Classic poetry from a faith perspective

This anthology of beautifully-written poetry from the perspective of faith is a must-read for Christian poets and poetry lovers of hope: The Soul in Paraphrase.

You'll not only have an excellent collection of literary poems to study and enjoy, you'll have the benefit of notes and comments by the prolific writer and long-time English Professor Leland Ryken - an expert in the field of literature and the Bible. I've appreciated his work for years and keep many of his books beside my desk for quick reference!

For a review of the book, click onto the current post on my Poetry Editor and Poetry blog.


The Soul in Paraphrase, hardback



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Trying to keep my eyes on Jesus - with or without clouds

The life of a Christian poet-writer is often clouded with interruptions and disturbances – some desirable, some not!

After a wonderful sisters’ cruise to the Bahamas in mid-March, I came home with a head cold aka sinus infection, both of which kept my eyes looking behind me as I tried to move forward and catch up.

Then, the very day my book of contemporary psalms and free verse poems PRAISE! was to be released by Cladach Publishing, my computer refused to work in total disregard of my plans for promotionals.

As soon as a new keyboard solved my pc problem, I resolved to blab about my book all over the Internet – a smart marketing approach for Christian poets and writers who hope people will actually read what they have written.

New book….
Fun time with siblings….
Head cold….
Fritzed keyboard….

Each caught my attention. Each clouded my focus, and yet each drew me back to prayer and a greater appreciation of the Lord in my life.

Praise the Lord for keeping life lively!

Praise the Lord for scriptures that draw us closer to Christ.

Praise God for speaking to and through us in what we’ve been given to write:

Cloud bank

Around us a cloud –
witnesses
of the faith –

and our faith rising
like cloud wisps
forming Jesus’ face –

a reminder of The One
toward Whom we run

as we leave behind
all hindrances –
obstructions, interruptions –

and open our own
luggage
to be searched by none
but Christ on the throne.

by Mary Harwell Sayler, © 2017, poet-writer who based the above on Hebrews 12:1-2, today’s Bible verse in a variety of translations from Bible Gateway

…

Did Jesus read poems, quote poetry, and pray printed prayers?

Jesus prayed spontaneously as shown in the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father and in the High Priestly Prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. However, as a regular worshipper in the synagogue and one who often stood up to read aloud “as was His custom” (Luke 4:16), Jesus undoubtedly read the printed prayers and poems scrolled into the book of Psalms.

Then and now, Jesus and other Jewish people drew from Psalms for many reasons. Then and now, Christians rely on Psalms, too, as shown in Acts 1:20, Ephesians 5:19, Colossians 3:16 and many other Bible verses. Why? Christians and Jews love the book of Psalms as:

Written prayers

Songbook

Anthology of poetry

Source of godly wisdom

Examples of heartfelt prayer

Outlet for genuine emotion

Devotion and meditation

Inspired writings

Prophetic word

Apparently Jesus also memorized at least some of the psalms because, from the cross, He quoted Psalm 22 not only to express the agony He felt but to encourage His followers who knew, as Jesus did, how the psalm ends. In addition, this fulfilled the word of prophecy recorded in that poem and printed prayer.

What does this have to do with us today as Christian writers, editors, and poets? Hopefully, a lot! For example:

Written prayers are preserved prayers, private prayers, public prayers, proven prayers, and prayers that immediately connect us with one another and with God. Whenever and wherever you pray a psalm or other Bible prayer, countless prayer partners stand with you in all times and places.

Psalms provide long-loved examples of beautifully written songs, poems, instructional teachings, and wisdom writings. Studying and reading aloud each psalm can help us to attune our ear and improve the poetic quality of our writing in all genres.

Psalms give us insight into the spiritual life and also the life of faith realistically lived and written in all genres.

Psalms draw us closer to God, not only with praise and thanksgiving but, more often, with laments! Thankfully, those laments typically end on an encouraging word of faith, helping us to cry out with true feelings and draw on faith that has been tested as we, too, write prayers, poems, and writings in all genres.

Psalms remind us of the ongoing timeliness of the Bible and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God’s Word, written into our lives as Christian poets, editors, and writers in all genres, all places, and all times.

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If you would like to discover prayers in the Bible that enliven your faith and guide your prayers and writings today, follow the Bible Prayers blog. May blessings abound on all who enter that space.

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.
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Blogs need focus, focus

With new blogs appearing daily on the Internet, your blog can stand out and draw readers if you focus on a specific topic and a specific readership.

For instance, you probably noticed that this blog addresses steps traditionally involved in researching, writing, revising, and marketing manuscripts primarily written for a Christian audience and/ or from a Christian perspective. Therefore, the specific readers to whom I speak are Christian writers, Christian poets, and Christian editors.

For Christian readers in general, the Bible Prayers blog focuses on almost all of the prayers in Holy Scripture, while The Poetry Editor blog hopefully speaks to poets, poetry editors, poetry students, and poetry lovers who want to discuss the poetic techniques, forms, and characteristics of well-written free verse and traditional poetry too.

Before deciding on those particular topics, however, I asked myself some questions that might also help you to fine-tune your focus:

What topics have interested me most of my life and continue to interest me enough to want to keep spending time with them and investigating them, perhaps for a long time?

Which topics have I studied or researched reasonably well?

Which of these topics might readers also want to think about, learn about, or discuss?

Do I have relevant experiences that could benefit potential readers?

Am I willing to double-check the facts and information I relay, even though I think I know?

Realistically, how often can I research, write, and post new articles? Once a day? Once a week? Twice a week? Twice a month?

Do I treat blog readers the way I want to be treated?

Am I willing to focus on their needs even when I promote my blog(s) through the major social networks, so the very people I hope to draw will not feel spammed, disrespected, or overwhelmed?

Will my readers be so glad they discovered my blog that they will just naturally pass on the good news?

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© 2011, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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How To Wear A Poem

Regardless of your shape or size, putting on an appealing poem begins with a foundation of naturally firm but willowy lines or with an artificial yet artistic means of getting those natural lines into a traditionally pleasing shape. Various schools of poetry may disagree, but either way works. So, if you’re a highly gifted poet with a natural eye or ear for poetry, you and free verse will probably go nicely together. Or, if you’re a highly gifted poet with a natural eye and poetic ear, you might dress up well with an extraordinary use of traditional verse forms.

Before you wear yourself out with a poetic style you don’t like, consider what types of poetry you most like to wear when you’re reading. Is this the type of poem you would like to put on or show off or quietly carry over your shoulder like a shawl? Do you look good in those colorful images? Do you like to put on your dancing shoes of rhyme or regular rhyme? Can you pull off wearing bling in the sometimes flashy patterns of in end-line rhymes? Or do you prefer to tone it down by scattering rhyme freely into free verse, but not in predictable patterns?

If you’re more concerned about content, rather than a stylish form, you can tailor that preference to yourself too, wearing either free verse or traditional metered poetry such as the sonnet, villanelle, or sestina. It just depends on what appeals to you. So whatever you want to wear, be sure the poetic style fits you.

As you learn to wear your poems well, check the mirror for masters of that particular form or type of free verse. Don’t just study contemporary poets whose work you like the look of, but also scan old catalogs of classical poets who wrote with style throughout the centuries. Even if you opt for the bargain price of packing rhyme, rhythm, imagery, and social commentary into the vintage pattern of a sonnet, as countless poets have done, your voice, your fresh idea, your apt comparison, your poetic face can make an outmoded fashion look new and “in” again.


[For more about writing, revising, and marketing your poems, visit the Poetry Editor blog .]

What Poetry Editors Hope To See In Poetry

In the book Spreading the Word compiled by Stephen Corey and Warren Slesinger and published in 2001 by The Bench Press, twenty editors of poetry journals discuss the qualities they look for in the many hundreds of poems that cross their desks every month. Since most of these literary magazines only have print space for a couple dozen poems per issue, competition remains high. Each editor has personal preferences, of course, yet they looked for similar characteristics in poems they accept. To find out more, I highly recommend the entire book, but for a mini-view here’s a recap of the notable qualities or fresh traits commonly sought by editors – and, yes, readers too:

• Compelling subject that engages readers, making them want to re-read

• Fresh perspective or unusual treatment of the theme or topic

• Credibility and an honest voice

• Accuracy in fact, sensory detail, observation, research

• Genuine exploration of something that might interest most people

• Risk or emotional investment in the poem

• Conflict, counterpoint, juxtaposition – something to provide a push-pull tension between knowing and not knowing or a balance between order and disorder, poising the poem so it does not become a locked box that clicks shut at the end

• Word choices with interesting connotations, denotations, and sounds

• Rhythmic emphasis on syllables or rhymes that benefit from the stress

• Distinctive language and ideas by an interesting speaker or persona

• Tone in keeping with subject, for instance, lively lines in a humor poem

• Humor rather than cleverness, irony over mere wit

• Effective form for traditional verse, effective line-breaks for free verse

• Musicality that becomes even more obvious in reading the poem aloud

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(c) 2009, Mary Harwell Sayler, all rights reserved.

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How To Get Published

Whether you feel drawn to writing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or children's books, you eventually might want your work to be published by someone other than yourself, but how do you go about it? 

Here are some tips on submitting your work to potential publishers:

• Notice the publishers of books or magazines that you enjoy reading.
• Do these publishers have a website? If so, study the titles in their book lines and the poems or magazine articles in their archives.
• Make a list of publishers whose work seems most in line with yours.
• Study and carefully follow the writers' guidelines on each company's website.
• Submit your complete manuscript or batch of 3-5 poems to one editor at a time.
• Keep track of where and when you sent your work. If you do not have a response in a few months, follow-up.
• While you wait to hear about one manuscript, start another.
• If the editor sends back your submission, read it aloud. Listen for any rough spots. Revise as needed, then submit your poems or manuscript to the next potential publisher on your list.

(c) 2009, Mary Harwell Sayler; updated 2021