I have been very busy today. Sort of like in book heaven at the school book fair. I was helping out and it took a huge chunk out of my day. On top of that I didn't manage to get enough rest and I am just not feeling up to par. Even though I have put some work in on a poem for today, I decided I am just going to have to post today's with tomorrow's.

There is a lot of content from Hewitt in today's article. Today we are transitioning from writing about ourselves into writing about something that is not us. Moving from the inside to the outside. How does this change how we approach the work?

The Outside World
"Poetry that is focused on issues, causes and events can be very powerful. This type of poetry can inform people, change people’s views or even spur people to action. Poetry has, for all of history, been a tool for social change and the expression of political and philosophical ideas."

Have you read a poem that impacted you ideologically? Have you been informed, changed, or spurred? If you have been affected by a specific title, please share it in the comments. I know a lot of people have a very cathartic and even political response to some of Henry Rollins' spoken word pieces. And Rollins was effected this way by Ginsberg. In a 2005 interview he said, "Allan Ginsberg’s poetry I’ve enjoyed. I was raised with Kaddish and Howl. I think Howl is one of the strongest pieces of American literature, I mean, at that point. That’s one of those things you really wish you had written, you know, it’s a beautiful piece of work." Hewitt continues this idea by saying, "Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, for example, was an introduction it a sub-culture that most of America knew nothing about."

Have you read Howl? How has it effected you? Can you think of a reason why Rollins would consider it one of the strongest pieces of American literature? (Haven't read it yet but want to? Full text and video montage including audio of Ginsberg reading are available online.)

A Voice in the Wilderness
"You can’t solve the problems of the world in a single poem. There is only so much that can be accomplished with poetry, and solving the world’s problems is pretty tall order. Your goal in writing about an issue is self expression more than change."

Today's Assignment
"Find a news or opinion article that was published on the web this week. I recommend using Google News because it can take you just about anywhere. Look for a story that has some emotional or philosophical impact on you and use that story as the basis for your poem."

There is a lot of politics in the news right now. Unfortunately none of it is really relevant to me at this time. I do have a tentative news article/topic picked out and have started writing some notes on it. Even if you aren't going to write a poem about it, are there are current news issues out there that you wouldn't mind having your say about?