Always joining heads, hands and hearts pays off. Cognizant of this fact, poets across the globe create a platform in the social media where they click each other and cross pollinate ideas and techniques of writing poems. In so doing, they hone their skills and quench the thirst of readers for poems. They chase away the poetry-phobia to which many are subject to. Even those who have the farthest dream of writing poems could be inspired to try their hands on writing poems.
Out of the interest of making the Art and Culture column of The Ethiopian Herald’s Sunday Special Edition a hub for poets round the globe this journalist has just contacted Jerry Langdon of The Garden of Poetry and Prose for e-mail interview. Excerpts
The Ethiopian Herald: Could you brief us about the backdrop of the garden when and how it was started:?
Jerry Langdon: The Garden of poetry and prose started in 2015. It was created for the poets of the page to grow and learn from one another. We each chose a two word prompt which we all write to. This has expanded over time to include a second prompt which can be a quote, a picture or whatever can inspiriate.
Herald: What are its objectives?
Jerry Langdon : We in the Garden aim to learn to expand our knowledge and to learn new ways to write. We also seek to give each other the time to comment on the poems and to give constructive critique if required. We try to comment in a more personal way as to just write that it is good. We start a conversation, we interpret, we give insight and we try to be constructive in or comments.
Herald: What are the activities it conducted?
Jerry Langdon : We have made friends, we have learned from one another, we have written and inspired.
Herald :What are its focus areas?
Jerry Langdon : We focus on the bi-weekly prompts and on the other poets in The Garden. Every writer has a signature way of writing, and that teaches others different ways to write.
Herald: Could you give us an insight into its success stories?
Jerry Langdon : The Garden has inspired its poets to publish books. It has taught to write in a way the poet never thought they could. We had a poetess that never thought she could write dark poetry. She learned from others to do such, and has since written some amazing dark gothic writes.
The Garden also played a big role in me beginning an ezine, and has since given support to the magazine.
Herald :Are there thing you want tell us about the ups and downs the garden passed through ?
Jerry Langdon: The Garden has had members leave. When you have a mirage of personalities they can sometimes clash. In some cases time just does not allow to continue. In others health played a role. We still remain in contact to some point. One member that left opened their own group called Spring’s Embrace, which is based on the same principles. There is always more ups than downs and we climb as long as we can.
Herald: Before we windup let me pose a tough question. What if sometimes the prompts become culturally remote? Say for instance I may not know about Halloween (the garden’s recent prompt), while you may not know about Meskle. Could you explain to us about this? Must not the prompts have a universal theme?
Jerry Langdon :. The recent prompts are not about Halloween, they are about writing anything, preferably in this case something scary. What is more universal than words? Universal does not mean to have a common theme; it means open universe opens endless space. Writing to a prompt of an Emotion is not what we do in the Garden we leave that open to the writer. We prompt with words that are expected to be found in the writes. This expands everyone’s vocabulary.
To answer your question I know nothing of Meskel, I also know little to nothing of Hindu cultures, or Oriental cultures, but will always read information to inform myself. It is required to write for a culture I am a stranger to. But again the prompts are not about Halloween. The Poet that issued the prompts let her/his choice of prompts be inspired by the fact that it is Autumn and that All Hallow’s eve is getting Close and so Chose words and quotes that are to inspire to write spooky, scary, dark writes. There is a reason for her/his choice to do so.
Many writers put themselves in a drawer ( only write about the same things, same emotions, same environments) not daring to venture into the other possibilities. Some do so out of fear, some because they don’t want to be reminded of negative feelings. Some because they don’t understand. It is not only an expanse on one’s talent it is also therapeutic to think outside of the box and to visit the darker side sometimes. It helps to see the light much brighter so to say. Forget the foreword about Halloween concentrate on the prompt WORDS and QUOTES:
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 6 October 2019
BY ALEM HAILU
