[stylist] Sharing my earliest sestina House of Cards

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Jackie,

First, if possible, could you send me your attachment to
bpollpeter at hotmail.com so I can read it? I'm no huge expert on poetry,
but I love your writing and would enjoy reading it.

Second, don't be afraid to share any writing with us even if considered
controversial. I was taught that when reading others work and commenting
on it, you take personal feelings out of it in terms of content.
Regardless of how you feel about subject matter, what is our concern in
a forum like this is about structure, style, voice and over-all writing
quality in general. We (in a general use of the term) have varying
opinions, beliefs and preferences, but when in a writing community not
geared towards one mindset over another, we really shouldn't judge a
person and their material based on anything other than how we feel about
the approach when writing about a topic and not the  subject matter as
content as a whole.

I can disagree with you on an opinion especially over social and
political and religious concerns, but I can view your writing on how
well you construct a piece regardless of my personal views on the topic-
this is a good way in which to read one another's material since we
inevitably will all have various ideas and beliefs.

Anyway, I would love to see your poem just to read it for myself. You
have a beautiful poetic style, and I always enjoy reading your posts.

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 8
Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2012 14:02:29 -0700
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Sharing my earliest sestina  House of Cards
Message-ID: <6E09BF51F8F94F9D94770E331F76E72D at JackiLeePoet>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Lynda,
You have asked us to try a sestina. I have written only one. I had the
same difficulties that most have enumerated. I added another difficulty
also. I thought they had to be in iambic pentameter. I sent it to my
sister to critique, since it is a very controversial subject. She had no
problem with the contents, but condescendingly said, "Well, you will do
better next time." It is a sister thing! I am doing an attachment only
as the ones pasted in so far have been fractured as to form which does
not do justice to all of the hard work involved. Regardless of whether
you believe that sexual orientations develop in the womb, perhaps I will
try another sestina if I get any encouragement. This poem is the result
of a best friend having a son who came out as gay in his graduating year
from high school and went on to become a well-known doctor. He was a
proxy grandson to my mother when I took my three little boys to Africa
for five years. I entered this in a contest just once. Arizona is a very
close-minded place. Much of what I write is controversial, and I have
avoided sharing most of it with this list so far. Jackie