Plan for the Unexpected, Right?
Circumstances have conspired to delay Adam’s latest letter from Bangalore. I’ve seen it already. When we do publish it, I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did. We still want you to have something to read though. So…how about a little poetry talk? National Poetry Month is only a few days away.
What’s the Harm in Peeking a Few Days Early?
We’ve published some original poetry here, and a lot of thoughts about poetry. It’s soemthing that Adam and I both love. As I’ve talked about my own journey to becoming a writer here, what I haven’t talked about is how much of it is framed aroud an as-yet-unfinished poem. The one we refer to as “The Sweater Poem.” I began working on that poem a little more than a year ago, only a few months after Adam took me on as a writing student. I can’t identify what changed for either of us when I began working on that poem, but I do know that working on that poem meant I gave myself more freedom as a writer. Permission, in a sense, to write in a much more real way, with authenticity and honesty that I’d been holding back before. And Adam responded–his suggestions changed, his critiques changed, and that without the restraint that we were both enduring before, my writing became that much better. Poetry gave me freedom to begin to become the kind of writer I want to be.
April won’t be all about poetry, true, but with all the poetry love we feel here, as we get ready for April, let’s take a quick look back at a few of our old posts.
Look Where We’ve Been Already!
I discovered the way I could read poetry when I was seven years old, when my second grade teacher helped me discover a very special book. Forty years later, I still reach for that book. It taught me to read poetry, it helped me discover how to write poetry and it taught me very important lessons. Here’s something I wrote not long ago about that.
Where the Sidewalk Ends, Life Begins
Poetry is not the genre Adam typically writes in, but the desire to write a poem does occasionally strike him. We both are a little hesitant to share the deep emotion in our poetry though. I suppose there’s something about it that feels very exposed. Adam captured an incredibly moment in this poem he wrote. When I read it, I could feel all of the love and longing in his words. He also shares a few thoughts of his own on reading and exploring poetry.
Sharing a Poem
When I couldn’t figure out what to write for my first post here at 2 Rules of Writing, Adam suggested that I take one of the two poems I’d completed and share one of them. In fact, he chose this one. I shared the poem but also a little about my writing process. It’s also a good example of how I apply the Two Rules. Sharing my poetry is still hard–harder even than sharing some of the essays I’ve written, but I love writing it and it seems to be the format I keep turning to. In fact, there are several unfinished ones on my screen now, and my notebook is at my side with some notes scribbled earlier for the next one.
This Poem Feels Finished…?
I’m Excited for What’s Next. Are You?
With April right around the corner, I’m really excited. Last year I challenged myself to write 30 poems in 30 days. I’m glad I did it, but that’s not where I need to be this year. Instead, this year I want to read all of the incredible favorites you, our readers might suggest. So please take the time to nominate a poem for “30 Days, 30 Poems” so that we all have something to read and share.
Erika Grumet, MSW
Erika Grumet, MSW (she/her or they/them) was born and raised on Long Island. She earned a Masters in Social Work from Stony Brook University.
She has been researching and writing essays and poems about mental health, physical disability, sexuality (particularly bisexuality), rape and sexual assault, gun violence, the writing process, and a variety of other topics. In addition to writing and managing content for the website, Erika brings her experience as a social worker and educator. She works with writers to help them manage or overcome issues that prevent them from bringing their best writing.
Erika was recently chosen to Lilith Magazine’s “The New Forty” cohort. You can also find her published in Bi Women’s Quarterly, Kveller, and Lilith, with a forthcoming publication from Spoonie Journal.