I know there will be many posts this week about Western Washington University's wonderful Poetry Camp - attended by interested teachers, librarians and writers in the area, as well as almost 40 poets, most of them contributors to these Poetry Friday posts of ours and to the Poetry Friday anthologies put together by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell. I had the chance to meet people whose names I've seen here for years but whom I've never actually met. And I was asked by Janet and Sylvia to present a 90-minute quick-write workshop the day before Camp, when the PF poets had their own day-long meeting - I talked about the Oulipo group and their idea that "constraints" on writing (such as wordplay and/or limiting the vowels you can use, or the syllables per line, etc.) actually free you up to be more unpredictable, to surprise yourself and thus surprise your readers. Oh, I could have played around with that all day! But we actually only ended up with 60 minutes, running behind, before the group moved on to more practical matters. I've come home determined to play around with more constraints.
My favorite moment at Poetry Camp was seeing Sylvia Vardell walk in with poetry stockings and a poetry dress - she was all poetry, outside and in. So I thought today I would share the photo I took, and I would ask if anyone knows what poem was on her stockings. It is awkward to ask someone to stand still while you read their legs (!!) and I missed my moment to ask her. If you were smart and happened to ask Sylvia - tell us what that poem is, will you? There should be two poems, actually, because the first day Sylvia was in white stockings with text and the second day (pictured above) she was in rose pink. And what a dress - "Share Poetry" - we all loved it! Head to toe, poetry!!!!
Added note: For everyone serious about finding a pair of those stockings/tights, they are for sale on Etsy. com - click here for the link.
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Violet Nesdoly is the Poetry Friday host this week. Click here to read her post and link to the round-up.
Added note: For everyone serious about finding a pair of those stockings/tights, they are for sale on Etsy. com - click here for the link.
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Violet Nesdoly is the Poetry Friday host this week. Click here to read her post and link to the round-up.
I felt exactly the same way. I wanted to know, but wasn't quite brave enough to squat down and read her legs! So lovely to meet you, Julie. I loved those Oulipo gems.
ReplyDeleteDoraine, I would love to see anything you write based on the Oulipo constraints that were mentioned!
DeleteWhere did she get that dress??
ReplyDelete"I've come home determined to play around with more constraints." -- a wise and wonderful attitude!
Wish I could have been there to take part in your workshop, Julie! Complete guess on my part, but I thought I heard at one point that her tights were in English and Spanish... which makes me wonder if it might have been selections from the PFA for Celebrations...?
ReplyDeleteGood guess, Michelle - I bet you're right. And if I get brave, I might just ask Sylvia!
DeleteAhhh I want that dress AND those tights - how much fun would it be to dress up like that for story time?!?! :D
ReplyDeleteFor everyone serious about getting tights like those, you can find them on Etsy.com. and here's the link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/190755946/custom-text-tights-poem-text-tights
ReplyDeleteI saw that dress, and how funny that no one wanted to stoop down to read. Thanks for the etsy link, Julie. I've learned so much reading about everyone's time there, and now Oulipo, new to me & will check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt was great to meet you, Julie! I thought the poetry dress-up was such a fun idea. I was hoping to come here and discover what it said on those leggings (judging by your post title). Perhaps someone (Sylvia herself?) will read those legs for us.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll just email Sylvia and ask - simple! Why was I hesitant...?
DeleteYes! Finally a post about Sylvia's dress and shoes. I wasn't there, but I've been admiring Sylvia's dress on a number of posts - and have just come from posting a comment on Sylvia's blog, where I realised she also had poetry stockings. Though I didn't realise she had them on both days. Love them!
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about constraints really resonates with me. That's why I love all the short poetry forms, and the poetry app on Storybird. Because the limited palate of words takes you in unexpected places.
* dress and stockings! Not shoes.
ReplyDeleteConstraints? The word puts me in mind of boa constrictors, which doesn't do much for my poetry writing frame of mind. Imagine writing a poem while a giant constrictor twists up your arm and encircles your chest. Oh, now I'm hyperventilating!
ReplyDeleteI only wish Washington state were closer to New Hampshire! We have plenty of camps up this way, just not poetry ones!
I've written a few poems while being constricted by a boa, and they turned out fine...but I've also written some that SOUND like I was being squeezed to death. Not so good.
DeleteI'd forgotten you're in New Hampshire, Diane. Do you think Ayotte will be defeated? Imagine thinking Trump was a role model for your children. Yikes.
I was there, saw the dress, and asked her about it. But, I'll be darned if I can remember what poem she said was on it!
ReplyDeleteI do know that she made the dress herself after having the 'share poetry' print made to order on fabric usually used for kids pillows. And I do know that I loved it, too!
I also know that I'll be at the Weekend on the Water retreat and will look forward to meeting you there, Julie Larios. :)
Had the fabric printed, and then made the dress herself. She is amazing!
DeleteDefinitely come and say hi when I'm down in Tacoma for the Weekend on the Water, Karrie. And P.S. Are you related to the Zylstras out on Whidbey Island?
Oh, yes. Whidbey is where my dad was born. Great Grandpa James Zylstra was the mayor of Coupeville. I'll be sure to say hi when I see you!
DeleteJulie,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the challenge to write the double abecedarian. Eric Ode and I both tried it and Janet gave us each a bottle of Washington sweetness for our efforts. We thought it was funny that we both used Mozeltov for a word ending in v.
Thank you for your workshop. It was so much fun.
You are very welcome, Joy - and mazeltov (!!!) to you for completing that difficult form. I'd love to see what you and Eric produced.
DeleteHi, Julie, and thanks so much for your fun compliments! I'm happy to share details about my poetry-themed outfits (and I just added this info to my blog post too).
ReplyDeleteFor my dress, I had the blue "Share Poetry" fabric printed at PersonalizedFabric2.com (app. $15 per piece of fabric with a Groupon and I bought 2 pieces). Then I made those two pieces into a simple shift dress. The tights are from Etsy.com. ColineDesign will print anything you like on tights and I sent her poems from our Poetry Friday Anthology (PFA) series. They're pricey (app. $35), but they are really well made and mine have been worn and laundered multiple times. Now, I've ordered some more of each, so watch for more clothes and tights in the future! FYI: I also wore a large custom poetry scarf that I had printed with poems (again from the PFA books) on Friday and that was made at Mailpix.com (for about $30 with another Groupon). Now you know ALL my secrets! Also, I'm working on MORE of these too... so stay tuned!
Your guessers are correct, the poems on my tights are all from the PFA collections. My first set of tights are very light pink and the poems are: "A Clam" by Jack Prelutsky, "The Do Kind" by Janet Wong, "Earth's Tilt" by Douglas Florian, "Convection" by Joyce Sidman, "Who Am I?" by Margarita Engle, and "At Our House" by Virginia Euwer Wolff. On the other pair of orangey-pink tights, I feature two poems, but one leg has the English version and the other leg has the Spanish version of the same poems: "A Teacher Knows" by Eric Ode and "Stop! Let's Read" by Kristy Dempsey. You can find the full text for nearly all of these poems at our Pinterest site: Pinterest.com/PomeloBooks and in the books themselves, of course!
Thank you, Sylvia! Okay now, people, time to picking your favorite poems, ordering tights, and sewing!
DeleteI was SO thrilled to finally meet you in person, Julie, and to get to present together on Saturday! (Hated that I had to scoot out early during your Friday workshop; I had to set up the makerspace activity.) I'm just now seeing some of these posts, as we had to evacuate right after returning home. Hoping to get back home tomorrow! Thanks for the skinny on Sylvia's amazing attire - poetry inside and out for sure. :0)
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, Robyn - glad to meet you and co-present with you. Let's be sure to stay in touch! Fingers crossed that everything is okay for you at home post-hurricane.
ReplyDelete