December 2004 Café Society's Poetry News Update
Do you have poetry news, announcements or comments? Mail me on the link at the bottom of this page. Also we now have a shop of cool PL&T and Norris merchandise - see link near cartoon... you read the ezine, why not buy the T shirt?


An Interview With

Helga Ross



HELGA'S BIO

It has been little more than a year ago since I wrote my first poem. Yes! Pinch me, I'm dreaming. I picked up the threads of the dream I dropped many more years ago, to write. I feel like I'm starting over and in my second youth. Now I remind myself of those poets of earlier times, when art was a way of life, not necessarily a livelihood, but valid in and of itself.

In the intervening years, I had shelved my liberal arts education, English Major, for a career in the business world. It served me well and now provides the means for this pursuit which I find so much more personally satisfying. I'm one of that spirit, 'Child of the '60s', a lover of nature, of freedom of thought, of authentic self-expression, with wide and eclectic interests and tastes which I like to reflect in my writings in all its forms.

I wasn't sure what I would write, what my niche would be when I embarked, but it wasn't long before a writer friend of mine pointed out the poetry in my prose - and here I am. That first piece which focused me on poetry as my key endeavor: Fragments of Flight by a Blue Butterfly

I am fortunate to have met shortly thereafter, fellow Canadian poet, Richard Vallance, who has been a great support and inspiration to me, particularly with the sonnet form. He has published several of my poems, including non-sonnets in issues of Sonnetto Poesia, Poetry in Emotion and The Vallance Review No. 39.

Writer/poet Carmen Ruggero, (of last month's Interview in Poetry Life & Times) introduced me to BeWrite, where some of my work is also published.

My full repertoire of poetry, short stories, and essays appears at Authors Den.


THE INTERVIEW

Poetry L & T: Having read and enjoyed your poems, Helga, I was surprised to learn, from your bio, that you only started writing poetry a year ago, with the poem "Fragments of Flight by a Blue Butterfly". I would be interested to know about the moment in your life which inspired this poem...

Helga: This moment in my life was a Monday in mid summer, July 16, 2001, to be exact, two years earlier; my first day back to work following a typically too short annual vacation. By this time in my life my hopes and plans were pinned on early retirement from full-time work. 30 plus years was feeling like long enough. More so because it was summer, my favorite season, and torturous to spend so much of it indoors. I much preferred those long summer holidays of my youth, between school years, or even the more sensible Augusts-off that many a European enjoys. Recording my feelings was some consolation as well as a way of working my way back into the literary directions I had dropped but felt strong stirrings for, once more.

Poetry L & T: Who are your favourite poets?

Helga: Unquestionably there are many I appreciate from Chaucer of old to T S Eliot of ‘new’, but Shakespeare has shaped me, and brought me to where I am. I owe him everything, when it comes to poetic inspiration. I had a high school teacher who loved Shakespeare so obviously he made his work come alive for me. I can still place myself mentally in that classroom reading and discussing the work, as Hamlet struts and frets. More of what I love about Shakespeare: He ranged over the entire spectrum of human experience and emotion; he used over 25,000 different words in his writings, (according to one computer analysis, 31,534 different words to be exact) – that's more than any other English writer has ever used! He invented words and played with them and coined so many phrases we still use today.

Poetry L & T: You have a particular affinity with the sonnet form. Do you have any favourite classic sonnets, which have particularly inspired your own work?

Helga: Yes, I fall back on Shakespeare frequently to study the specifics of his use of rhythm, rhyme, expression, and the structure of his lines:
    Sonnet XXIX

    Sonnet XXX

    Sonnet CXVI

    Sonnet CVI

    John Milton:
    "On His Blindness"

    Gerald Manley Hopkins
"God’s Grandeur" is a great favorite of mine, which I find quite exceptional.

Poetry L & T: How has the internet helped you, as a poet?

Helga: I wrote my first piece, mentioned above, as an essay/journal style entry and published it on the web at Writtenbyme.com, now defunct. That’s where a fellow writer saw it and recommended I publish it as a poem. I let him do so at his web site, left it at that, and continued to write essays and stories. At Author’s Den, I noted the action revolves around poetry, particularly. I decided: Hey, maybe I can do that too! I posted my one poem and went on from there. It was a creative breakthrough for me. Until then, I’d realized there’s lots of good writers of fiction and non-fiction, so, had been stumbling around somewhat, artistically speaking, writing well enough, but looking for my stamp of uniqueness. I believe I found it, found my voice, my creative niche, when I found my way to poetry.

Since then I’m widening my circle of fellow poets, artist friends, and valued contacts. My work is being read, not languishing here at home alone, or in a drawer somewhere, or discarded. I compare that to the artists of old, who, when they couldn’t get published, had no audience at all. It would be nice, of course, to be able to make a living at it, to be compensated monetarily, but it isn’t everything. An audience is. I'm delighted to be published here at Poetry Life & Times and to have been one of Richard Vallance's editors and contributors to his poetry e-zines.

Poetry L & T: Is there anything in modern poetry online, or poetry websites, which irritates you?

Helga: Oh, certainly. First and foremost: FEEDBACK please! Helpful feedback. Even when there’s lots of hits there little indication of how one is being received. And that's always a pity for the writer. Is one moved? Does one identify? What does one like about the work? If there’s obvious flaws to otherwise good work, like spelling and syntax errors, be kind enough to point them out, but not to the exclusion of its merits. If the work isn’t good, no point in any of the aforementioned, would be my recommendation. It would be both rude online and unkind. Indifference, likewise; leave alone.

There’s lots of poetry circles where there’s little or no serious critique, but there is tracking, reading and stroking of each other’s egos. Some of the best poets and the most serious ones aren’t part of this and therefore are missed altogether or receive few comments for their very fine work. Their labour of love is so evident if one would see it and better yet, acknowledge it.

Even a site such as AuthorsDen.com should have minimum standards.

Poetry L & T: I enjoyed reading your sonnet "Midlife Meander", through which I find some common ground with my some of my own poems on this subject, though this one is generally more optimistic than some of mine. Do you generally enjoy being in your "midlife"?

Helga: I do, I actually do. I feel as good today as 10 years ago and more, but I’m more savvy. Midlife is a state of mind. I like where I’m at – mentally, emotionally, and intellectually so wouldn’t trade that for anything. I’ve got it together in that way. I’m not one of the angst-ridden, whereas there were times I had been. Mature doesn’t have to mean overly serious or dour. My sense of humor, my adventurousness and fun-loving side is intact. My interests and passions fuel me. These are all things I like to reflect in my poetry. Physically, I work at maintaining my health. I dress and look and behave younger than my age.

Poetry L & T: I enjoyed the image of your cat, Sherman, portrayed in your sonnet "His Lopsided Grin". Cats often interrupt a writer's work, yet often they inspire it. Which does Sherman do, most of all?

Helga: He’s a redhead (partly, by way of large splashes on a white background) and quite willful when he’s not laid-back. So, he’s more of a distraction than an inspiration -- although, when I really studied him with a purpose, he inspired me, definitively.

Poetry L & T: "Stale Brew, Stagnant Water" is an interesting poem of yours... it seems to me to show the crass futility of the modern consumer lifestyle. What particular image or event triggered the idea for this poem?

Helga: I wanted to write something modern, that was the only conscious intention in my mind. From there, my usual method is to let an opening line come to me and lead me on from there – it will dictate the tempo, the line length, then the rest will evolve and flow --The first line came, the very words, and with it the metaphor, the cooking and eating imagery. I didn’t know where I was going; we went together. It was a relatively easy write with little need of polishing or rewrite.

Poetry L & T: I like the philosophical ideas in your sonnet "Power Block". It has some memorable lines which will ring true for many readers. Did this one grow from one single idea, or did it take some time of drafting and re-drafting?

Helga: This is my latest, to date. I’m pleased at the perceptiveness – I wrote with the intention of making memorable lines. Writing it was both inspiration and perspiration. It grew from a single idea, expressed in the first two lines. Some of the memorable lines further on just came to me first try; others, in between and concluding, needed work to best express, since there were words in my head I didn’t want to let go of. Overall it involved some time of drafting and redrafting to get it right, all of a piece, until I was fully satisfied.

Poetry L & T: What, in your opinion, makes a poem good, or memorable?

Helga: My opinion, and my observations of what I like best:
  • Foremost, whichever the form one chooses – the lines! When I go back and look at any poem I like by the great poets, ancient to modern, its so apparent: the choice lines, the quotable lines, the lines one finds oneself remembering and repeating. There are, generally speaking, a good number of them in the best poems.
  • Next the phrases; the words and the word play of them.
  • The language, the choice of words and sounds; their sequence; the fresh and unique ways of expressing familiar things.
  • There’s always some sort of rhythm and some kind of internal rhyme, even in free verse.
  • It’s pulled together and says something worth saying.
  • It moves the emotions, and/or the intellect in some way.
  • It’s always, always, a pleasure to read, even when the subject is sad.

Poetry L & T: If a younger poet asked you for tips on how to become successful as a published poet, what advice would you give?

Helga: Study the great poets and the great poems. The motivated and aspiring poet can’t help but absorb good things, in the way of artistry and techniques. Gain a good ear and a good eye. Don’t dismiss any period – for instance, Chaucer. He's wonderful, when one gets the hang of Old English. Read prolifically; then write prolifically. Experiment, write from your experience and your passions, and trust your instincts. Don’t let earning a living in other venues, if you have to, dissuade you. Young writers have a head start on me, and a medium available that for years others, and I, didn’t have. I’m not one who has successfully marketed myself or knows how to go about that part, so I can’t suggest beyond the scope of what I’ve said, this far.

Poetry L & T: Finally, Helga, what are your main ambitions for the future?

Helga: I will keep writing and improving and building my poetry repertoire. I will do what I can to gain a greater audience. One of these days I’d like to see my name and my poetry included in a hard cover on the bookshelves, preferably in a volume that sells. It needn’t include me, alone, as long as I’m in good company. The ultimate ambition would be to be a known quantity at home and abroad, by name, and/or ‘that Canadian (lady) poet from Newmarket’.

Poetry L & T: Thank you for the interview, Helga.

Helga: Thank you, Sara! I'm very delighted to be graced by your pages!


Click here to read Helga's poetry...




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Poetry Journal... click image to
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Editor's Letter, December 2004


Dear Poets,

Welcome to the December 2004 issue of Poetry Life & Times (For those of you reading this on a mirror site and not poetrylifeandtimes.com, click here).

This month's interview features Helga Ross, published poet and short story writer.

Featured Poets this month include Deborah Kolodji, Ian Thorpe, Jim Dunlap, Robin Ouzman Hislop, Richard Vallance and Jan Sand. Deborah Kolodji has also written a special article about The Peace Rose, for Poetry Life & Times, which can be found through a link under her poems on this page - and roses are the theme for her poems this month.

In the Vallance Review for December 2004, Richard's Review No. 40 features George Frederic Handel, "L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato" (1740) after John Milton's, "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" (1645). This Vallance Review also features an interview with the musician Peter Zanette.

Fans of The Perils of Norris cartoon: You can buy Norris merchandise for home and office, including apparel and stationery... Click here to visit the store at CafePress.com. More goodies will be added as soon! Also available: Poetry Life & Times logo merchandise. My own poetry can be found on AuthorsDen, these days. The links in the left-hand column of my pages include books and articles as well as poetry. Some of the articles give advice on making chapbooks, or finding publishers - and there is even an item on ghosts.

My latest e-book: Worlds Inside The Head, is now available, featuring animated html poetry pages, short stories, video & audio recitals, plus pages in PDF format. Click here to scroll down to the animated ad at the bottom of the page, and click the link to find out more. The animation shows images from the CD.

NEW - Poetry Life & Times Mobile Phone Pages + Free Ringtones & Wallpapers! We have started a series of new mini-sized Poetry Life & Times supplement pages for mobile phones, which include information on the main site, occasional interviews, short poems + free ringtones and wallpapers. If you have a WAP-enabled mobile phone with a colour screen, point your mobile's browser at these pages (on your mobile you can usually omit http//:):

www.poetrylifeandtimes.com/pltmobile/index.htm
www.poetrylifeandtimes.com/pltmobile/ringtones.htm
www.poetrylifeandtimes.com/pltmobile/wallpapers.htm

Ringtones are both classical and new original music (my own). Wallpapers are mostly from The Perils of Norris cartoon.

Any comments on this issue or back issues can be emailed to me on the link at the bottom of the page. Announcements are always welcome (brief if possible), you can also promote poetry books here.

Poetry submissions should be in plain text in the body of an email, with a small jpeg author picture attached, also a bio, with the URLs of any ezines mentioned, so that they can be shown as links. This increases the chance of inclusion, especially for late submissions. Pictures are best at a maximum of 520 pixels across, otherwise they take ages to arrive by email, especially in bitmap or TIFF format. I recommend that poets click the submissions link on our main page, for full guidelines, and please, always use a spellchecker.

Poets can submit previously-published work here. If another editor likes it, there's a chance we'll like it too.

Best Regards,

                  




Click title below for this month's Vallance Review feature

Richard Vallance reviews sonnets, both classic and modern.





Featured Poets this month include Deborah Kolodji, Ian Thorpe, Jim Dunlap, Robin Ouzman Hislop, Richard Vallance and Jan Sand. Many thanks to all contributors.

© Deborah P Kolodji

Deborah P Kolodji works in information technology to fund her poetry obsessions and to pay for her children’s college tuition. She is the editor and co-founder of Amaze: The Cinquain Journal (www.amaze-cinquain.com) and the owner and moderator of a yahoogroups e-mail discussion list for cinquain poetry called CinquainPoets. Her cinquains have appeared in Eclectica, Scrivener’s Pen, Wilmington Blues, St. Anthony Messenger Magazine, Autumn Pond, Short Stuff, Brevities, Hummingbird, and many other places. Three of her poems appear in the international poetry anthology by India's Cyberwit, New Pegasus.

Cherokee Rose
© Deborah P Kolodji

Tears fell
along the trail
where white roses now grow--
thousand mile march to a mother's
heartbreak
first published: Autumn Leaves - Volume 8 No 5, September 2004 Christmas Rose © Deborah P Kolodji

pink-tipped
snow white petals -
winter’s rare gift of bloom
for a shepherdess, for the Child,
for us


Prom Night © Deborah P Kolodji

Orchids
and white roses
in my daughter's corsage -
the baby of my family
blooming.
First Place, 2004 Siloam Springs Writer's Group Annual Contest The Corner Florist Shop © Deborah P Kolodji

bouquets
a reminder -
last minute birthday gifts
forgotten anniversaries
guilt trips

he stops
slinking home from a late night out
buys her a peace token
a red dozen
roses


A Change on the Breeze © Deborah P Kolodji

Rosebuds
in early spring --
scent of warmer weather;
I watch the possibilities
unfold.



Click Here for Deborah's article on The Peace Rose...


JIM DUNLAP
(Rhyme Master)

Jim is in the Marquis, Who's Who In America and will be in the Marquis Who's Who In The World in it's next edition as well. He is also in the Directory of American Poets and Fiction Writers.

His list of publications include "Candelabrum", "Plainsongs" and the "Paris/ Atlantic"; and he is now (or has been) online at "Die Niderngasse", "Poetry Repair Shop", "Midnight Edition" and Poetry Life & Times". He is a resident poet, and an Alpha poet at the Poet's Porch, and has had about six hundred poems published to date. He has been in the Writer's Digest top 100 three times, although he doesn't usually enter their contests any more, as their entry fees have gone out of sight. However, he has decided to send a single poem this time. He is currently the newsletter editor for the Des Moines Area Writers' Network.

Click here for Jim's website

His work also appears online at:
authorsden.com
http://www.thepoetsporch.com
http://www.aceonline.com.au/~db/
http://www.valmagnuson.com/
on Describe_Adonis in the Yahoo groups,
poetryrepairs.com
and in a number of other places as well.

A SOLDIER’S CHRISTMAS
© Jim Dunlap

As Christmas approaches, we wonder
If peace on Earth still stands a chance –
The boom of the guns, and the thunder,
As projectiles shatter and glance,
Distract us with turmoil and hate.
Can they open our eyes and apprize us
Of hard truths that shouldn’t surprise us?
Let's stop this, before it’s too late.
The body count daily grows higher –
As our moral high ground is dissolving.
Mistrust and despair feed the fire,
While our worldview’s sadly revolving.
We should stop now to calculate the worth
Of lasting love ... and peace on Earth.


IN SEARCH OF A CHALICE AND A PENTACLE * © Jim Dunlap

Proud Venus shines on a knight vainly searching
Through lonely days of rain, snow and hail --
In desolate wilderland, honor besmirching,
Sealed to the trail of a dream, and a Grail.
He knows full well that the end may be dreary,
His hopes unfulfilled, the ending uncertain,
But still he plods on, fatigued and bone-weary –
The future a mystery, a nebulous curtain.
Yet golden light glinting as day draws to close,
Beckons him onward, through trials and grief.
He yearns for a taste of the dew on the rose.
He envies his Lord’s final words to the thief.
Still he knows, though the end be in tatters,
That life is, itself, the journey that matters.

* Challenger International Quarterly, June, 2004.
NOTE: I wrote this for Dan Brown after
reading the DaVinci Code.
YET WE HESITATE, ALTHOUGH WE KNOW THE COST © Jim Dunlap

Life’s adversities may work to make us stronger
Though they seem an awful burden at the time.
As the blows last long, and ever longer --
The vagaries of Fate may seem a crime.
Lady Luck may smile, or maybe not –
For she’s fickle as an empty-headed girl.
Sometimes it seems the Gods just scheme and plot
To bewilder and to set your head awhirl.

Yet there’s iron in your will that stokes your fire,
And helps you deal with all life’s many ills --
Success will help to lift your spirits higher,
No matter what the urn of fortune spills.
Who truly knows the point when all is lost;
And how the dice will fall, or when they’re tossed?

Click here for December 2004 Featured Poets page 2 --> link for second half of featured poets....



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Photo © by Richard Vallance, 1993 (Northern Ontario)

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Poesie's Laissez Faire Foire Announcement

Come Meet our Poet Friends!

Check out the poetry sites of some of our friends and
editors in Canada, the U.S.A. and the U.K. at: Rencontrez nos amis poétiques!

Voulez-vous recontrez de nos amis poètes et rédacteurs
de la poésie, qui demeurent au Canada, aux États-unis
ou au Royaume-uni ?

Meet my literary friends!  Rencontrez mes amis littéraires!



The Crystal Rose © Ice Shard

Visit Crystal Rose's Place


Val Magnuson Galactic Poet Award


Why not visit:


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