10May 2019 by admin

Poetry Book Haul- May 2019

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest All of what I said in my posting was true! Books are just NOT in my financial plan most of the time. Don’t get me wrong, I do wish I could have floor to ceiling shelves filled to the brim with beautiful books. But finances, space, other projects, and a slow reading speed also play part in my book purchases. But alas, as I mentioned, there are other ways one can obtain books for free or at a discounted price.Two of the featured books in this blog are from journals I’ve been published in. I’ve acquired these by being a contributor to the journal, meaning they accepted one of my poems for publication. This is called getting a contributors copy. Two of these books were gifted…
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11Apr 2019 by admin

3 Types of Writer’s Workshops

Professionalism, Uncategorized
Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest Attending a writer’s workshop is just one of many ways to become a better writer. If you don’t only read poetry, but you read about the poets, you’ll soon realize that there are both poets that are reclusive, and have been lucky enough to create and find success in singularity, and that there are others who found like-minded creators in their communities. The latter found success via the company that they kept. Whether you fit into one category or the other, I recommend the writer’s workshop to everyone so much so, that I have an entirely different blog highlighting 6 Reasons YOU NEED TO ATTEND a Poetry Workshop. Please click on that blog to find a helpful infographic that compliments the information. You can also watch…
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01Apr 2019 by admin

31 IDEAS for National Poetry Month 2019

Exercises, Professionalism, Tips, Uncategorized, Writing Process
Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest National Poetry Month is lovingly called #NaPoMo by most poets. It's when the poetry community gets the most love by colleges, schools, art institutions, and other writers. It's the celebration of poetry as something healing, enigmatic, all-encompassing, and omnipresent.   Here are 31 ways in which you can be a part of National Poetry Month this April! 1. Watch My YouTube Channel You can find videos on poetry basics, tips, exercises, performances, vlogs, and artist interviews. 2. Read the U.S Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith is the current U.S Poet Laureate. You can also check out poet laureate’s from across the United States, as some states have their own laureate. 3. Support Poetry Podcasts Podcasts are more popular than ever. Many poets and organizations have great conversations on…
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20Mar 2019 by admin

7 Tips for Beginner Poets

Tips, Uncategorized
Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "Words have the power to change moods instantly, and because of this, we should respect their importance."  - dimitrireyespoet.com When I first started making poetry videos on my YouTube channel it was to fill in the gaps of information that I wasn’t finding online. I wanted to create one single location where individuals can go to when they were learning to write poems. I also wanted the platform to model what the poet’s attitude should be like while they were creating. Now that I have many posts on the subject, it has allowed me to help those who are more experienced, and those who are just starting out. This blog for example, will be highlighting 7 Tips for Beginner Poets 1) Appreciate Poetry As a poet, you’ve…
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18Mar 2019 by admin

5 Ways to be a Better Poet RIGHT NOW

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "The job of both the poet and the poem are to act as snapshots of what it means to be alive. Through the cross sections of emotion and experience, one gets a better sense of the world— that is if they write and read enough of it." -dimitrireyespoet.com I had to grow into my “poet body” and realize that the work I produced really mattered. When I first began writing I was produced haphazardly just to get my thoughts out and I found myself writing poems with the misconception of what I thought poetry was. What I've learned as years went on was that a poet is more than penning words down on a napkin and it’s more than stringing together some lines with hopes of…
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13Mar 2019 by admin

Line Breaks in Poetry

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "Within the images and descriptions of poetry, which are the poetic lines, we must allow the audience to interpret the timing of a poem how they see fit." - dimitrireyespoet.com A line break or an enjamb is the process of one thought moving onto another line. I’ve already made a “how to” video on enjambment that you can here below, and I’ll have an in depth blog soon.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8tYUgzDtXgBut before I write the blog about the “how to” of line breaks, I wanted to talk about the theory and feeling of line breaks; the “why” rather than the “how.”Before we begin, it will be beneficial to know the definition of enjambment, a French word meaning to “step over” or “cross legs.” Similarly for poetry, it means to…
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12Mar 2019 by admin

7 Reasons to Major or Minor in Creative Writing

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "I love writing and I’ve surrounded myself with it because I’m always generating material so I might as well feed into my passion." - dimitrireyespoet.com I don’t like being a writer, especially when I have made it such a big part of my identity. Currently, there isn’t more than a few hours that go by where I’m not thinking about my next blog post, poem, narrative, or essay. This doesn’t mean that I don’t enjoy it. I love writing and I’ve surrounded myself with it because I’m always generating material so I might as well feed into my passion. Are you right brained or a creative? Do you notice or do people tell you that you have a way with words? Maybe taking creative writing as…
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03Mar 2019 by admin

How to Apply to a Poetry MFA Program (Creative Writing)

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "...those two to three years is your time to grow as much as you can, so make sure you can identify what’s important to synthesize during your time there." - dimitrireyespoet.com Applying to an MFA program is a nerve-wracking and overwhelming experience. With over 200 MFA programs, one can quickly feel intimidated by the application process. If you read through this blog and still feel a bit unsure, reach out to me on my contact page for additional advice and services. 1) Know the Poet in the Mirror You need to know your work and how to describe yourself as a writer. MFA program or not, the way to move around within the literary community is by having a definitive identity. Knowing your personal identifiers places…
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25Feb 2019 by admin
Tips for Making An Artist Book

Tips for Making An Artist Book

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "...the artist book is just as appreciated as a book by another publisher. If someone likes your work and shares a bond with the words you wrote, why not have a physical item with your words on it?" -dimitrireyespoet.com I first heard of Artist Books in my MFA program. We had the option of taking a class called “Artist Books, Chapbooks, and Broadsides” and me being the kind of artist I am, I was into the idea of being able to create a book while getting college credits for it. I knew about chapbooks and was just discovering broadsides and it was an excellent opportunity to break up the writing and reading intensive routine of the MFA with some studio time, allowing me to focus a…
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24Feb 2019 by admin

5 Ways to Analyze a Poem

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest ".A poem the audience can get lost in is a poem that exercises poetic freedom"  -dimitrireyespoet.comWith anything that you can call your passion you need to study it in order to hone your craft. If you have a knack for writing and feel like calling yourself a writer while also enjoying a good book or movie then you’re in luck because that IS how you study. But this doesn’t necessarily mean you can read a poem, say, “I like how this makes me feel” and tell yourself you did “the work” of the poet. The real work starts once you start asking questions like ... Why is this poem making me feel this way? or better yet... What is working in this poem? Once you study the…
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