After reading your response to Tim Murphy's question regarding the health and history of Eratosphere, I wanted to extend my sincere thanks to you for your work here. I wandered into the free verse forums about a year ago in search of heavier critique than I'd found elsewhere. I was only vaguely aware of this thing called formalism in contemporary poetry. The work that I saw happening in the metrical forums prompted me to attempt my first formal poem. A few months ago, I transformed a really terrible free verse piece into a sonnet that's been received with almost universal enthusiasm by everyone who's seen it, including people who are as unfamiliar with formalism as I was a year ago. Having grown up believing free verse equals freedom equals better art, I was shocked to discover that a sonnet could more accurately convey what was on my mind than free verse.
I'm currently writing at a rate of three poems per week for a workshop I'm taking at school. Without exception my formal poems, even in their first drafts, have accomplished their objectives far better than any free verse I've tried. Having got the rhythms in my head, I'm even beginning to daydream metrically. I'm not sure I would have discovered this about my own writing if not for Eratosphere, so a hearty, heart-felt thanks is in order!
A couple of people have said that I should publish that sonnet. I think I've still got a lot to learn before I go there, but when the time arrives, how does one get started?
At Alan's suggestion, and with his help, I've signed up for the Westchester conference. I sort of said, "That sounds great!" before I knew much about it and now, having read around about it, I'm really intimidated. I'm just trying to breathe deeply and remember how much I've learned in the past by getting in over my head. Any advice for a true beginner on what to expect and how to make the most of the experience?
Ginger Sicari
[This message has been edited by ginger (edited April 02, 2002).]
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