30 Habits of Highly Effective Poets #2: Laura Purdie Salas on Relaxation

It's day two of National Poetry Month 2012. All this month, poets are visiting Author Amok, telling us about their writing habits -- from tried and true daily practices, to outlandish rituals. My first guest is Laura Purdie Salas.

In addition to having a fabulous first name, Laura is a Poetry Friday blogger and a children's poet with over 100 books to her name.

When I visit elementary schools as poet-in-residence, I love to take Laura's books with me because they are so much fun. My students' favorites are Stampede and A Fuzzy-Fast Blur: Poems about Pets. (I just noticed that poets and pets are closely related. Hmm.)

I see a theme in the things Laura reveals about her writing habits. Lighting a candle, taking a bath or shower, and having a slice of something delicious -- all great ways to relax as she prepares to write.

Here's Laura:

I wish I had some kind of bizarre poetry-writing habit, because that would make me SO much more interesting! Like maybe if I could only write poetry while wearing a purple felt Martian mask. Or if I had to go outside and do seat drops on the trampoline for 5 minutes after each line. Or maybe if I had to eat key lime pie, one slice for each poem—yum!

But…I am a rather prosaic poet. The most unusual thing I do is light a candle—there’s the silver genii lamp a writer friend gave me last Christmas that I love! And there are also the electric candles I got after seeing them in yoga class. No chance of starting a house fire—yay! And of course there’s always a regular candle if nothing else is handy. Something about flickering light just helps me think better. No idea why.

And sometimes, if I’m really stuck, a shower or bath helps, too. Again, I have no idea why that is.

These aren’t hard and fast rules, though. I have written tons of poems without the aid of either candlelight or water. Really, the only unbreakable rule for me is telling myself first: “It’s just a poem. If it stinks, I can ditch it. No big deal.” That takes the pressure off so that I can dump words onto paper and see what my brain is up to that day.

Here’s a villanelle I wrote a few years ago that just earned a nice honor in a poetry contest sponsored by a pen company (ironic, since I write 99% of my poems on my laptop). The villanelle is a tough form! This one required candlelight, baths, AND key lime pie. The poetry trifecta!

Fierce
(a villanelle)

My friends do not have names. They’re fierce and free:
the owl who swallows dark, the pine’s fine quill.
Thanksgiving drains the darkness out of me.

A pack of gray wolves howl in twilight’s key.
The midnight moon slips past my windowsill.
My friends do not have names. They’re fierce and free.

Red honeysuckle bell forms nectar sea.
Magenta glazes fog-hat mountains ‘til
thanksgiving drains the darkness out of me.

Geese vector overhead in soaring vee.
The rapids tumble-pound on boulder’s spill.
My friends do not have names. They’re fierce and free.

Soft, cotton-covered mouse lives trembling plea.
While wrestling wing to wind, the hawk flies still.
Thanksgiving drains the darkness out of me.

A squirrel tears through cave of willow tree.
Feather grasses dance upon the hill.
My friends do not have names. They’re fierce and free.
Thanksgiving drains the darkness out of me.

-- Laura Purdie Salas

Posted with permission

Laura Purdie Salas

2012 National Poetry Month Project

Every year I -- and many other Poetry Friday bloggers -- celebrate National Poetry Month with an April blog project.

You can order a free poster at www.poets.org

In 2010, I went around the country (virtually) and visited most of the state poets laureate.

In 2011, I featured the work of 30 poets from Maryland, where I live.

This year, I am doing something different. You've heard of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. At Author Amok, we will explore 30+ Habits of Highly Effective Poets.

I am inviting poets (this means YOU) to join in. Here are the details:

In 500 words or less, describe a writing habit -- your own or that of a writer you admire (or avoid). Tried and true methods, such as William Stafford's habit of  rising at 4 AM every day to write, are welcome. Flagrantly odd, unique, weird and wacky habits are highly encouraged -- whether they are yours or you are tattling on a(nother) famous writer. Check out this post, where I learned that William Wordsworth enjoyed reciting drafts of poems to his dog. And here is a post about famous fiction writers and their habits. Disappointingly unweird.

If you would like to include a poem with your write-up, please do so. Previously published is fine, just let me know where. It must be high school friendly. Poems appropriate for younger children are also welcome. An accompanying poem is  not required.

I'm excited to say that children's authors Laura Purdie Salas (also a PF blogger) and Justine Rowden have signed on already.

Leave a comment if you're interested in participating. Counting the days to NPM!

A Tasty Treat for Poetry Friday

Last week, I led my final ekphrastic poetry workshop for the Maryland Humanities Council program, "Totally Ekphrastic: Picturing America through Poetry." The poetry sessions were an off-shoot of the NEH's Picturing America art curriculum.

It's sad to say goodbye to my good friend, the American Flamingo. We laughed together. (One student said, "It reminds me of cotton candy." Another: "It looks like it's doing yoga.") We cried together. (Kids asked me, "Can flamingos fly?" Since they are no longer wild in the U.S., I'd never seen one in flight. We had to look up the answer -- they can.)

As I worked with the image, John James Audubon's biography, and kids, I found myself discussing American history with students -- Audubon recording birds when much of our country was wilderness, his role as a naturalist, the fact that flamingos now live only in captivity.

A discussion about art that leads naturally into learning about American history -- that's what this program was supposed to be all about. There's a great George F. Will article about "Picturing America." He praises the program as the type of low-cost, high benefit initiative our government should do more often.

In my workshops, I heard a lot of elementary schoolers' poems about flamingos, wolves, elephants -- whatever animals struck their imagination.

One thing that definitely caught their attention: I shared Laura Purdie Salas' book, "A Fuzzy Fast Blur: Poems about Pets" as a model of poems about animals.

The hands-down favorite poem was, "Come in, Come in!" which Laura gave me permission to share today. (The snake below isn't the snake from her book, BTW. You have to check that one out -- it's grinning as it eats its dinner.)

Come in, Come in!

by Laura Purdie Salas

I'll make it easy

I'll open wide

I'll hope that you

will slide inside

Snakes eat mice

Some find that sad

But here's the truth:

They don't taste bad!

Had to include this photo. At least this mouse gets the last laugh!

You can read Laura's post about "A Fuzzy Fast Blur" here. She happens to be hosting Poetry Friday today, so stop by for more poetry.