdancing,flying,ordyinginthewhirloftime.CoolingTime:AnAmericanPoetryVigilbyC.D.Wright(ThefollowingisanexcerptfromCoolingTime:AnAmericanPoetryVigilbyC.D.Wright)Ibelieveinahardheadedart,anunremitting,unrepentantpracticeofone'sownfaithinthewordinone'sownobstinateterms.Ibelievethewordwasmadegoodfromthestart;itremainssotothissecond.Ibelievewordsaregoldenasgoodnessisgolden.Eventhehumblewordbrushgivesoffascratchoflight.ThereisnotmuchpoetryfromwhichIfeelbarred,whetheritisarcaneoropenintheextreme.IattempttorunthegamutbecauseIampulledbytheextremes.Ibelievethewordusedwronglydistortstheworld.Iholdtoharddistinctionsofrightandwrong.AlsoIthinktheantitheticalpoetriescanandshouldcoexistwithoutcripplingoneanother.Theynotonlyservetodefinetheirothertoamuchmoreexactingdegreethanwouldbepossibleintheabsenceoftheoneortheother;theyinsurethepersistenceofheterogeneous(albeitdiscouraginglysmall)constituencies.WhileIamnotalwaysequaltoit,Iappreciatethefray.Iamneithertoooldforitnortoofinishedoff.IamnotsureofwhereitisIamgoing.Important,Ibelieve,toresistfinalityinone'sownworkwhileassiduouslyworkingtowarditscompleteness.Detrimental,Ithink,thedreadofbeingpassedontheleft,asisthedeludedandfurthermoretrivializingnotionofone'sownworkbeinganadvanceoveranythingoranyone.Truthfulnessiscrucial.Acontinuousself-criticismisdemandedoftheeffortwithoutwhichonlynon-artgetsmade,thatis,manufactured."Apoetwouldshowlittlethoughttosaypoetryisopposedtosinceitisaddedtolikescience,"insistedZukofksy.SodoI,insist.ConsequentlyIwouldcontestthosewriterswhoseendif(reviling-all-the-way)toprevail.Provisionallyyours,—FromCoolingTime:AnAmericanPoetryVigilbyC.D.Wright.Copyright(c)2005C.D.Wright.CourtesyofCopperCanyonPress.

Tupelo Press Writing Conferences Bay Area, California

Isoverymuchlookforwardtoworkingwithyou,poet-to-poet!SeeyouinMarch,JeffreyLevine,TupeloPress