Lessons from the Poetry Workshop

The poetry class was alive, alive with lessons, during the Garden City Literary Festival, 2012. Here are more lessons from the class.

• Writing begins with language. A poet without a good use of language will not succeed, hence one is expected to cultivate a good mastery of the craft.
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• As a poet, a proper understanding of the culture and traditions across the world helps his or her ability to write a believable work. Many poets stand in the way of their poetry because they find certain ideas intrusive, hence discard what could have made their work a masterpiece. Cultivate the good use of "freshness" and never take your poetic license for granted.
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• There must be an internal logic, a case where what you write has a bearing with life.
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• A good poem thrives on aesthetics, beauty.
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• Everybody borrows, that makes us human but as a young writer, you should be careful with what you borrow. Borrow, don't steal!

16 Things every poet should know:

• Know the theory; practise it and allow for self-discovery.
• Every writer is a reader, also be a voracious researcher.
• Be your own first critic. Learn to criticise yourself. You may even know good poets through their titles; they carefully choose what to write, and that is where creativity begins. Your first line is also important. Since most people do not read poetry,  the first line must be gripping.
• Always go around with your material.
• Every writer has his or her best moment. This may be at night or very early in the morning; find yours.
• Ideology/Social Vision: This is very good for a poet. One should understand that one's inspiration takes just ten percent while the remaining 90 percent goes to perspiration.
• Keep in touch with the community: That explains how vast you are while writing. This requires staying in touch with books, writing news, even life. So learn to make connection between life's experiences.
• Keep your senses alive. Open your eyes to see; your ears to listen; let your skin feel; creativity flows through receptive senses.
• Know what turns you on; it could be the environment, time, situation, atmosphere and company (of friends)
• There are two demons to avoid: haste and procrastination. To avoid the two, add one block to the building every day, one line, one image to the poem every day.
• Have the passion and willpower to do your work; this keeps you going.
• Poetry is everywhere; you can never exhaust the list; what makes poetry is the craft, not the title.
• Originality: distinguish yourself from the rest of the pack. It makes you stand out. Create your own "trademark"
• Own your own style: Make sure your work appeals to the five senses, then it will be embraced. Write the kind of poem society can easily connect with.
• Circulate your work among peers, those you trust; attend peer review sessions. Remember your first draft cannot be your best draft. Make use of social media.
• Don't write for money, it kills faster than the deadliest pills. 

Dr Obari Gomba facilitated the poetry class.