Louis MacNiece published 'Snow' in a collection simply entitled 'Poems' in 1935. My best effort at a great title is 'the sound of one poet wrestling' https://share.google/980ewVWy1QTpAy64B
Oh, this is so on the mark. Getting the title for a poem right seems at least as important (no, even more important) than getting the frame right for a picture. Of course, sometimes the problem is making a poem that does justice to your great title!
I was lucky enough to win an award recently which I credit in a big way to the title, which drew a lot of comment - "There's Never a Crowd at the Poetry Section." Convinced me that the 'titles obsession' isn't entirely crazy....
Some titles only pull into focus in the light of events. Although Adam Zagajewski's 'Try to Praise the Mutilated World' was written before the September 11 attacks, its appearance in the New Yorker days later offered hope in the face of overwhelming trauma.
Lovely, witty and helpful - really enjoyed reading this. I loved the long titles followd by blank pages, and Caleb Parkin's Walrus poem is one of my absolute favourites - a small masterpiece!
I have copyrighted my title 'Oxytocin in the Bronze Age' - just saying.
damn - was just about to use that!
Louis MacNiece published 'Snow' in a collection simply entitled 'Poems' in 1935. My best effort at a great title is 'the sound of one poet wrestling' https://share.google/980ewVWy1QTpAy64B
One more point: please don't write a sonnet and call it Sonnet. Or a sestina and call it Sestina. Pretty please....
Oh, this is so on the mark. Getting the title for a poem right seems at least as important (no, even more important) than getting the frame right for a picture. Of course, sometimes the problem is making a poem that does justice to your great title!
I was lucky enough to win an award recently which I credit in a big way to the title, which drew a lot of comment - "There's Never a Crowd at the Poetry Section." Convinced me that the 'titles obsession' isn't entirely crazy....
Some titles only pull into focus in the light of events. Although Adam Zagajewski's 'Try to Praise the Mutilated World' was written before the September 11 attacks, its appearance in the New Yorker days later offered hope in the face of overwhelming trauma.
Very nice article. Thank you for sharing it.
Lovely, witty and helpful - really enjoyed reading this. I loved the long titles followd by blank pages, and Caleb Parkin's Walrus poem is one of my absolute favourites - a small masterpiece!