Poetry Salon

June 26

Reading Poetry - a gouache painting (24cm x 17.5cm)

Hello Everyone

Studio notes is taking a break this weekend - instead I hope you don’t mind me sharing with you the first in a poetry-related post. (If poetry is not your thing, no worries, my usual studio notes will be back next week).

Welcome to the first in a series of poetry salons - exploring the reading and writing of poetry.

Once a month (first Saturday) I hope we can collectively share some ideas and ways-in to poetry. This is an inclusive space for anyone who is interested in reading poetry, maybe getting into reading more in depth, or exploring new poets. This space is also for the discussion of writing poetry. This is not about direct critiques or feedback on your work - I am not teaching a poetry workshop.

This month I want to encourage you to share your reading.

I am not a serious or learned reader of poems - but I like to discover, re-discover (reexamine), go off on tangents, stay open-minded and enjoy the diversity that is poetry. Both present and past.

What I’ve been reading in recent months

When it comes to poetry I am a dipping-into reader. I have a modest collection of poetry books in my home and I like to return to the books I love. I keep the poets I struggle with and hope for better days. I’ll open at random and read for a poem or two. There are days when a stack of poems by my chair (or bed) is just what I need. I’ll rarely read from cover to cover.

I used to be very mindful of reading contemporary poetry - as someone who writes poetry, I felt I should be reading and wanted to read other poets. I might have felt that ‘old stuff’ was not for me. But I have chucked that idea out of the window like a dead fly - there’s so much to enjoy, why not look back?

Knowing about the past, having some understanding of poetry of past eras, helps and enriches my reading of contemporary poetry. Why dismiss the past when it can help you understand now?

I have been looking again at The Metaphysical Poets, a Penguin Poets book edited by Helen Gardner. I wish I knew more about this time period, that I might have been taught anything about it at all - but I am really feeling my way around. And enjoying that not knowing! I am reading the poems without worry, in my own time and giving them plenty of breathing space. If I want to know more about George Herbert, John Donne, or Andrew Marvell, there is plenty to find out online and elsewhere. But for now my rather scant knowledge is sufficient. I am just reading for the pleasure of reading. There’s no essay to write (I was an English Lit undergrad) and no pressure to come up with grand ideas or reflections.

I have also been reading Light and Thread by Han Kang (translated from Korean by Maya West, e. yaewon & Paige Aniyah Morris). The book is a compilation of writing including poetry. There are journal entries, short and reflective poems and short essays. A sense of poetry lives throughout the pages/writing. It is a gentle book, with reflection, light and observations of the natural world.

I came across this book by chance. Someone I follow on Instagram, a garment designer/maker named Louise Charlotte Oates shared a page from the book showing the poem ‘The Coat and I’ - and I did something I rarely do - I went straight to my local bookshop and amazingly found the book and bought a copy. And yes I am glad that I did.

The third poetry-related book I have been reading lately is a biography of John Ashbery by Jess Cotton. I enjoyed reading about his childhood - I knew nothing about this - but I have since sort of lost interest in this book and need to pick it up again. Maybe I need to just make time for it. I’ve enjoyed reading Ashbery very much over the past thirty years or so.

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What are you reading, poetry-wise, at the moment - if anything?

Is there a poet you have come across recently who you have enjoyed discovering?

How would you describe your interest in poetry reading?

Have you some classic favourites but are not sure what/who to read next? Maybe someone else will have some suggestions for you.

Please feel free to leave a comment and respond to other comments, as you wish.

A few simple rules:

Please do not share your own poetry here - but you are welcome to share a link if you have a poetry-related Substack or website.

Please keep this discussion poetry-related.

That book mark with ‘Dorothy Wordsworth’ in pencil - is to remind me that I would like to read more about her some day.

Thanks for reading - now over to you. Please feel free to respond to others and have discussions. Hope to hear from you!