Poetry, Mental Health & Politics
7 Days in the Orange Verse #69
1 Litmag Love / Loathe
I received two of my litmag subscriptions in the post this week: the Poetry Review and Magma. Honestly, I’m going to cancel my Poetry Review subscription. The majority of the poems published there are beyond my comprehension, I feel like I’m back at school searching for meaning in a puzzle of words – sue me. Magma, on the other hand, is wonderful. Poems to laugh and cry too, a commitment to spotlighting new talent and a feeling that I am included in the conversation.
What do you recommend I replace my Poetry Review subscription with?
2 Advice for Submitting to Competitions
Loved this advice from Hannah Copley. With her experience as a competition judge, she suggests you don’t pander to what you think the judge might be interested in reading. It’s classic advice really. Write what’s true to you, be creative, don’t get too attached to winning.
3 What to do When You Find Yourself in a Fug
Ever find yourself slipping into a mild depression? This post from Milk and Cookies made me feel seen. I will definitely be heeding some of this advice. I especially like no. 8: call a friend and ask them to talk at you. So often we only reach out when we’ve got something to say but listening to a friend’s problems/joy when they haven’t automatically offered is probably a great way to connect.
4 Poetry Survival Kit
Using Sarah Ahmed’s Feminist Survival Kit as inspiration, Kim Moore has suggested we build a Poetry Survival Kit. Mine would include a big squeeze from Andrew, walking the dogs, and looking at some art. What would you include in yours?
5 Poem
Not a poem but part of the intro to Jay Farley’s new book A [Cupboard] Full of Tomboys. Absolutely in love with how they queer language and grammar to reflect their lived experience. So creative!
6 Quote
“[P]oetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity for our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams towards survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action. Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought.”
~ Audre Lorde, Poetry is not a Luxury
7 Prompt
What are you not saying? It could be a dream you’re scared to vocalise or a hard truth you’re afraid of saying aloud in case it hurts someone you love. Journal it out.
Now, go back through what you’ve written. How can you add punctuation to highlight what’s hard to say?
If you’ve read this far then you should come and hang out with my on 8th July and write some political poems. It’s 90 minutes, online, we read a lot of poems and generate a lot of writing and everyone is super friendly and it’s a really gorgeous way to spend a Tuesday evening.
Muchos love to you all. Stay Zesty
Lorna 🍊