Dear students,

Writing poems about problems in our society can be a way to pay homage to those people who have been victims of violence. A poem can be a reflection of the truth, just like a painting or a song can be. Which events in our world, community, and school have left you feeling uncomfortable and uneasy? Artists often explore their thoughts and feelings as a way of understanding the issue and understanding themselves. So, today I would like for you to begin researching a current event that is worthy of your art.

Here are a few news sources that might be helpful:

https://www.democracynow.org/

http://www.npr.org/

http://www.aljazeera.com/

1. After you find a compelling story that speaks to you, copy the text of the article into a Google Doc.
2. Give the document a title related to the topic
3. Provide a citation at the bottom of the page by using easybib.com
4. Find a philosophical statement related to your poem’s topic. One resource you can use is Brainy Quotes. You’ll need this later for the allusion in your poem.
5. Begin developing your News Poem using Hongo’s “The Legend” as a guide.
6. Mr. Coey’s sample News Poem is Sikh Mercy.

Dear Poets!

Please read and review our current international news topics. You may select a topic from one of these recommended websites:

International News

• Al Jazeera
• BBC
• Bill Moyers
• Democracy Now
• Russian News

News Poem

Write a poem that is based on a newspaper story, television news report, or online video.

Follow Hongo’s pattern in “The Legend”:

1. Begin with a close observation of the scene, focus on the setting by using vivid imagery. Describe the characters (people) involved.
2. Using present tense active voice verbs, describe the events
3. Begin with an objective, factual tone and create a shift in tone, moving to a more subjective, personal tone.
4. Include an allusion to a famous person, which helps to make a philosophical statement
5. End your poem with a comment on your feelings and thoughts about the event.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS SACRAMENTO-AREA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS!

Young poets-

This is your opportunity to be published with the best young Irish poets in a perfect-bound print anthology from Rebel Poetry Press, edited by Gene Barry, Director of the Fermoy International Poetry Festival. Send ONE poem- your best- in an email attachment to poetrycats@gmail.com by April 30th. Include a 30-word bio (name, school, grade, contact info.) with your poem. Format poem in Times New Roman, 12-point font. Any theme accepted, but poem should be 50 lines or less. Show- don’t tell. “A poem should not mean- but be.” (Archibald MacLeish)

16 Sacramento poems will be included in the Irish anthology. This is an incredible opportunity. Send your poem NOW!

Dear Poets,

Read through the six poems from your English class. Select one. Type it in a word document. As you type, consider making slight improvements and revisions.

1. Reply to this post by publishing your poem. Prior to publishing, be sure it is free of spelling errors and that it is your best version.

2. Reply to your poem with a brief explanation of the choices you have made and describe what you hope your reader will notice  as a result of your choices.

3. Reply to at least two of your classmates’ poems by commenting on their choices, theme, tone, or structure.

Kind Regards,

Coey

p.s. If you are interested in having your poem published in a teen literary magazine, consider submitting your work to Teen Ink.

Dear Poets,

Read through the six poems from your English class. Select one. Type it in a word document. As you type, consider making slight improvements and revisions.

1. Reply to this post by publishing your poem. Prior to publishing, be sure it is free of spelling errors and that it is your best version.

2. Reply to your poem with a brief explanation of the choices you have made and describe what you hope your reader will notice  as a result of your choices.

3. Reply to at least two of your classmates’ poems by commenting on their choices, theme, tone, or structure.

Kind Regards,

Coey

p.s. If you are interested in having your poem published in a teen literary magazine, consider submitting your work to Teen Ink.

Dear Poets,

Read through the six poems from your English class. Select one. Type it in a word document. As you type, consider making slight improvements and revisions.

1. Reply to this post by publishing your poem. Prior to publishing, be sure it is free of spelling errors and that it is your best version.

2. Reply to your poem with a brief explanation of the choices you have made and describe what you hope your reader will notice  as a result of your choices.

3. Reply to at least two of your classmates’ poems by commenting on their choices, theme, tone, or structure.

Kind Regards,

Coey

p.s. If you are interested in having your poem published in a teen literary magazine, consider submitting your work to Teen Ink.

Poetry Café

Imagine that you have been invited to read one of your poems at the beatific Luna Café in downtown Sacramento.  Your friends and family members will be there and of course the regular customers who frequent the coffee shop.  The owner of the coffee shop, a friend of your family, has asked you specifically to discuss how you created your poem and the choices you made as you developed your poem into the great work of art that it is today.

You remember some of the sage words of advice from your former English teacher, Mr. Coey, and you prepare ideas in response to the questions he asked you to consider many years ago:

1. What words did you carefully chose? Why? What effect are you trying to create with your word choice? What kinds of sentences, phrases, or clauses did you use?  Why?
2. How did you develop your style?  What kind of mood (atmosphere) are you trying to create?  What kind of attitude, or tone, do you want us to hear? Why?
3. Are there important figures of speech in your poem?  Why do you want to make those comparisons?
4. How important is the form of the poem?
5. How do you develop a theme or motif?

Hey Ujima!

Great work on your Socratic Seminar with William Blake’s two poems, “The Lamb” and “The Tyger.”  You asked insightful questions and showed creative exuberance, which is rewarding for all of us.

You might enjoy learning more about William Blake and his unusual poems.

Here are two links I would recommend:

http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/116

http://www.blakearchive.org/blake/main.html

Our next Blake poem is “The Poison Tree,” a deliciously sinister piece of writing.

Kind Regards,

Mr. Coey