I love the work of Elizabeth Bishop. If someday I teach some kind of poetry class / workshop, the only rule I would impose is this: You are not allowed to write a single poem in first person the whole time you are here :-)
John, I didn't communicate very well. I was reacting to James mentioning that Bishop was not a big fan of confessional poetry, and not that she never wrote in first person. A lot of beginner poets / open-mic poets / student poets stick to what I call "self-pity" poetry, and are a bit too self involved, to their detriment. I am of the humble opinion that if you write in 3rd or 2nd person, that it helps you out of that bad habit... at least it has worked for me in the past.
I love the work of Elizabeth Bishop. If someday I teach some kind of poetry class / workshop, the only rule I would impose is this: You are not allowed to write a single poem in first person the whole time you are here :-)
Bishop wrote many poems in first person
John, I didn't communicate very well. I was reacting to James mentioning that Bishop was not a big fan of confessional poetry, and not that she never wrote in first person. A lot of beginner poets / open-mic poets / student poets stick to what I call "self-pity" poetry, and are a bit too self involved, to their detriment. I am of the humble opinion that if you write in 3rd or 2nd person, that it helps you out of that bad habit... at least it has worked for me in the past.
Also, fwiw: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-new-yorker-poetry/id784600888?i=1000450521638
Thanks, James. Excellent poem choice and lovely letter.