Jherek Cummings

Hello, I am Jherek. I am 37 years old. I am a senior in college with an English major and an Anthropology minor. I have no clue what exactly I will be doing when I graduate. I have a talent. I like to match and master skills that I observe from others, especially if it is cool. Such skills include playing of musical instruments, magic tricks, and/or anything that seems difficult and considered entertainment to others. I really like to make people laugh and smile. that is the reward for my efforts.
Richard Hugo writes on page 5 of Trigger Town, "Never worry about the reader, what the reader can understand. When you are writing, glance over your shoulder, and you`ll find there is no reader. Just you and the page. Feel lonely" (Hugo, 5)? This is the first question that Hugo asks me as the reader. I thought about that for a minute and realized that it is all up to me and that, NO!, I am not feeling lonely when I write. There are more than lonely feelings, there are every-feelings, emotions, devotions, task mastery, and several thoughts that frequent the feeling of my pencil on the pages. When I look over my shoulder I feel inspired. Even the lonely feelings that exist with the others can be used to inspire good writing. So I wrote a piece called Feeling Lonely in Poemtown I hope to share it with the class, maybe as my workshop piece. 

Flo's First Blog Post

Hi my name's Flo, well I go by Flo, but my real name's Florence Freeman. I'm 18 and I'm a sophomore at OSUM. I finished my freshman year during my senior year of high school which explains why I'm so young. My major right now is Bio Pre-Med. I come from a family of 11 kids going on 12. Music is a HUGE passion of mine. Not making it, but listening to it and attending concerts and fests. I love meeting new people and seeing what the world has to offer. I usually never turn down an opportunity that allows me to broaden my horizons. I'm in this poetry class because after taking an intro to poetry class my freshman year I realized I actually really enjoy poetry. I definitely like to read it more than write it, but I'm teaching myself that it can be used as an outlet and a way to express myself.

My favorite quote from The Triggering Town, would have to be "if you feel truth must conform to music, those of us who find life bewildering and who don't know what things mean, but love the sounds of words enough to fight through draft after draft can go on writing- just try to stop us" (Hugo, 4). I think I love this quote so much because it explains exactly who I am as a person. I'm not the type of person who is set on what life is or anything, but I still continue to find beauty in the little things like how a small child laugh as snowflakes falls on her face or how an old man still looks at his dwindling wife with the same love in eyes that he would have 30 years ago. I often find myself focusing in on the little things, I love the sounds of words, the noise that they make, the way that everyone who says them says them differently. All of these things are extremely inspiring to me and make me want to write even more.

Remy's first blog post

Hi my name is Remington Gilliland, I usually go by Remy.  I’m 18 and I’m a freshman here at Marion. I don’t have a major yet; I’m still exploring my options, although most of my course load is leaning towards some form of engineering. I play the trumpet and plan to be apart of TBDBITL next year.  I play a lot of Ultimate Frisbee and Frisbee golf and I also plan to be on Ohio State’s Ultimate Frisbee team next year when I am at main campus. I really enjoy music; I have an extremely diverse musical library, if I had to pick a few of my favorites they’d be Childish Gambino, The Beatles and Muse.  I could talk about music for hours.

            One of my favorite quotes that stuck with me from Triggering Town was “One way to use words for the sake of their sounds”. It made me realize the importance of words and how sometimes you don’t have to read into the words and their meanings because maybe the poet or author picked their words because of how they sound. Like if someone was writing a dark passage they would maybe use more long O sounds because those words sounds solemn and sad. Whereas one may us short e and a sounds because they are cheery and uplifting. When I read through lyrics or poems I really need to take into consideration the words and their sounds and not just their meaning. The author or poet chooses to use each word for a reason. Nothing is random. So when I go to write I need to think more about the words I use and how they sound.

Tyson's First Blog Post

Hello, my name is Tyson  Colley and I’m a psychology major here at OSU; due to graduate in the spring.  I’m 116 seasons old and have been an Ohio resident ever since I could remember, though I was born in Texas.

  Recently, my hobbies include watching YouTube videos and participating in online debates in the categories relevant to psychological and evolutionary science, morality, and theism. An interesting fact about me is that my wife and I originally got married in Las Vegas 8 years ago.  This rightly upset our families (it seemed like a good idea at the time) so we decided to “renew our vows and have a reception” only 3 months after our wedding.

“Words love the ridiculous areas of our minds.  But silly or solid, assumptions are necessary elements in a successful base of writing operations.  It is important that a poet not question his or her assumptions at least not in the middle of composition.  Finish the poem first, then worry, if you have to, about being right or sane.”  This passage made me stop in my tracks and immediately reach for the highlighter.  Far too often in my past writing I stopped myself in expression due to reading back what I was creating and over analyzing it.  This has changed some of my work in the past, probably to a dishonest result for fear of judgment from a reader. I think the advice in the passage holds utility and will be a powerful in creating volume and stopping writers block before it occurs.

Number One_Sirk

Greeting all, Sirk Sitosak or you could call me Kris Kasotis. Anyways, I am a Marionite born & raised. I enjoy the art of food, preparation, cooking, & dining. I draw mazes when I feel the urge to do so. Staying limber and maintaining flexibility, with conscious breathing, is a hobby of mine. When the weather permits I am usually barefoot, outside enjoying the sun & soil. I love water. Thank You.

"Lucky accidents seldom happen to writers who don't work. If you write often, perhaps every day, you will stay in shape and will be better able to receive those good poems. Actually, the hard work you do on one poem is put in on all poems. If you just sit around waiting for the easy ones, nothing will come. Get to work." This touches me as do the clothes I wear. Richard Hugo is informing us we need to 'Get to work' or else our poems will be a desert, too dry. Writing daily, such as practicing yoga daily, will help one stay in shape to better receive the good poems, or be better able to hold a difficult pose.

Jana's first blog

Hey there my name is Jana Alam. I am going for a criminology major, I hope one day I can work in the law enforcement field.  My goal is to become a cop and work up from there to become an detective. What I do for fun is play video games like every other kids, I love to work on my car. I feel very proud of myself after fixing it. I also love spending time with family, friends and girlfriend when I have the chance. I guess a fun fact about me would be is that I been almost every where in New York City because I grew up there.

Their was one quote that caught my attention and that was "In the world of imagination, all things belonged." I think it means that you can imagine any thing in this world and everything is yours but of course its figuratively saying that not literally. You can grab what ever you want in this world because its all yours, all you got to do is purse it. 

Brian's first blog

My name is Brian Wilds, I am an English major with a minor in creative writing.  I will be graduating at the end of the semester with plans of graduate school.  I will be taking time off to complete my body of work to submit for school.  I may be going to Africa for seven months to teach, which will give me a different environment for writing.  I’m fairly fluent in Swahili, and have been a TA and tutor for this language.  My life is engulfed in my writing, but I also find time for sports.  My family such as; my father and step mother, two sisters, two stepsister, and one brother are very supportive of my new goals.  My brother and two sisters are all also returning students and two will graduate this semester with me. 

I have found the book Trigger Town to have several different and important facts.  First would be the discussion that “to write a poem you must have a streak of arrogance”.  He states “when you are writing you must assume   that the next thing you put down belongs not for reasons of logic, good sense, or narrative development, but because you put it there”.  I can see this when writing, as the writer must believe in their work, and to have a tough skin to survive the analysis that come with the writings.  A writer should not censor themselves, believe that every word and rhythm in your piece was placed there by you for a reason.  That words express and give a foundation to the message you are attempting to display to your writer.   

Ammar's first post

Hi,
My name is Ammar Elmahdy. I'm an 18 year old from Dublin, Ohio who is majoring in pharmaceutical sciences. I've always been somewhat interested in the pharmacy field due to my father's heavy engagement in the field. I plan on going to graduate school after I complete my undergraduate degree from the Ohio State University. In my free time I don't like to do anything too exotic; hanging out with friends does the job for me. A fun fact about me would be that I was born in Egypt and I moved to the states at the age of eight or nine.

A quote that really resonated with me from the book would be "think small, if you have a big mind it will show itself". I enjoyed this quote because it really makes me keep in mind that I always have to have some type of audience awareness, and my writing has to be generalized enough that it can be geared towards a common audience. This quote, in a way, uses the idea of "writing for the lady on the bus" discussed in class; most writing has to be understood by some sort of audience. As a result of this quote, I make sure to keep my writing complex, but not too complex that only I would understand it.

Coral's First Post

   Hi. My name is Coral Miley, I'm 19, and I'm going for English. (If you're wondering, my name came from Tom Cruise's girlfriend from the movie Cocktail. And no, I've never seen the movie). I've got quite an imagination. Sometimes it's funny and sarcastic, sometimes it's disturbing and depressing, and sometimes I have no idea why certain ideas creep into my mind. I figure I could catch something in my imagination and put it down onto paper as a story for teen fiction. I don't have many other "useful" talents, so I thought I could try and make this imagination-writing thing work. My Fun Fact is that as far as I know, which isn't very much, my dad's side of the family has been in America since before the Civil War. My ancestors mainly came from Germany and they seemed to have lived and died in the Marion-Cardington area.

   Now from Triggering Town, there has been quite a lot of useful and helpful advice Hugo gives, but the thing I selected really isn't advice. It comes from Chapter 3 Assumptions. "There is one prisoner in jail, always the same prisoner. No one is certain why he is there. He doesn't want to get out. People have forgotten his name," (24). I chose this for a few reasons. 1). It reminded me of a little poem I wrote last year and I really liked that poem. This could be the extension to it. 2). My dad told me that if I were to become an author, I should write books for death-row inmates since there's really not a market for it and no one probably has thought of it. 3). I get these little snippets of story ideas sometimes and I think that this could be a neat little short story. When I read Chap. 3, this was the one assumption that stuck with me the most and that's why I tried to talk about it. 

Katie's first post

        I'm Katie Longtine.  I have two younger sisters named Ashleigh (15) and Emma (10).  I spend a lot of my time writing and doing digital art.  I also do theatre and take piano lessons when I'm not doing theatre.  Music and art are a huge part of my life, and I really love appreciate them.  I also like to cook, particularly Asian food.  I am still a senior in high school, but next year I'm planning on attending OSU Marion as an English major.  A fun fact about me is that I can speak some French and I'd like to learn Japanese.

       When Hugo said, "When you start to write, you carry to the page one of two attitudes...One is that all music must conform to truth.  The other, that all truth must conform to music," it really resonated with me.  The latter attitude, that you shouldn't confine your language to what is absolutely true, is something that I've found extremely liberating.  And I think that I've found in not focusing on using the language to convey the truth, I end up better conveying the truth.  It's almost as if you consciously think about something, you have more difficulty expressing yourself than if you let your mind wander.

Samantha's First blog post

Hi my name is Samantha Stover. My last name is actually Lynch I've just been too lazy to change it since I got married, I'm not trying to be progressive and keep my maiden name. If you want to do that some day, good for you; I hate my last name. I'm a graduating senior this semester as an English major. I'm also expecting my first kid in May, so you all get to see me get huge. I live in Columbus with my husband Drew and our dog Neptune. A fun fact about me is that I have about 7 tattoos, all with various meanings. I definitely intend to get more tattoos someday and I'm currently working on designing my next one. Tattoos for me are art, so you won't see me getting something off of the wall in a tattoo shop (it's one of my biggest pet peeves).


 What I've really found helpful in reading Triggering Town is not letting myself get tied to one subject throughout the poem. Also another thing that I've enjoyed testing out is using simple lines. I've found that my poems tend to have much more meaning and impact when I write that way. Hugo has a very laid back nature that I really get along with so I've really enjoyed reading his book. It's helped me a lot with my writing. The things he talks about are so simple too. He's very easy to read.

Maggie's first blog post

My name's Maggie Lacy. I have a passion for animals - especially horses which is why I am planning on majoring in Animal Science with an equine emphasis. I spend most of my time riding/training my horse, riding quads, shooting or hunting. I have one brother who is attending the University of Cincinnati for engineering. Something unique about me is that I would like to spend a year or two traveling the world and going wherever my heart desires.

Richard Hugo really strikes me as an interesting fellow and I appreciate the way he looks at poetry. He doesn't think that there is a "right" or "wrong" way to write and his teaching styles show that. One quote from the book that really stuck with me is on the very first page of this book which says, "...your important arguments are with yourself. If you don't agree with me, don't listen." I personally really appreciate the way he does not force his opinion and his ways on you. It's such a relief to see such a teaching style in the scholarly world today.

Sarah's First Blog Post

My name's Sarah, and I am 18 years old. I graduated from Wynford High School, but I'm currently attending The Ohio State University at Marion with a major in English. I am the middle child. I have two sisters, One older, and one younger. My older sister, Jennifer, actually graduated from OSU with the same major as I. A unique fact about me is, I had the honor of being an All American cheerleader during my high school career. 


There are many passages from Richard Hugo's The Triggering Town  that I found interesting. One of my favorites comes from chapter one, page five. it says, "In the world of imagination, all things belong." This interested me because I felt as if he was talking directly to me. To me, he's saying anything you can think of will make sense if you let it, and believe it.

Journal Two and instructions for blogging and first post from Mike Lohre

Journal Two:  FIRST BLOG POST IN ENGLISH 2266 Intro to Poetry

       

Hello students and welcome to our blog!  For his assignment let's work to get everyone on the blog and learn how to use its features.   To get on the blog, follow these steps.

1.      The first thing you must do is get a Gmail account if you do not already have one.  This is easy and just sign up for a free account at Gmail.com. 

2.      Then, using that Gmail address, please write to me at mikelohre@gmail.com and I will invite you to the blog.   You must check your Gmail and then accept the invite and follow the steps in order to use the blog. Let’s get this done by Friday Jan. 24 at noon at the latest so we don’t procrastinate on this.

3.      Once you are a member, you will see your Gmail address appear in the upper right hand corner, and only then can you post to the blog.

4.      --To do a New Post, you must again find that link in the upper right hand corner.  Click New Post and a window will appear to let you compose.

5.      Please title all your writings, using the Subject line, and use a username that is either your name or nickname so we know who is writing.  Only class members will be on this blog.  Your first post can be titled Jim’s/Jane’s First Blog Post or whatever you want but put your name in the title, please.

Journal post GOALS:

1.      For your first post, write one paragraph where you introduce yourself and some things about you, including a Fun Fact or something unique.  That way we can always have this on the blog as a way of knowing and remembering each other. You can certainly include a photo or pic if you want as well, and just use the photo icon to do that.

2.      In your next paragraph, write about something that stuck you as important or interesting from Richard Hugo’s Triggering Town so far.  Use a direct quote from the book to start this and then explain your ideas on this passage.

3.      Then post your blog.  Finish the assignment by writing comments to at least two other writers in the class.  That way we truly share ideas and get to know each other, and we get feedback on our observations from others.  Use (click) the Comments icon.

Good luck, have fun, and just let me know when you need help!  This first post is all about getting comfortable and familiar with the blog, and for some of you, this will take time, and that’s okay.

See you on the blog, and remember that every chance to write is a chance to write well.

Mike Lohre    P.S. Remember, to revise at any time, just use the pencil icon.  

Groups and days for Presentations Projects

Monday, Feb.3

Emily Dickenson: Flo and Katie
Edgar Allan Poe: David and Jana

Wednesday, Feb. 5

Robert Frost: Remy and Ammar
Sylvia Plath: Samantha and Alexis and Maggie
Allen Ginsberg: Tyson and Brian

Monday, Feb. 10

James Wright: Coral and Jherek
Rita Dove: Sarah and Kris

Links to Poems Week Two

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ejYAfcjJmY

The Peace of Wild Things is at about 22:00

http://youtu.be/-Idt8wqSSeE

Mumford and Sons with Elvis Costello covering Springsteen's The Ghost of Tom Joad.



http://youtu.be/0EjB7rB3sWc

Billy Collins reading "The Lanyard"

Here's that Bosch painting

The Garden of Earthly Delights