The Columbiad; Joel Barlow; Amazon review

Yet another vastly undervalued poet. I can't imagine how American poets like John Greenleaf Whittier and Oliver Wendell Holmes are better remembered than Joel Barlow. I can only guess that the former wrote in a more quaint and accessible manner, typical of that rather dry period for American poetry, and that Barlow, from a previous century, aspired to loftier heights and perhaps took on a theme which was not yet ready to be cast into epic poetry. I can understand the difficulty a student or reader might have with this work, the first book of which is jammed with geographical, ecological detail, exhaustive lists of North American mountains, lakes, and rivers, balanced against the story of Columbus, and in general a highly romanticised history of regions in South America, and intermixed with gods, such as Atlas and Hesper. While the heroic couplets are nearly as fine and consistent as Pope's, the poem is more reminiscent of Milton's Paradise Lost in its multitudes of graphic descriptions and place names; and, with respect to its reverent and genuinely heroic theme, it's the polar opposite of the stinging, but too-often mean-spirited, satire that Pope was known for.

I won't say that the work deserves the acclaim accorded to epic poems like the Aeneid, The Odyssey, or Paradise Lost; but it certainly doesn't deserve to be forgotten. Barlow is a poet's poet. If you can admire a master technician at work, for the sake of that alone, without worrying too much about the narrative, you might want to take a look at this. Besides, it's free!

Also, this free version is perfectly lineated and formatted, and contains both the author's preface and introduction, and all internal notes.

The Uncelestial City; Humbert Wolfe; Amazon review

I was first aquainted with Wolfe's poetry via Louis Untermeyer's anthology "Modern Poetry", issued originally in 1920. What struck me about this poet was his economy. The poems featured in that antholgy were predominantly what I would call miniatures, a typical one being this charmer, called "The Lilac":

Who thought of the lilac?
"I," dew said,
" I made up the lilac
out of my head."

"She made up the lilac!
"Pooh!" thrilled a linnet,
and each dew-note had a
lilac in it.

On the basis of that little handful of poems alone, I sent away for this volume. My copy was printed in 1930, and the book does show signs of wear and age. Though the hard cover binding is still excellent, the pages are heavily browned but still sturdy. An interesting little surprise with this book was that a few of its pages had not yet been cut. It marked my first and only acquaintance with a book with uncut pages.

All that aside, I was more than pleased with The Uncelestial City, particulary when I noted that it was one large work comprised of short pieces. Without explaining the over all theme or content, let's just say that Wolfe addresses many issues in this work, issues philosophical (primarily moral), theological, as well as addressing social class systems, the judicial system of the poet's time, and, albeit subtly and with delicate fondness, romance. Most of the story unfolds in the environment of a courtroom, and there are speeches and pontifications humorous, satirical, and deadly serious.

I won't say that the work ranks in the highest strata. Despite its length, it is not epic poetry. Nonetheless, I found it emminently readable and at times profound, as well as warm, without sentimentality or pathos.

Workshopping; frdb post; as WilliamB

The thing about workshops is that their efficacy depends more on the people involved than the program itself.

I credit the first workshop I was involved with, almost literally, for teaching me how to compose poetry. I went in with my hackles up and all my nerves bristling, and had a very rocky start. I hated it. I mocked the site to my friends at work, calling the members there egomaniacs, sadists, etc. After a while, however, once I learned how to simply say 'thank you' to someone who had just shredded my poem to bits, I realized that the process could be helpful. I lowered my guard and was able to see, for the first time, the many problems with my writing. I participated there for seven years, from 2001 to 2008. My writing improved dramatically, to say the least.

 Unfortunately, at around 2006 or so, I began to see that some of the moderators were becoming draconian in their methods, and that a lot of the senior members were taking obvious pleasure in seeing the daily dressing-down of "newbies" (a contemptible Internet term), and that the whole environment was negatively affected because of this behavior. I voiced my opinions one too many times and was banned forever from that site. They will accept zero objection to their methods, whether or not that objection is well-reasoned. It is to this day a highly-trafficked board, probably because, despite the abuse of virtual-power with respect to one or two mods, beginners are still able to have a positive learning experience there.

The board I workshop at now is a much more productive place, though it has its drawbacks, such as mutual back-patting and a tendency to go easy on 'established' writers: meaning, people who have been widely published in reputable venues.

It all depends on what goals you set for yourself. If you aren't interested in publishing, and just write as a hobbyist, or for personal fulfillment and pleasure, then I'd say you needn't bother with a workshop unless you really wish to have the experience. On the other hand, if your goal is to write poetry worthy of publication in a reputable journal or online site, or wherever, or if you simply want to be the best you can be at the craft of writing poetry, regardless of publishing, then I would strongly recommend a tough, hard-assed workshop experience. This goes double for people who are taking on traditional, metrical forms. Seasoned editors can spot a slipshod use of form at a glance, and they will generally discard those submissions without a second look, especially at venues that receive a lot of submissions.

That being said, a skilled poet can play with a traditional form as she chooses, and many fine poets do, like Seamus Heaney as a contemporary example. John Berryman would be a good example for mid last century.