ability for self -expression through their love affair with poetry.
Modesty should never be a factor in shameless self-promotion of ones
craft. With that thought in mind, both of these poets were asked a
series of questions regarding their influences, and personal drives
of self expression.
Kierstin has a soft, ecclesiastical quality to her poetry, yet, she
can use bold expression to literally strain emotion out of a string
of words. The reader is compelled to want more of this poet's
expressionism.
Jason has a strong belief that anything can be considered 'poetic'.
That in itself is a concrete sign of a true poet. He masters his
craft combining a mixture of both contemporary and modern subject
matter. Like Kierstin, he favors free verse, fueling his words
with a wide spectrum of emotion.
This poetry competition has caused an increase in poetic output and
creativity among it's participants. With each new mission, the poets
are forced to follow strict guidelines that differ with each mission.
In effect, this contest has inspired these poets to greater outputs
of creativity.
Between the two of them, Jason has seen an increase in his writing
output. He is undecided on whether this surge of creativity is
producing 'good' poetry. He feels content with his growing catalog
of poetry.
However, Kierstin normally writes when she feels inspired to create
poems. This contest has forced her to write more, even though
she isn't in the mood to create poetry. She feels these 'forced'
writing missions are causing her writing ability to improve. With
each submitted poem, she feels she is definitely growing as a
poet.
What exactly is it about poetry that has attracted people
throughout the centuries to create it?
Kierstin started writing at an early age, but she never took her
ability seriously. From middle school on, she was told that she
was a 'good' writer, but never really felt her 'muse'.
She won a contest in the seventh grade. The prize was a poetry
recital at a school sponsored College Night. She personally feels
this was an isolated incident. Her love of poetry really
began with a freshman English poetry unit. Her teacher made
the students recite out loud their own works. She became
interested in poetry, finding the beginnings of her 'voice.'
Jason also feels that his love of poetry was born from
being subjected to literary classics, such as Shakespeare and
Poe, during middle and high school. He found an outlet for all
the untapped ideas and expressions he kept in his mind. Poetry
became the solution to his creative energies.
Everyone must start out at the beginning as an infant. The same
can be said about poetic abilities. The more you write, the
better you will become. It is the same concept applied to
almost everything imaginable.
He started writing poetry because he frankly enjoyed it. His
first attempts were average at best. His friends teased him
for his efforts. But with time (and a little spite), Jason
proved his critics wrong. He has come a long way since his
humble beginnings. He feels it will take time, before creating
something special,if it ever happens.
Kierstin once had a bad review to some of her earlier poetry.
Instead of learning from the critique, she retreated,and made her
poetry a private affair. In hindsight, she realizes that's a
horrible way to progress.
In her sophomore year she joined Allpoetry, and started to show
her work publicly on the site. All of her earnest efforts
took her poetry to the next level. She immersed herself into
many different aspects of poetry- The Beats, Slam poetry,and the
classics, such as Shakespeare. She started writing seriously,her
style and substance was born.
As of today, she considers herself a performance poet, and is
looking with teachers and her mom to become a published poet.
Her talents are starting to mature, even though she is not
100% confident yet with her developing talent.
What kind of influences and motivation inspire poets
in particular?
Kierstin shows appreciation for the Bible. It has greatly
influenced her writings. She is also inspired by Niki
Giovanni, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Sylvia Plath, etc.
The list of influences is just amazing. Musical lyrical
poets, like Ani Difranco, Dar Williams and others, have
also helped shaped and influence her writing skills.
Jason feels that some of his greatest influences are authors
on Allpoetry. He lists Silica, D.P. Robertson, Anasuya and
Onerios13 are some of the many authors that have greatly
influenced his writings.
Outside of Allpoetry, he lists Poe, Chaucer, Plath, Dugan
and others as great influences. Music inspires him and
influences him the most. He related that music doesn't
inspire his subject content as much as general emotions
and word usage.
For Kierstin, she used to emulate the writing style of her
closest friends. But she felt it did not work. When she
realized that she needed to focus on her own particular
style, that is the moment where her writing skills
greatly improved. She also credits the influences of
Christianity as a muse. She finds that after becoming a
Christian, her writing skills just took off.
Who would an accomplished poet suggest to write their
very own biography, if they had to pick from anyone
in the world ?
Kierstin decided on her friend, Claide. She then
mentioned that she had already started one. She joked
that Claide knew her so well, that it was sickening.
She also approves of his writing ability.
Jason remained quite shy about this opportunity to
self- promote himself. He felt it would be appalling
if someone decided to write a biography on himself.
He stated that he would rather keep a low profile
for at least the moment...
What would be considered the most significant poetic
accomplishment these 2 poets have achieved ?
Kiersten doesn't believe that her most significant
accomplishment actually ever graced a piece of paper.
She considers her developing skills as the confidence of
who she was and what she considers to be her art. She
learned about herself in a kind of self discovery
way through her poetry. she has learned to outgrow
her negative self image, and to show her poetry to
the public.
She lists 'Closing The Tombs' ,'Ghost And Shadow' ,
and 'Truth And Angel' as her proudest accomplishments.
Jason's personal favorite poem is 'Dissipate'. He
feels he can't judge this poem as 'the best'. He
doesn't like assumptions like this . He'd rather his
poems be judged as they are.
Jason's poem, 'Clear Water' will also be included in
an anthology of poetry, compiled by D.P. Robertson
and Brian Douthit.
Lastly, ever wondered what an accomplished poet's
epitaph might read?
Jason replied that he is 'only 19, American and cocky
as hell sometimes'. He thought it was too early
to be discussing epitaphs. That comment alone would be
worthy of a one - liner.
Kierstin decided on a line from an Ani Difranco song.
She slightly adapted it to this last parting question:
'She fought with love and laughed with rage and lived
light enough to see the humor and long enough to see
some change'.
*****************************************************
The following is the original set of 10 questions and
Jason and Kiersten's actual replies:
Kiersten's statement:
1. How would you describe your poetic style of writing in 25 words or less ?
Ecclesiastical reverie set adrift on a siren-song memory bliss amongst the scales of mermaids and algae; down to the roots to tell a universal story. (25 words)
…I feel like I just flattered myself too much, haha.
2.How has being involved in this competition changed you?
actually forced me to write! I’ve never been terrible gifted at writing just because somebody told me to….i’ve always had to feel it first. ‘s made me get good at writing ‘cause I had to. Making me a better poet – and that’s why I’m here in the first place. Growth, most defiantly.
3.What first drew you to poetry?
I wrote little dittys when I was younger, but I never took it seriously. Since middle school, I’ve been told I was a good writer, but I never really paid much attention. I won a contest in 7th grade to read a poem I wrote at a college night, but that was an isolated event… Freshman year, more people told me so, and I started to pay attention. A freshman English teacher started a poetry unit and decided to make us all write/read our poetry….i did fairly well, but they were my first poems. Yet, I was hooked. I loved poetry, suddenly, and started to write.
4.Is there a side to you that you didn't know existed until you started writing?
most defiantly. Poetry totally gives me another vehical of _expression – I can take thought, imagry, concepts…places I didn’t know existed. To thoughts I didn’t know I had; I was so much bolder! If I wanted, I could hide behind my poetry and let it speak for me…in the beginning I used it as an emotional therapy…that was the original magic in poetry for me. I wasn’t myself, and for the first time I understood things. It allowed me to come outside myself and look in.
5.When you first started to write poetry,did you have any doubts about your writing ability? If you did,what ways have you learned to overcome them?
Early on, though, I got a bad review, and took it to heart. After that, I wrote poetry still, but secretly, and never showed my poems to anyone. Looking back, they’re horrible, but a start, I suppose…haha. Sophomore year I joined AllPoetry, started to let others read my work, and started to take writing more seriously…I fell in love with reading poetry and performace poetry and slam…the beats and post-modern and Shakespeare…etc. I was a major nerd. But that’s ok. Because I kept writing a loved it more, so I wrote it more, therefore loving it more…you get the drift. I started writing more seriously, finding others who had the same passions. …but I was never really confident about my poetry until about a year ago… and then I really buckled down – ‘cause I wanted to do this for the rest of my life. I practiced, and got better. Eventually, my style evolved and changed and matured (or so I’ve let myself to believe :-P ) and now I’m a performance poet, and am looking with teachers and my mom to get published…I’ve developed a rep for myself as a poet, and I’m finally feeling more secure with my talent. Sometimes I’m still really unsure of what I’ve been doing with my talents…
6.Who has been your biggest influence in writing?That is,what author greatly influences you or motivates you?
Only one? That’s like choosing among my children! Hmm… I love Christopher Moore cause he makes me laugh, Francesia Lia Block ‘cause her books are like dreams – absolutely gorgeous and whimsical…wistful…if only the world could be as she describes it. And also, above all, Brian Andreas…his super-short stories and pieces of prosidy blow me away…I keep them close to my heart. Also, the Bible’s shown itself to be a pretty awesome book.
God’s wicked cool. Naturally, many other poets, published poetry, inspired me to write the way I do. Off the top of my head: Niki Giovanni, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Alix Olsen, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, E E Cummings, W B Yeats, T S Eliot, Beau Sia, Taylor Mali, Saul Williams, …etc. ;-) (I’ll stop here, haha) also many lyrical poets, Ani Difranco(first and foremost), Dar Williams, Coldplay, John Mayer, Nick Drake, Third Eye Blind(their ballads), Counting Crows, and soo many others….
7.What has been your biggest influence outside of this website?
A very very close friend of mine was a brilliant poet – yet even though I tried to emulate her styles, It didn’t work. Of course, I needed to develop my *own* style…and that’s when my poetry took off. Nevertheless, I wrote some, and was always extremely intimidated by her talent…I’ve written countless poems, especially in the beginning of my ‘career’ if you wish to call it that, about this one dude…you know. The heartbreak series. I call them my “Andrew diaries” after the guy. …sometimes I still write for him…*sigh* haha, im such a helpless romantic – it’s pitiful. Also, I’ve made some fantastic friends on AP, including jay and cor, cor with his incredible imagery and talent with meter (I cannot hold a candle – I’ve tried.) alongside other (outside of poetry) influences…he’s become a fantastic friend and been the subject of many a poem and collaboration attempt. Jay is an incredible free-verse artist and blows me away…really puts me to shame. If I could write with half the talent and frequency of the kid, I’d die happy. :-p
When I first became a Christian my poetry took off on a rocket – under His blessing and creative influences. A lot of my poems, from that point on, were about Him, or addressed to Him, in some way. It’s proven to be near-impossible for me to write a poem without dropping a Biblical reference or allegory…He’s always present in my work
8.If you could choose any one in the world to write your biography,who would it be? Why?
Claide. ‘cause we’ve already started one, kinda. ;-) nah, really? ‘cause the kid knows me so well it’s sickening. And he writes crazy-awesome, too.
9.Think about your most significant poetic accomplishment...What was it,how did it come about? What was your muse for it? Why do you feel it's your best work to date?
I don’t really think my most significant poetic accomplishment actually went to paper…I really believe it was more my developing confidence of who I was and what my art was about. I’ve learned a lot about myself through my poetry. ….but it took a lot to grow comfortable in that, in my poetry. For years I was terribly self-concious…I never showed my work to anyone.
But for a piece of poetry…? I like Closing the Tombs a whole lot. And Ghost and Shadow…but they’re more like…specific events in my life, really sensitive stuff…again – my voice of what was going on is really in my writing. Closing the tombs is more like a genral grudge I’ve had for a while…I like it, especially for a rant poem. I just think I was able to finally strike some really original concepts and portrayals…I like the Truth and Angel…the first about a boy…ugh. And the second about a good good friend of mine and thehistory between us… I’m proud of these, I suppose, because I so rarely rhyme, and it turned out nicely. But im probably my own least enthusiastic reader.
10.Lastly,how would you like your one -line epitaph to read?
“she fought with love and laughed with rage and lived light enough to see the humor and long enough to see some change”
-from an ani difranco song...but adapted for your question.
***************************************************************
Jason's statement:
1. A mix of contemporary and modern ideas, though with a heavy favoring towards free-verse and a firm belief that anything can be poetry.
2. It hasn't really changed me so much as it has given me an excuse to write more, as well as to expand my "portfolio," if you will, of writings. Whether or not any of that is a good thing remains to be seen; for the time being, I'm content with what I've written.
3. To be honest, I'm not sure I remember all that well. It probably came about as a result of all the Shakespeare and Poe we had to read in middle and high school, as well as a desire to go ahead and try it out. I'd wanted so badly to express all these ideas and wordings I had in my head, and one day I went ahead and gave it a shot, and went with it from there.
4. I'm not sure if a different side of me has arisen, if you will, since I started writing, though I will say it's helped to influence and shape my ideas and the way I view the world today; were it not for poetry, I'd be a completely different person right now. So, yeah, I suppose it did bring out another side of me, but then again, that can never really be known, I think.
5. I wasn't really all that confident, but at the same time, I wasn't nervous or embarrassed of my writing poetry. I just wrote because I really enjoyed it, and didn't really care if someone else liked it or not (though, I'll admit, I did tend to enjoy praise a lot more than criticism lol). My friends used to tease me 'cause my early poetry was so horrible, and that just made me want to write even more, to spite them and maybe become a better writer. I think I've improved, but I still have a long, long way to go before I can get anywhere special, assuming I do at all.
6. I'd say my greatest influences on Allpoetry are mainly a whole bunch of authors, namely silica, for his complex and intriguing words and rhyme schemes; D P Robertson, for his many sides of poetry, ranging from flat-out hilarity to deep sadness; Anasuya, for her incredible honesty and hard-hittingness, if you will; onerios13, for mainly the same reasons as Anasuya, though a bit more tender at times, and many others.
7. Outside the site, in terms of authors, I'd say Poe, Chaucer, Plath, Dugan, and many, many others. Otherwise, music is what inspires and influences me the most by far. It doesn't inspire the content in my poetry so much as it does the emotions I feel going into writing something, as well as my overall word usage.
8. I'd be appalled if someone wrote a biography on me, so I'll say I'd rather someone didn't. I like to keep a low profile; at least, for right now I do, anyway.
9. I'm not sure what my best poetic accomplishment would be; currently on the site, D P Roberston and Brian Douthit are working on an anthology of poetry, which will include a piece of mine titled "Clear Water," though I don't feel it's my best piece, not by a long shot. My personal favorite of all my poetry is "Dissipate," but I won't say it's my best; no one poem of mine, to me, can be considered "the best." Not because I think they're all great or anything, but just because I don't like assuming stuff like that.
10. Hell if I know--I'm 19, I'm American, and I'm cocky as hell sometimes; too early for me to be thinking about epitaphs! lol
1. How would you describe your poetic style of writing in 25 words or less ?
2.How has being involved in this competition changed you?
3.What first drew you to poetry?
4.Is there a side to you that you didn't know existed until you started writing?
5.When you first started to write poetry,did you have any doubts about your writing ability?
If you did,what ways have you learned to overcome them?
6.Who has been your biggest influence in writing?That is,what author greatly influences you
or motivates you?
7.What has been your biggest influence outside of this website?
8.If you could choose any one in the world to write your biography,who would it be? Why?
9.Think about your most significant poetic accomplishment...What was it,how did it come about?
What was your muse for it? Why do you feel it's your best work to date?
10.Lastly,how would you like your
one -line epitaph to read?
this was mission 10
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