MUSIC / ART / POETRY / WRITING |
UUCE POETS
The UUCE Poets are a group of members and friends of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Eugene who meet monthly to encourage each other in writing poetry through supportive suggestions, discussion, and the sharing of ideas and resources.
We hold two-hour workshops monthly in members' homes, one on the fourth Wednesday evening of the month from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and the other on the third Tuesday morning from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. During these sessions members present their poems for detailed discussion. Suggested assignments are given to inspire or "jump-start" those who are experiencing writer's block or just want to try writing something different, fun, or challenging.
We occasionally hold poetry readings at church after the second Sunday service, and in the past we have presented several Sunday programs featuring poetry. For more information, contact Cindy Pitcairn lucindap@comcast.net .
How the Workshops Work
If you have If you have written a poem for discussion, bring six to eight copies to distribute to workshop participants. Discussion of your poem begins with you reading it aloud before you distribute copies and ask someone else to read it alound, so that everyone gets a second chance to hear it and you hear it more objectively yourself. After that, discussion (usually 10-15 minutes) begins, and aat the end of the discussion, the copies of the poem are returned to you with signed, written comments, if the discussant wishes to make them.
Discussion Guidelines
When discussing someone else's poem:
1. Remember the Golden Rule.
2. For our purposes, there is no such thing as a "good" or "bad" poem.
3. Begin with what moved you, what you feel as you hear and read the poem.
4. Identify words, phrases, or verses that you respond to. What is the core meaning of the poem for you?
5. If the poet would like suggestions for changes, mention the areas that you feel might be improved.
6. Remember that comments should be focused, that you are talking about the specific poem at hand, not your personal philosophy of poetry.
7. Avoid wasting precious discussion time on minor corrections of typos, punctuation, misspellings, etc. Instead write these on your copy of the poem to be returned to the poet.
8. Highlight with a check mark, or underline and comment on lines and phrases you particularly like.
9. Write down general comments and suggestions for revisions, as well, on your copy of the poem so that the poet can reflect on them at a later time. Always sign your name after your comments.
When your poem is being discussed:
1. Let the group know what kind of feedback you'd like, as well as any particular area of the poem you'd like suggestions about.
2. You may want to take notes on their comments.
3. Remember that it is your particular poem, what is on the paper, that is under discussion—not your personality or philosophy.
4. Thoughtful criticism is a gift—try to accept it as such.
5. Clarify meaning, if called for, but don't go on at length justifying your words. The poem belongs to you and you are in no way obligated to follow other's suggestions. Remember that a word may have an entirely different connotation to a particular listener than it does to you.
.Sample works by local UU poets
Unitarian Universalist Church
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