[Nick McRae]

A little background, I've been writing poetry somewhat consistently since 2012. In 2014 and 2017 I put together two non-serious books, and in 2020 took a stab at putting together a more serious work. Not to sell, more as a compilation for my own poetry collection.

When I started the project it was primarily just for fun, something to do, but as I continued it took on a life of it's own, and the finished product ended up being pretty cool.

But what I didn't anticipate at the beginning was how much the project would teach me. About writing poetry, about publishing, about the act of being a poet, and in some ways about people themselves.

That's all intentionally vague as I want to use it as a lead-in for this discussion, rather than spelling out my experiences straight-away.

I'm curious what you've learned from being a poet. Not necessarily about writing poetry itself, but it could be that. More generally, how the act of being a writer and engaging with the genre has affected you.

[Michael Cantor]

When things are going well and the words are flowing, it's because I've learned to focus on being a writer, as opposed to talking about being a writer. When the words are not flowing - and they're now right now - I get unpleasant.

[Nick McRae]

Unfortunately, I don't have the the time to write these days, so talking about being a writer has to suffice.

There is absolutely nothing I'd love more than to sit down and write all day over coffee, but e-mail with excessive flair will have to do.

[Sarah-Jane Crowson]

Hi,

I am a visual poet, so my work is hybrid (and most of my income from creative practice is through illustration/commissions which don't always reflect my personal interests, although that world is converging a little at the moment).

In terms of commercial poetry/art, there's a whole business angle to it (promotion, intellectual property law, freelancing culture) that I have learned.

In terms of craft - technical expertise - my involvement with poetry has taught me to listen, to be able to 'read' poetry through lenses/technical perspectives and to unpick them (although I am still not the best at this).

In terms of critical awareness and the ability to understand my own shortcomings and 'take' critique, then working on poetry as part of a wider community has been invaluable.

I think that being a poet or an artist is not a cultural trope, but a vocation. And probably a vocation regardless of whether it is your main source of income or not. But I also know that the more I feel secure about my knowledge, the less I actually 'know'.

Thank you for asking such a great question. Oh, I hope so much that this thread gets many answers. I'd love to know what others' think.

Sarah-Jane

[Nick McRae]

Originally Posted by Sarah-Jane Crowson

Hi,

I am a visual poet, so my work is hybrid (and most of my income from creative practice is through illustration/commissions which don't always reflect my personal interests, although that world is converging a little at the moment).

In terms of commercial poetry/art, there's a whole business angle to it (promotion, intellectual property law, freelancing culture) that I have learned.

Sometimes I forget that this side of it exists, as I've never been serious about selling my work. By profession I'm a software developer, and I can't justify taking my eyes off of the field long enough. The financial return of writing just doesn't seem to be there (at least for me).

In terms of craft - technical expertise - my involvement with poetry has taught me to listen, to be able to 'read' poetry through lenses/technical perspectives and to unpick them (although I am still not the best at this).

This was one of my main takeaways from the project I mentioned (although not the exact angle). I figured out that poetry is fundamentally words and expression. And that everybody, regardless of writing or linguistic skill, uses words and wants to be heard.

More than writing, I love language and hearing people tell their stories, no matter who, no matter what the story. Some of my favorite writing comes from amateurs as there is an unfiltered rawness that you just don't get in a major bookstore.

So I learned to listen. To be the person I wanted for myself as a poet, but for others.

[Nick McRae]

I'll add another point then give it a few days.

I'm now also of the view that most of us don't really know how to appreciate art. The common line of thinking is that poetry is underappreciated, but I think it's more the case that many of us are just incapable of seeing the beauty in it. From this perspective, those who can appreciate the written word are privileged, while those who can't are missing out.

Those who've appreciated my work the most were universally other poets, while those who weren't poets didn't really know how to read into my writing or give weak areas the benefit of the doubt. For the poets, some of my pieces were life changing, for the non-poets, some of it was too unfamiliar and foreign. Outside of their comfort zone.

This is why when we shift over to an area like popular music, it's generally lyrics and melodies with obvious mass appeal that make money. Anything that approaches daring is going to divide people out of the gate. So if we're talking poetry with themes that are far beyond everyday experience, the audience is narrow by definition.

Once I hit this realization I pretty much gave up advertising my work in any way, beyond to other poets, and stopped selling my book. When I was alone with my writing I didn't think twice about it, but as soon as I had an audience I realized that some found the themes a little too heavy. I ended up not wanting some people I knew to read it.

[Christine P'legion]

Originally Posted by Nick McRae

I'm curious what you've learned from being a poet. Not necessarily about writing poetry itself, but it could be that. More generally, how the act of being a writer and engaging with the genre has affected you.

This is an interesting question. (Hopefully) without descending to the usual waffle of an Grand Artistic Statement, I think that engaging with poetry has taught me, at its most basic level, another language with which to perceive and understand the world. A lot of my poetry is an attempt to capture a very particular feeling or moment in time -- the question I'm always asking myself is "what is the essential kernel of this [whatever it is]?". And in looking for that kernel I've often found that it comes down to specificity and truth, with as much other stuff pared away as I can manage. I don't always manage well, of course. But I try.

Beyond that, on a practical level, I think it's improved my memorization abilities (I often write a poem over and over in my head long before it makes it to a page), and the whole publication process has taught me a lot about perseverance and thickened my skin.