Writing with LindaSuePark

I take a sip of water & prepare to sound out syllables over and over again if I attempt to write a sijo. This song form of poetry arose in Korea so it’s fitting that my sijo guide proudly bears Korean ancestry. She has written as a poet since the age of four and published her first poem at age nine, although she is most famous for beautiful novels.

 Linda Sue Park wrote TAP DANCING ON THE ROOF, Sijo Poems. [You may know her for the important Newbery Medal winner, A Single Shard. ] I tap into TAP DANCING ON THE ROOF as an emerging fan of the sijo form. Which wasn’t always my attitude, about sijo.

[foto credit: ©JGAnnino]

NPR mug sijo

 Avoiding caffeine sipping for supercharged improved health menu.

 Big empty cerulean blue mug felt a side-shelf shove.

 Hiking in fresh air this barista found a refill for ~ Fresh Air.

fotos & words copyright allrightsreservedJGAnnino

The sijo written in the USA today likely won’t be a song. But it will follow the sijo pattern of delivering a twist at the end of the poem. And the poem lines will [attempt to] employ 14 to 16 syllables. Poets break their three long lines into six shorter ones. In Korea, sijo writers care about where stresses fall. [We less-skillful Western poets are not all in, with that.] Linda Sue Park writes in TAP that the last line or “twist” can often become the thorniest part of sijo writing. The sijos in her book are engagingly about breakfast, math, school, food, nature & other accessible ideas. I love all her last lines, which a reviewer shouldn’t share; it’s like a spoiler in a movie review. Please look for her book! Her sijo coaching is contagious. [The illustrations from #IstvanBanyai, creator of the wordless Zoom, are worthy of wonderful words.]

[added 10.11.2022}

Linda Sue Park also ~~

created a verse novel in sijo form, THE ONE THING YOU’D  SAVE.  Take a look at how the poet worked and worked and worked along on this story, as told to Sylvia Vardell.  It’s ’bout half-way down Sylvia’s column on verse novels at “Poetry Tackles Tough Topics,” on her blog, Poetry for Children. Thanks to Irene Latham’s news page, for the link.

In 2020, when I looked at poetry forms in workshop with wonderful poet &  poetry guide Georgia Heard as she zoomed to our group from her Atlantic coast Florida home,  I felt less than all-in, with pesky form constraints.

 Despite Georgia’s enthusiasm & gentle encouragement, I wore sijo, villanelle, eintou, nonet [with guest workshop guide Irene Latham, our PF poem-whisperer]  like strait jackets that I toiled to emerge from, sweating,  Zoom to today in 2022 when poetry forms are at this moment blossoming into paper play dates.

[foto credit: ©JGAnnino]

Shrimp plant sijo

 A curvy creature of our Gulf
sea inhabits my garden?
Colors of my favorite seafood —
shimmery pink and white.
Don’t worry. I’m just watching for
a bird to drink your nectar!

©copyrightallrightsreservedJanGodownAnnino

on InstaG as jgannonauthor [23 May 2022]

I feel fortunate to be back hosting Poetry Friday this week.

It’s here.

#LindaSuePark: https://lindasuepark.com/books/books-poetry/

#GeorgiaHeard: https://www.georgiaheard.com/poetry/

#IreneLatham: https://www.irenelatham.com/books.html

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