Sunday, February 27, 2011

What Is A Lyric Poem?



Lyric Poetry consists of a poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. The term lyric is now commonly referred to as the words to a song. Lyric poetry does not tell a story which portrays characters and actions. The lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feeling, state of mind, and perceptions.

A short poem with one speaker (not necessarily the poet) who expresses thought and feeling. Though it is sometimes used only for a brief poem about feeling (like the sonnet).it is more often applied to a poem expressing the complex evolution of thoughts and feeling, such as the elegy, the dramatic monologue, and the ode. The emotion is or seems personal In classical Greece, the lyric was a poem written to be sung, accompanied by a lyre.

A type of emotional songlike poetry, distinguished from dramatic and narrative poetry.

Lyric poetry is a form of poetry with rhyming schemes that express personal and emotional feelings. In the ancient world, lyric poems were meant to be played to the lyre. Lyric poems do not have to rhyme, and today do not need to be set to music or a beat.

Highly musical verse that expresses the speaker's feelings and observations. In ancient times poems were sung with accompaniment from a lyre. Modern lyric poems, although usually not sung, still possess musical qualities

A short poem of songlike quality.

Lyric Poems such as a sonnet or an ode, express the thoughts and feelings of the poet. Lyric poems do not tell a story which portrays characters and actions. The lyric poet addresses the reader directly, portraying his or her own feelings, state of mind, and perceptions.

Of or relating to a category of poetry that expresses subjective thoughts and feelings, often in a songlike style or form.

Lyrics are the written words in a song. Lyrics can be written during composition of a song or after the accompanying music is composed. Sometimes, however, music is adapted to or written for a song or poem that has already been written. Not all lyrics generally make sense or are even intelligible. This has long been a plaint about the work of rock and roll lyricists, although it doesn't pertain only to that genre of music. From the Greek, a lyric is a song sung with a lyre. Now, it is commonly used to mean a song of no defined length or structure. A lyric poem is one that expresses a subjective, personal point of view.

Through the years, three main kinds of poetry have developed: lyric, narrative, and dramatic. Lyric poetry is any short poem. Narrative poems are ones that tell stories, an epic or ballad. Dramatic poetry also tells a story, but in this case one or more of the poem's characters acts out the story.

On the ancient Greek stage, a dramatic production often featured a chorus, which was a group of speakers, who commented on the action of the play. When a single individual sang or spoke more personally and accompanied himself on a lyre, the verse was called lyric. Thus, our present designation of lyric poetry includes personal, individual emotion. The lyric does not tell a story as an epic or narrative poem does. Most poetry as we think of it is lyric poetry. There are many subdivisions of lyric poetry. The weakest form is the song, especially popular songs that are heard frequently on the radio. With the exception of the hymn and chant, most songs do not achieve the level of true poetry, even though they employ some poetic devices. The words to songs are often inaccurately referred to as “lyrics.” The entire song is the lyric. The next best-known lyric is the sonnet, which may be in the Petrarchan or Italian form, Elizabethan or Shakespearean or English form, or the American or innovative form. The Petrarchan takes its name from the 13th century Italian poet Petrarch. The Petrarchan sonnet consists of two stanzas: an octave of eight lines with the rime scheme ABBAABBA and a sestet of six lines with a varied rime scheme CDE.

A poem, such as a sonnet or an ode, that expresses the thoughts and feelings of the poet. The term lyric is now generally referred to as the words to a song.

In ancient Greece, lyric poetry was sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument called a lyre, and its subject matter embraced thoughts and sentiment, rather than heroic deeds or other classical subjects. Housman's "Loveliest of Trees" provides an example of the personal insight associated with lyric poetry: "Loveliest of trees, the cherry now/Is hung with bloom along the bough/And stands about the woodland ride/Wearing white for Eastertide./ Now, of my threescore years and ten,/Twenty will not come again,/And take from seventy springs a score,/It only leaves me fifty more./And since to look at things in bloom/Fifty springs are little room,/About the woodlands I will go/To see the cherry hung with snow."

Meaning: A short poem of songlike quality. Classified under: Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents. Synonyms: lyric poem; lyric. Hypernyms ("lyric poem" is a kind of...): poem; verse form (a composition written in metrical feet forming rhythmical lines). Meronyms (parts of "lyric poem"): strophe (one section of a lyric poem or choral ode in classical Greek drama); antistrophe (the section of a choral ode answering a previous strophe in classical Greek drama; the second of two metrically corresponding sections in a poem). Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "lyric poem"): ode (a lyric poem with complex stanza forms).

Lyric Poem Pictures. Click any thumbnail below to go to the full-sized version of that picture or photo.

A poem with song-like qualities, usually employing sensory details to convey an emotional experience. Lyric poems can become songs with the addition of a tune. Ballads and sonnets are popular forms of lyric poems.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Mad Hatters Review Issue 12 Now Available


The next issue of Mad Hatters Review, its 12th, is now available online.

The Mad Hatters Review was founded in 2005 by Carol Novack (pictured above), who is still the publication's Editor-in-Chief. If you don’t know her work, Novack is also an excellent writer of experimental fiction, and a performer ready to spring the unexpected on her audiences at any time.

Mad Hatters is a multi-genre journal, with poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and much else in the way of writing, and it makes innovative use of image and sound. It’s a literary journal that will talk to you, literally, and there’s as much innovation, fun, and significant insight in it as anybody could want. I hope you’ll check it out.

Some of my own pieces of flash fiction, accompanied by music from Paul A. Toth and art from Gene Tanta, can be found in the Wit & Whimsy section.

Happy reading.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Mira Nillson Has A Blog!



And you’ll find it here.

I first became acquainted with Mira Nillson's writing through my time visiting again over the last several years my hometown of Washington, D.C. where, a few years back, Mira’s absolutely scathing Letters to the Editor began appearing in The Washington Post and other newspapers. Mira’s letters take on the rich and powerful and corrupt and, in fact, just about everyone and everything who deserves it in this great U.S.A., which is no longer ranked in the Top 20 Least Corrupt Countries in the world.

And now she has a blog, and her first several posts seem devoted to satirizing conservative attempts to eliminate higher education options for students in the U.S. It’s hard to know what she’ll take on next.

Be forewarned though: Mira’s comments are very funny, but they’re not pretty, and the faint of heart should tread warily.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Laynie Browne and Joe Ross reading at Agitprop, Saturday Feb 12, 7 p.m.




We hope you can join us on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12 at 7pm for a reading by Joe Ross and Laynie Browne. You can readmore about our series and view a list of upcoming events at
http://agitpropreadings.blogspot.com/

 LAYNIE BROWNE is the author of nine collections of poetry and one novel. Her most recent publications include: The Desires of Letters, from Counterpath and Roseate, Points of Gold, from Dusie Books (both
2010). Other recent publications include The Scented Fox, (Wave Books 2007), Daily Sonnets (Counterpath Press, 2007) and Drawing of a Swan Before Memory, (University of Georgia Press, 2005). Her honors include: winner of the National Poetry Series, of the Contemporary Poetry Series, two Gertrude Stein Awards for Innovative American Poetry, and a recent Pushcart Prize Nomination. With others she has co- curated various reading series including the Ear Inn reading series in New York, the Subtext Series in Seattle, and now the POG reading series Tucson Arizona. She has taught creative writing at The University of Washington, Bothell, at Mills College in Oakland and at the Poetry Center at the University of Arizona, where she is currently the Elementary Education Coordinator.


JOE ROSS is the recipient of a Gertrude Stein Poetry Award  and the author of numerous books, most recently Strata (Dusie, 2008) and EQUATIONS=equals (Green Integer, 2004). Ross was born in Pennsylvania and after university, moved to Washington, D.C.. In D.C., he worked at The JFK Center for the Arts, served as the President of the Poetry Board at The Folger Shakespeare Library and was the Literary Editor of the Washington Review, 1991-1997. He co-founded and directed the In Your Ear poetry reading series. In 1997 he received an NEA Fellowship for his poetry and moved to San Diego, where he worked for that city’s Commission for Arts and Culture. In 1999, he left that position to put his poetics into practice, and to work directly in politics serving as Chief of Policy for elected officials. He also co-founded the Beyond the Page reading series. In 2004, he and his wife moved to Paris, where their two children were born, and where he continues to publish while working as an educator.


Agitprop readings are free, but wine and donations to the gallery are always welcome.

We hope to see you there and for festivities before and afterward.

Agitprop Gallery
Saturday, December 4, Reading 7pm, Art Opening at 8pm
2837 University Avenue in North Park
(Entrance on Utah, behind Glenn's Market)
San Diego, CA 92104 * 619.384.7989

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Tenure-Track Job Searches in Literature and Writing at CSU San Marcos





TENURE-TRACK POSITIONS
Cal State University San Marcos (San Diego County)
Literature and Writing Studies Department

 
Assistant Professor - Early U. S. Literature

Must be able to teach Colonial period through American Renaissance. Subspecialty in Native American texts desirable. Must be willing to teach in general education program. Begins Fall 2011. CSUSM (in San Diego County) is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to equity and diversity and seeks a broad spectrum of candidates in terms of race, sexual orientation and identity, gender, age, and disability or veteran status.  The university is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for under-represented groups. CSUSM has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and was recently named one of the top 32 Colleges most friendly to junior faculty by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education. Letter of application, vita with references, narrative of teaching philosophy and successes, writing sample by 2-15-11 for best consideration; applications accepted until position is filled. Position pending budgetary approval. Visit http://www.csusm.edu/facultyopportunities for submission procedures. Contact for questions:  Dr. Mark Wallace, markwall@csusm.edu.



Advanced Assistant/Associate Professor –
Writing Program/Rhetoric & Composition

Direct CSUSM’s first-year writing program and teach undergraduate and M.A. courses in Rhetoric and Composition and Writing Theory/Pedagogy, beginning fall 2011. Ph.D. or dissertation in Rhet/Comp or Writing strongly preferred; should have significant, long-standing experience as writing program administrator and publications in field. Will participate actively in campus governance, advocate for the writing program at the college and university levels, and teach in general education program. The Department has a strong Cultural Studies emphasis and interest in digital rhetoric. CSUSM (in San Diego County) is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer strongly committed to equity and diversity and seeks a broad spectrum of candidates in terms of race, sexual orientation and identity, gender, age, and disability or veteran status. The university is particularly interested in candidates who have experience working with students from diverse backgrounds and a demonstrated commitment to improving access to higher education for under-represented groups. CSUSM has been designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI) and was recently named one of the top 32 Colleges most friendly to junior faculty by the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education. Letter of application, vita with references, narrative of writing program philosophy and successes, writing sample by 2-15-11 for best consideration; applications accepted until position is filled. Position pending budgetary approval. Visit http://www.csusm.edu/facultyopportunities for submission procedures. Contact for questions: Dr. Martha Stoddard Holmes, mstoddar@csusm.edu.