08-07-2023, 07:19 PM
I am serious about poetry to the extent that I try to write every day, and I show my poems to others for criticism. But that's a recent development (2020), mostly as a result of retirement, but ignited by the death of my son, along with the discovery of Pig Pen.
My youthful definition of "serious about poetry" was someone who makes writing poetry their main occupation and doesn't allow anything else to get in the way. I believed that until I joined Pig Pen.
I always wanted to be a writer. I chose poetry at age 16 after reading a biography of Dylan Thomas. I was serious about it in a dreamy sort of way until I got married at 27. I did lots of poetry workshops in college. I got a few things published in little magazines. I hung out with an artsy crowd.
After getting married I became serious about other things (children, work) and lacked the ruthlessness to put those responsibilities into a back seat in order to continue to be "serious about poetry." I am also lazy, so working all day and then writing all night wasn't going to happen.
I became a Sunday poet, though I wrote a lot less often than every Sunday. And I wrote badly, because it was so infrequent and I did not show the poems to other poets for criticism and I did not try to publish. So during that period, I did not consider myself "serious" about it.
I have a different view now, mostly due to exposure to Pig Pen. I think you can be serious about it, but not neglect to be a responsible person in other, more important ways in life.
My youthful definition of "serious about poetry" was someone who makes writing poetry their main occupation and doesn't allow anything else to get in the way. I believed that until I joined Pig Pen.
I always wanted to be a writer. I chose poetry at age 16 after reading a biography of Dylan Thomas. I was serious about it in a dreamy sort of way until I got married at 27. I did lots of poetry workshops in college. I got a few things published in little magazines. I hung out with an artsy crowd.
After getting married I became serious about other things (children, work) and lacked the ruthlessness to put those responsibilities into a back seat in order to continue to be "serious about poetry." I am also lazy, so working all day and then writing all night wasn't going to happen.
I became a Sunday poet, though I wrote a lot less often than every Sunday. And I wrote badly, because it was so infrequent and I did not show the poems to other poets for criticism and I did not try to publish. So during that period, I did not consider myself "serious" about it.
I have a different view now, mostly due to exposure to Pig Pen. I think you can be serious about it, but not neglect to be a responsible person in other, more important ways in life.