"The HEAD, by way of the EAR, to the SYLLABLE
The HEART, by way of the BREATH, to the LINE”
- Charles Olson
Welcome to my poetry research blog! Here's a little background...
Poetry is, at its heart, a very acoustic phenomenon. Distinguished from prose through its emphasis on the use of sound, namely its distinctive rhythms, meters, and rhyme scheme, the earliest known poetry followed the oral tradition. Among the most famous examples of early poetry are Homer’s “Iliad” and “Odyssey,” which were transmitted by word of mouth for centuries.
Following the spread of literacy, poetry increasingly became a written form. Though the play of sounds and rhythms were still very important, and though poets gained the ability to use the visual presentation of their poems to shape the meaning of their work, poetry lost much of its performance aspect. However, during the twentieth century, there was a poetic movement that began re-emphasizing the importance of sound and performance in poetry.
This blog will track my research into the developments in performance poetry in the modern
Specifically, here you will find a record of the performance events that I have and intend to attend.
“Sometimes a good slam strategy is to give the audience something they didn’t know they needed until they’ve heard it. Sometimes it’s aesthetic deduction, sometimes it’s angelic inspiration, but it’s always being true to yourself, your teammates, your muse, and your art."
-- Daniel S. Solis
Thursday, April 30, 2009
HOMESTRETCH!
Anyway, tomorrow, I'll be presenting my thesis along with the other English honors thesis writers. I'm excited for it, and a tad nervous. But it'll be a great way to culminate this project.
Anyway, look for some excerpts soon.
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