alee_grrl | Poetree: Weekly Round-up for February 27

February 27th - March 4th was a multi-hosted week regarding unusual poetry formats. The posts contain lots of information regarding some of these formats along with great examples. Many of the posts offer questions for discussion by community members. Please feel free to comment even though these are older posts. The great thing about the a digital community like this one is that the discussions can continue for as long as we like. So please feel free to visit older posts and participate in such discussions.

Multi hosted: Unusual Poetry Formats Posts and Associated Poems:

Themed Week: Unusual Poetry Formats
-Host:

jjhunter
-intro post for the week

Format: Terza Rima
-Host:

ysabetwordsmith
-Exploration of Terza Rima form
-Links to resources of Terza Rima form
-Discussion: favorite examples of this form; things liked or disliked about form; if someone has written a terza rima, how well did it work for the writer?
-Related poem: Poem: "Fair Maiden Meets Fierce Villain"

Form: Villanelle (Part 1 of 2)
-Host:

jjhunter
-Historical overview of Villanelle and historical examples
-Links to resources on Villanelles
-Discussion: favorite villanelles; experience of writing villanelles; What is appealing about the villanelle that has allowed it to persist as a form?
-Poem: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

Form: Sestina
-Host:

bookblather
-Exploration of the Sestina form
-Links to other resources
-Poem: Sestina: Altaforte by Ezra Pound
-Poem: Untitled by

bookblather
Form: Villanelle (Part 2 of 2)
-Host:

jjhunter
-Exploration of Villanelle’s using host’s own poetry
-Discussion: Why do people continue to use the villanelle form despite the difficulty involved?
-Poem: Proper Shape by

jjhunter

Highlights from the comments:

lnhammercompares villanelles and sestinas, which leads to a discussion of sonnets as well.

ysabetwordsmithshares her thoughts on sestinas, which leads to a discussion of syllable length and easy versus unusual words.

jjhunter and

lnhammer note the cyclical and obsessive nature of sestinas.

Associated posts by members off-comm this week:
compiled by

jjhunter

ariestess
- Leap Day 2012 Special Event Wrap-Up

jjhunter
- 'Poem For Your Thoughts?' Day #3

lnhammer
- Kokinshu #213

rbarenblat
- Small Victories [poem]

ysabetwordsmith
- Clicks in Language

Poetry news outside of Dreamwidth:
from the every so lovely

ysabetwordsmith

- Dwarf Stars Award winners announced

- this announcement about an upcoming series of interviews about Writing About Race in Science Fiction and Fantasy is also applicable to science fiction and fantasy poetry; for those looking for further resources on the subject, or merely interested in how sf/fantasy has handled such conversations in the past, please see the 2009 Great Cultural Appropriation Debate of DOOM, Part II roundup over at ‘Ambling Along the Aqueduct’, or the RaceFail 09 page over at the feministSF wiki.