Sappho Says: A Prompt

Some say the Muses are nine: how careless!

Look, there's Sappho too, from Lesbos, the tenth.

--Anthologia Palatina, Plato

Sappho in Roman fresco from Regio VI in Pompeii. Museo Archeologico Nazionale (Naples).

            Sappho was a Greek musician and poet born in approximately 620 BCE. While Sappho was said to have composed nine books of poetry, only one complete poem has survived to modernity. All that remains of her other works are fragments: single words from the ends of lines, a brief whisper of an image.  

            This week let Sappho be your muse. Write the poem missing from these enjambments:

[] blame

[]swollen

[]you take your fill. For [] my thinking

[]not thus

[]is arranged

[]nor

all night long [] I am aware

[] of evil doing

[]

[]other

[]minds

[]blessed ones

            Or use one of these fragments as a seed for your work, as the stone plunging into the water—let your art ripple out from it:

you came and I was crazy for you

and you cooled my mind that burnt with longing

I would not think to touch the sky with two arms

neither for me honey nor the honey bee  

Feel free to post or link your work in the comments.

All translations of Sappho’s fragments were taken from one of my favorite books, If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson, 2002.

Let's Go on a PoetVenture

Hello and welcome to PoetVentures! “What sort of creature is a PoetVenture?” you might ask.

by unknown graffitti artist, Santiago del Chile

Well, perhaps a little background:

One of the most inspiring essays I’ve ever read about women and writing is Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One's Own. In the essay, Woolf discusses female writers’ need for independent space (literal and figurative) in order to participate in the literary world. Working as a Peace Corps volunteer in rural Paraguay, for the past two years I had a hut of one’s own—the space, means, and time to devote myself to hours of writing.

my shack during recycled arts club meeting

Coming back to the States, and more importantly, returning to a life with internet access, I realized that it was time to take the next step, to transition from a solitary-hut-writer to a participant in the wider literary world. But how?

The majority of creative writing workshops, classes, and events I’ve attended emphasize the art of writing. Can’t have poetry without that. But the art of writing doesn’t really explain how to get other people to read your writing.

from connie to the wonnie

PoetVentures (poetry + adventure) is a quest to answer that query. Stay tuned for weekly posts about:

• Monthly interviews with emerging artists--not just poets! Learn how other artists are making it happen.
• Poetventures/artspirations--prompts, adventures, and events to inspire artistic creativity.
• (Ghosts of) poets past and present--sharing the work of some of my favorite writers.
• Toolbox--resources, publications, programs, and (un)solicited advice for emerging artists.
•  Wildcard--'nuff said.

I hope that PoetVentures will be a resource for other poets, writers, and artists working towards being “professional artists,” and a way for all of us to support each other.

For all of you coming over from my delcorazondeamerica blog, thanks for joining me on the next part of my journey.

Please subscribe! See you all next week!

—Emily