I, Too, Dislike It
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- čas přidán 23. 09. 2019
- Ours Poetica: / @ourspoetica
In which John discusses Marianne Moore's poem "Poetry," the role poetry plays in his life, and Ours Poetica, our new channel in collaboration with the Poetry Foundation. POEMS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:
"On the Night I Consider Coming Out to My Parents," by Julian Randall can be found here: • Julian Randall reads "... or in Julian's wonderful book, Refuse: www.amazon.com/Refuse-Poems-P...
Marianne Moore's "Poetry" (the version before she deleted most of it) can be found here: • John Green reads Poetry
Paige Lewis's "On the Train, A Man Snatches My Book, Reads" can be found in their brilliant forthcoming book Space Struck: www.sarabandebooks.org/titles-...
Emily Dickinson's poem (usually known as 340) can be found here: www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...
Thanks to the Poetry Foundation for making the world better. www.poetryfoundation.org/
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I always felt like school ruined poems because you were forced to overanalyze them instead of enjoying them. I'm still waiting until my brain can see the beauty in poetry the way John does.
Today's the day to start, Gabby! Just let Ours Poetica read you the poems and take whatever you can from them! :) -John
Totally agree
@@razandarras5590 I guess we should both give poems a second chance?
@@gabby4558 i actually was thinking about it the other day but felt like postponing.. i guess John will give us the push
@@razandarras5590 Let's catch back up in ...two weeks? and exchange experiences?
Everything the vlogbrothers do is a place for the genuine
That is like the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you. That's really what we are trying to do at the moment. -John
Couldn't agree more ❤
And here is the comment that poetically describes my love for the vlogbrothers
That's a huge part of why I love their work/community so much!!
Remember when John said he looks for language to help describe what he's feeling? Well, you did that for me! That's exactly how I feel!
"I am the vice president of panic and the president is missing." I've never heard a line that describes what is going on in my life more. So often I get thrown into situations when I am left in charge. And when all those eyes on you and the person in charge of you is missing, it is terrifying to be left in charge of yourself and others.
Indeed. So well said. I hope you'll check out Paige's book; it's extraordinary! -John
My whole life
Never hesitate to ask for advice or help. That's no sign of weakness but of responsibility. It doesn't need to be a person in charge of you, it can also be someone you're in charge of. In the end, that's what family and friends are there for: For you to not be alone.
That's the only adivice I can give you.
@@vlogbrothers Those lines really stuck with me, John. I just preordered a copy. Thank you for sharing. You're the best.
Vise President of Panic...
Elect yourself to the President of Bravery...
Or Foolishness if such was taken first before the Eye...
“I’m the Vice President of panic, and the President is missing.”
Never heard anything so accurately represent my anxiety.
Brooklyn Sears you’re not alone. I feel the same 💙
Thank you 💕 I reside in a constant state of tension. There’s almost always a tightness in my chest from waiting for something awful to happen. But I’m glad I’m not alone. I think it’s things like poetry or books that give us reassurance that what we are feeling is valid.
I don't experience much in the way of anxiety, but of what I do experience, that's a stunningly accurate expression.
Yes!
Jason Isbell has a song called, Anxiety. Rattles your nerves.
"If I enjoy a poem, that just means I am recognizing within it something of myself, something I must already possess. Therefore, to love a poem is to love a part of myself revealed to me by another person." -Ocean Vuong
I think the approach to poetry in school sets so many of us to fail to enjoy poetry. At least my teachers were always talking about what the poet meant and there was only one correct answer and it was always some deep political or social meaning.
Because of that I avoided poetry for most of my life, only now I am kinda getting into it (but only when I am sure no one is around who could ask me what is the message behind text)
Rea Kariz : Old fart chiming in. I disliked school, especially math, or anything consisting of rote memorization, like history.
But Eng. Lit. class mostly consisted of discussing whatever book, prose, or poetry we were assigned. The teachers role was mainly to keep us from drifting too far off topic, and acting as guide and referee. You could have any opinion, as long as you could back it up. Without realizing it, we were learning how to think in a particular way. For the first time since elementary school, I enjoyed a subject. We were learning literary devices, which were neat because they were handy tools to use, and to recognize in reading, including song lyrics. It was only later I realized how important it was to be able to prove a point , or to see a flaw in another point of view. Lifelong skills we all absorbed without even really realizing they were being taught to us.
In late high school, My family moved to another province. Eng.Lit. consisted of note taking. Copying into our notebooks exactly what the teacher had written on the chalkboard. The first time I attempted to offer an opinion differing from the notes, the teacher took it as a personal affront, and kicked me out of class. Looking at you Mr. Nigel. Imagine preparing students for university by memorizing notes instead of thinking and talking.
And History? Disliked it intensely. Even failed it, and had to go to summer school. That teacher walked in the class, drew a line across the chalkboard, and filled in reference points. By drawing one line, I was hooked. Really enjoyed history after that, read every James A. Mitchener novel I could find, and liked how history drew the planet together in every book I’ve read since then. One advantage of learning history is getting an insight into how people, whether one person, a mob, inhabitants of an area we call ‘ a country‘, behave in a given situation. History shines a light on so many different aspects of human behaviour. We all contribute to it, we all create it. It is the tie that binds humanity together. Humanity in all its commonality and lack of communality can be traced back so far into the past, is experienced right now, and can predict the future.
And all of life, even before we could read or write, is expressed with poetry. Our record of life has been passed on, one generation at a time, through poetry.
As an old fart, I wish youth better understands learning is not facts. It is the growth of humanity. How we learn is at least as important as what we learn. Poetry can be said to play a vital role in the evolution of the brain, and in the evolution of all life.
Lol, long rambling comment finished✌🏽
I thank my 10th grade English teacher for helping me understand poetry. We had a series of assignments in which we had to write our own poems, and it opened my world to the possibility of what writing could be.
It doesn't have to be "poetic"
Nor does it need to be witty
Express yourself, eclectic
And discover a person fitting.
@@Caperhere That last paragraph is symbolic to all generations, thank you for sharing it! What an utter truth it is, too.
Heather Huber Thank you for your kind reply.
Society, politics, poetry - they’re all deeply intertwined! But I get what you mean.
"How does one still fear banishment if they were born in exile?"
Me.
Tears.
j k not many understand this but i read this and wanted to cry
I still remember a line you quoted on the podcast: “I wish I was only as cruel as the first time I noticed I was cruel.” I think about that all the time. Looking forward to finding more lines to love with Ours Poetica❤️
To know sorrow is not terrifying.
What is terrifying
is to know you can't go back
to happiness you could have.
-Tite Kubo
_Q_Q_
Uh oh here comes large sadness
The genuineness I feel here in the nerdfighteria, is unlike any I have felt in the real world. It's really ironic how internet spaces can feel more real than the actual world.
Thanks. That's what we're trying for! -John
@@vlogbrothers ❤ Thanks for creating a happy space for me.
There’s such a difference between reading a poem yourself and it being read to you.
Yes! Idk if this is what you meant but when my English teacher in high school read poems to the class I understood it so much better bc she paced it really well, which allowed me to fully digest the poem.
Yes! We're doing a poetry unit and I can never understand the poems until our teacher reads them, as she really adds a lot of meaning to them. It's super fun though.
_I feel as if I am on the moon, listening to the air hiss out of my space suit, and I can't find the rip. I'm the vice president of panic, and the president is missing_
_And then, a plank in reason broke, and I dropped down and down, and hit a world at every plunge_
_How does one still fear banishment if they were born an exile?_
Oh my _god._ I was not expecting to get punched in the stomach three times in the last four minutes. Good lord. I think I need to lie down for a little while.
I guess I might love poetry, too. Just subscribed to Ours Poetica.
Most of my favorite contemporary poets write music to accompany their words.
Same. (The Mountain Goats, mostly, but also so many wonderful lyricists in all kinds of musical genres!) -John
@@vlogbrothers I don't think you had to specify who wrote that comment one John
@@vlogbrothers
Listen to This by the extra Glenns and Delilah Statuesque by the Congress (both John Darnielle)!
It's literally John's original award winning poetry then taken and put to music.
Maybe it is a failure of imagination on my part, but mark knopfler, david byrne, billy joel, marcus mumford, X ambassadors, etc. have always spoke more to me than traditional poets.
@@vlogbrothers Tim Freedman of The Whitlams is a personal fave.
While this channel is still young, this might be seen.
Thank you! I have needed something like this so bad. As a severely dyslexic writer, I have always struggled with poetry. The rhythm does not come naturally off the page and the meaning is lost between the gaps of ink. Yet this channel has, already, helped me appreciate it in a new way.
The format is perfect, the intention is clear and I enjoy poetry now... finally!
It is so helpful I think to have poetry read aloud. It helps me "see" it so differently. Good luck with your writing! -John
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You even said that poetically 😂👌🏼
Your comment sounded melodic ( if that’s the correct word 🤔 ) to me.😊
I love this! When I taught in Chicago we had "a poem a day" curriculum where we read a poem over the morning announcements. No discussion, no interpretation, students just listen and go on with their day. I was stunned how much change I saw, WITHIN MYSELF! so happy to have a new source! Thank you
I always liked the form of Haiku:
Pants, hung on a line
A gentle breeze caresses
They're my only pair
-me, just now.
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:)
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Top form, dude. Invariably English haikus have only the meter and lack the ephemeral, transient elements that IMO are more essential than the meter. This is solid.
So does the gentle breeze caress your pants? Or your pantsless lower half?
Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator
-Unknown
(Does anyone know the author?)
Hank built a place that may calm John's fears about the microscopic life that makes up so much of ourselves
John made a place that brings closer and makes personal, the worlds that hide in words and hide from Hank.
The both of you make places for the genuine.
Thank you.
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:’)
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maybe this channel will start my love for poetry, or at least rekindle the love for poetry that younger me had...
button poetry on youtube
artists of note, in no particular order:
Andrea Gibson
Shane Koyczan (personal favorite)
Rudy Fransisco
Neil Hilborn
Guante
and many many others i'm currently forgetting but check em all out Button is fire.
I feel like John expresses the opinions and thoughts I have but just can't find the right words for myself
Wait, so I might not be bad at poetry after all? That's an uplifting thought, thank you! Looking forward to Ours Poetica now :)
Do not go gentle into that good night, rage rage against the dying of the light.- Dylan Thomas
Mary That is one of my absolute favorites. I first heard of it in the Matched series by Ally Condie. I think John’s read the series too
Emily Ann
Ozymandias is mine.
I love this line!
To that I say:
Row, row, row your boat.
I only know this from Interstellar
oh wow, I’m so excited for Ours Poetica
"so much of my life is resistant to language" I really love that. it resonates with me so strongly
This is just what i needed right now, to be reminded that poetry can have many forms and meanings and there is something to enjoy in every one of them. Thank you, because lately i've been feeling down because i felt like my attempts at writing aren't going anywhere and i have no idea what i'm doing. Now partly thanks to you i'll keep on trying, poetry is not reserved for those gifted by some higher force, it's just as much for the everyday person and their experience.
YASSS! The internet so desperately needs this new channel! THANK YOU.
When I was 10 (a long time ago) I wrote a poem to my future wife.
"To wake and see your face in the morning
is like watching a red rose bloom on a rainy day."
-The End.
Omg thank you so much for this video and to introduce to me my favourite new poem!
I've also been writing poetry since I was 12 and no other art form speaks more to me, so thank you for introducing me to the channel which will speak back :") 💙
Ours Poetica: czcams.com/channels/v4-yypZ7srAlzk_MQCRaLQ.html A new (usually short) poem read to you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
And here's Julian Randall's poem "On the Night I Consider Coming Out to My Parents:" czcams.com/video/Bi9dxl3Q6ps/video.html
-John
Was this idea based partially based off of a Dear Hank and John? I was just listening to "Piggy Bank Toughness" where John had the idea to "have a telemarketing scheme, but instead of selling you things, they tell you how good today is, or read you a poem". Not sure, just thought it sounded pretty close to that idea.
Just finished Turtles All The Way Down for the first time and man oh man is it a great read. I cried only 4 times. Aza is a great character.
Love IT!
Bukowski has my attention these days.
The Laughing Heart:
your life is your life
don’t let it be clubbed into dank submission.
be on the watch.
there are ways out.
there is light somewhere.
it may not be much light but
it beats the darkness.
John is pretty good at writing ads it turns out.
Edit: Which is to say I‘m sold
he should try to right a book
Oh he left internet to do just that
he is a carnival barker
All I can say, is thank you for this video. For the first time in my life, I have actually really liked poetry. This hit home for me, from your discussion about disliking poetry to finding that you love it, to the analogies of anxiety. I needed this right now, thank you.
“Somewhere my mother is praying for me.”
That line just gave me chills
I love wide-eyed excited Blinky John. Good to see him back again.
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I had a doubt, and wondered...
What was in those pills?
I never thought much of poetry until my sophomore year of college. That year, I began taking choir with a new but tenured director who at some point over his many years teaching that very class, began “Poetry Thursday” in which he reads one poem, sometimes more, at the end of class. As the stress of life and various mental obstacles grew a burden to me, i found many of the poems he read aloud to transport me to a happier, serene place, or sometimes express feelings in ways i never new how to in a conversation. Now, that beloved choir director is retiring from the university at the end of the semester and with him will go poetry thursdays, and I will miss them both. I feel like this channel will fill the hole that will be left by that, and expose me to even more poetry and I am so grateful! Thanks, John.
A short poem by me:
A dark catalyst in our midst,
None's strength enough to lift,
Gracious Chorus, Voiceless woes,
Flourish in the ashes sowed.
Yeah okay, but what does that mean? Like is it a story about a fallen kingdom? Pompeii? What does the ash represent?
@@Supersteelersfan100 What do you think it means? I didn't know what Pompeii was and so I googled it and thought "damn, this really fits my poem well."
"I am the vice President of panic and the president is missing."
Thank you John I needed to hear that today.
Poetry is so important! I am so happy Ours Poetica was created! I find myself in poetry and I thank you for sharing that same opportunity with others!
I haven’t watched a vlogbrothers video in years and I can’t even explain how comforted I felt at hearing “Hank I’ll see you on Friday”.
I feel I'm lucky when it comes to poetry... I've almost always loved it, and continue to love it to this day. But I was lucky in that my highschool English/Creative Writing teacher made sure to expose us to all types of poetry. Sure we had to do the ones that would most likely end up on an AP exam, but we also got to explore contemporary poems (he loved to challenge us on what a poem could be - showed us "Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)" as an example). In the Creative Writing class we all shared poems every Friday, and one time each of us chose a song and we had to create a poem using lyrics from everyone's choices. Even the meanings of the poems weren't necessarily shoved down our throats; if we had an idea of what the poem meant to us, so long as we could support it with the words of the poem it was a valid reading. If you're an English teacher, I implore you all to approach poetry like this. When you recognize that not all poetry comes in the same format, that spoken word and rap/song lyrics are just as valid forms of poetry as Shakespeare, you'll be amazed at how willing students are to be engaged.
I don't know if it was intentional but 'ours poetica' sounds like 'ars poetica' which is very similar to 'the art of poetry' in latin
Aditya Gupta When I heard it I assumed it was intentional. Good name.
"my mother raised a curse and gave it her face" ~Julian Randall
My context is different, but goddamn does that resonate with and reverberate my core.
Your openness about depression and anxiety have really inspired me. Thank you.
Words when lined correctly can be so powerful and beautiful. A fact many people forget, but poetry never does.
The only Poem/proverb/thingy I ever _really_ liked was John Donne's _For Whom the Bell tolls_ simply for the last line of "Send not for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee"
The poem Shailene read on Ours Poetica was truly beautiful. I’ve never fallen in love with a poem like that before and it was quite the apt poem to do so.
"I am the vice president of panic, and the president is missing" perfectly encapsulates how ill-equipped I feel to even manage my own emotions and my life with my mental illness. I often go through life feeling like an imposter and I look at the big gray cloud that is soon to be my post-college life and I think, "you people really expect me to be able to do that?"
I wish I had an outlet like Ours Poetica when I was in Jr High and High School. So many emotions and thoughts filled my mind, and so many words spewed to the page, with no one I felt comfortable to read to or show. Makes me want to find those old writings. Thank you, John, and everyone involved in Ours Poetica. 💜
Another amazing project 😍 I already love poetry and look forward to loving it even more on this new channel.
That's my problem with poems... I like to read them but according to my professor I don't understand it in the way I should...
Pat Black poetry is very individualized! Your prof is a twit... there may be more or less common interpretations but that’s just an artifact of the bell curve we call “humanity”.
Don't let anyone ruin your enjoyment of art because the way you enjoy the art doesn't line up with the way they enjoy it. -John
@@vlogbrothers well said
@@vlogbrothers Thanks (: I'll try to remember that and maybe don't take classes on poetry again..
vlogbrothers OMG I think John just liked a comment I left on a video!! 😍😂😉🤙🏻
I 100% needed more poetry in my life. In times when nothing is understood, poetry brings clarity. I'm so excited!
I have always wanted to like poetry more. I have some poets that I treasure-some are, technically, LYRICISTS,-but finding others has always been difficult for me. You should see the volumes of poetry collections on my shelves-Poems to read out loud, poems for the morning, poems for the quiet....blah blah blah. But this! This meaningful use of poetry to paint the otherwise “unsayable” fills the ache in me. I’ve watched you through the past few years use poetry to hang thoughts on...to illustrate a concept that would only be partial without the mastery of the words. Thank you. I’m almost 64 years old, and I feel like I am finally “there” with poetry. So excited for Ours Poetica!
Well, great, now I'm thinking about poetry AND the microcosmos. I don't have time for all this richness of life!
Deeeeep.
Felt it, loved it, resonated with it.
Thank you.
I have loved reading and writing poetry since I was about 8 years old. When I was 13 and started to show signs of depression I used it to help me cope. In my late teens early 20's, I used it to cope with my (diagnosed) manic depression, and a drug addiction. And now I am using it to help me through recovery. I love this project, and the relation of experts of poetry and mental illness. My sister suffers from severe anxiety and I with depression. Sometimes it's hard to understand and convey what each other is going through, and those lines you recited hit it very accurately. I'm looking forward to watching Ours Poetica. It will be a great addition to my recovery plan. Thank you as always, John.
- Sincerely, long time Alaskan Nerdfighter, Bethanni.
I think some of the best CZcams videos I have watched recently are ones that I don't want to click on, but love when I do. Ours Poetica feels this way. In this fast and shiny internet it can be hard to take 5 calm minutes to listen to a poem, but I'm always glad I did.
I started reading kaveh akbar because of one of your recommendations and it was really good
I think I always found poetry pretentious and difficult to understand. I could never understand why people couldn't put things simply and succinctly. Then I grew up a little, experienced more, felt more, and realised the complete inability of the human language to accurately describe the complexity of human emotion and endeavour. The more we are, the more words we need in more different orders to even come close to describing it to others.
Now when I read a poem that I -at first- find pretentious or don't understand, I just wonder how much more I am able to feel and experience before I understand it.
I always feel like poems just overwhelm me. There is so much concentrated emotion and meaning in every word and in every space between the words. And the rhythm just resonates through my brain. I mostly start crying because I feel so swamped. Thats the reason I love them, but also sometimes avoid them. They throw me off balance.
the space suit line is just...
i havent tried reading poems about anxiety because im scared it would trigger it, but maybe ill try, if they are all as good as those lines. thanks john!
Hey, John. Happy Tuesday 👋🏻
You're amazing John! Indian nerdfighters love you💙
My mother wrote poetry and had a book of her poetry published. So being raised around it, I've always loved it; and have written quite a bit of my own. My favorite is She Was A Phantom Of Delight by William Wordsworth.
I completely agree that it has a way of describing things that you previously had no way of describing, and that's one of the reasons I love it. I feel like it helps me give perspective on myself and helps me understand things I didn't before.
Poetry can be so powerful. I've been going through a tough time with my health of late. At a recent appointment my doctor helped me with the physical health stuff, but then he also prescribed me a poem, which he printed off for me to read at home.
It was a fantastic poem which spoke to my circumstance & to my heart.
I'm of course not cured of all my ills, but it helped me gain a new perspective, & new motivation to think that I *will* be ok.
Best doctor ever.
to the one person reading this:
happy cherries jubilee day :)
That poem hit hard...I came out as bi recently myself. It was really tough.
💖💜💙
Welcome to the BIcycle Club, buddy :)
I'm sorry it's been tough. I hope Julian's poem made you feel less alone in the experience. -John
I’m really proud of you. There are so many people out here that support you and accept your bisexuality! I hope all is well 💗💜💙
I was homeschool and my mom read a lot out loud to my sister and I. I remember my mom reading a lot of poems, some short and from a collected book of poems for kids, others long like Charge of the Light Brigade. Admittedly, I don't read a lot of poetry, but I've always appreciated the beauty in poetry thanks to my mom!
I started getting into poetry & spoken word a couple years ago when I was struggling with mental health the most. It's as you said a way to learn about others & understand their experiences, something which I've always been fascinated by. And sometimes it's about situations you've been in yourself, other times it's about things you could never imagine. It just offers a different perspective on life in a way you can't get out of listening or reading news stories.
I write stuff myself too & it's the best way to get my thoughts in order and keep my mind from overflowing.
I adore poetry and it will always have a special place in my heart.
John, thank you for this video & for the new channel to watch.
You’re my favourite person ever.❤️
I don't know about you, but my thumbnail says 4:01. Punish!
Thumbnail adds 1 sec... same for last week
the fact that one of my favourite authors is on a poetry show/podcast created by one of my favourite poets where he reads one of my favourite poems just brings so so so much joy to my heart
Oh my gosh, so happy to see Julian mentioned! He's a friend and a colleague and such an amazing poet and hardworker. I was in undergrad at Ole Miss while he was there getting his MFA. The number of poetry books he pre-ordered from the indie bookstore where I worked - WOW.
Hey John, besides Ours Poetica, how would you suggest I go about finding good poetry? I always love your poetic quotes but I have difficulty discovering poetry I enjoy on my own. Best wishes.
I am not John, but the poetry foundation's daily newsletter always leads me to great poetry. Otherwise, goodreads lists will give you awesome contemporary recs.
To give you one: I'm currently enjoying Zimbabwe, by Tapiwa Mugabe
How is a poem in free verse not a passage/prose instead? Didn't understand this in school either...
Looking forward to Ours Poetica
You're trying to divide things into buckets. This is normal, but it's also a lie.
The buckets aren't real. There are no such things as prose or poetry. They're words we ascribe meaning to and divide things from themselves into.
the most simple answer is: intent. That sums up most of it. There's bleed between the two, of course. I've read prose that's beautifully poetic, and as you've mentioned there's plenty of poetry written in free verse. We often imagine prose and poetry as doing different things, so those differences of purpose/intent often decide the dividing line. (Though that may not be so clear cut, either! Which leads us into a conversation about whether poetry vs prose are completely arbitrary categories. Personally I don't think so, but there's certainly art that resists the division, art that straddles the "line.")
The play on 'Ars Poetica' is making me so happy 😆 Excited to check this out- poetry is a think I feel like I never have time for, like I have to have a whole rainy Sunday to sit and contemplate it - it will be interesting to throw in into my usual CZcams mix instead.
I didn’t truly like poetry until I had a really amazing teacher. My junior year of college, I took an Arabic poetry seminar with only 5 students. I felt that with poetry that wasn’t in my native language, the pressure for me to understand all the allusions and understand the meter was gone. My professor allowed us to just sink into the words and read them and talk about what they meant for us. He encouraged us to write our own poetry, never grading us so that we would never censure ourselves for fear of making grammar mistakes. And, when I finished the class and was able to quote my favorite lines, other native speakers of Arabic were able to quote them back to me. Poetry became like a bond us despite very different linguistic and cultural backgrounds. I read poetry all the time now, and it has so enriched my life.
Sometimes you just gotta like your own comment to get the ball rolling
That is a beautiful poem! I love that the words are on the screen and highlight along with the spoken words. I'm Hard of Hearing and while I can generally get much of a speaker's tone and inflection from amplified audio, I cannot usually make out the words without text on screen. This style was better than regular captions :)
Relatedly, reading the captions on *this* channel is very difficult because CZcams's Autocaptions are still *frequently* inaccurate and *never* include sentences or punctuation which make text more readable. (I mostly manage with lipreading but you guys are often not on the screen and *many* Deaf/Hard of Hearing people can't read lips)
Also, is there somewhere I can find transcripts of y'all's podcasts? Please? I really want to "listen" to them!
Thank you for the new channel! Excited to spend some time with it!
Thank you for recommending Ours Poetica. So far, after a couple of goes with it, I have rediscovered the silence, the pause, that happens in me after a poem. It has been so long since I've heard that silence that at first it stunned me with how loud it was.
For the past few years that I struggle with depression and anxiety, it has been difficult for me to concentrate on reading long-form texts and books which I used to enjoy in my free time. It’s been frustrating and I have restored to audiobooks.
At the same time I enjoy poetry more and more precisely because they seem to convey more complex ideas with fewer words, and I appreciate the space poems usually leave for my imagination.
Thanks for starting the channel. I am delighted.
"The words you say, never seem to live up to the ones inside your head.
The lives we make, never seem to ever get us anywhere but dead."
- Chris Cornell
Spreading poetry and facts in disturbing times like these is a beautiful gift. I can't wait to enjoy this new gift, thank you!
thank you for helping me discover poetry with your readings from old school live streams like your book streams and very old p4a streams
Ours Poetica is what I have wanted and searched for for so long, and yet didn't know how badly I needed it, until I found it. Thank you
my grade 11 english teacher said "prose is words in good form. poetry is words in best form".
Wow, great quote!
The fact that someone who I idolize for their intelligence feels inadequate is a emotion that I can't quite express, but it's rather overwhelming.
"I, too, dislike it" is such a poet's phrase. Those four words admit they kind of like it.
Was just panicking about starting school tomorrow and this calmed me right down.Something about John's eyes widening as he mentions something of particular importance and his steady voices forces me to pay attention for a few minutes and forget about the nagging worms slithering in my stomach. thank you
I’m SO HAPPY! I love poetry but it’s kind of hit and miss on finding new stuff. My Mom and I are sick, and my Dad would drive us to appointments. Often she’d fall asleep and I’d read proms with him. He sometimes loved them but would glance at me and say, “I heard it but I don’t understand it. Explain it to me.” Or, “Read it again; I think I understand.” He’s a visual person, so can be a bit difficult to get the nuance of imagery just by hearing it, but now he likes hearing it aloud because the meter, the rhythm of it, is important to the piece. Loving music, poetry is just one step to the side of what he’s so familiar with.
I’m really glad that poetry channel is going to be a thing. And If anyone has other channels that introduce them to great poetry I’d love to find some. I don’t know if anything can unseat my girl Sara Teasdale from her spot, but, uh, we’ll see. It’d be cool to see The Old Maid and The River and Leaves shaking in their proverbial boots. 😜
i knew i recognized the title and i am so happy to hear that poem again!!! today i have been thinking about plath’s words “i only wanted to lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty” i used to relate to this more than i do now... and that is something positive for me.
I just love the intonation of John's voice and how he emphasizes certain words which are important to the point he's trying to make.... it just resonates with me.
I think I started loving poetry from Instagram because I love a lot of the quotes and writings that people post there. Sometimes idk if something is just a piece of writing or a poem, but what matters most is that it connects with me. Social media and people like you John have made me want to dive in deeper into words and I even started to write and post my own, which honestly just feels cathartic. Thank you for always encouraging & championing the power of words and the way they connect us and help us to understand ourselves & others!
I have been looking for a poetry channel like this for ages! THANK YOU!!
I'd like a channel of just John reading his favorite poems. So soothing.
I had a professor in college, also a poet himself, Dan Masterson, who said, about talking about poems, you can't be right or wrong you can only be interesting or more interesting and that really stuck with me. His class made me a lot more comfortable with poetry and I enjoy it and write it a lot more after having taken his class.
Today, my high school English class began our poetry unit. We read "Introduction to Poetry" by Billy Collins, and while maybe my class didn't *get* all of it, we heard it. And our teacher reminded us that to hear and to grapple with a poem is all we're asked to do. Thank you for creating Ours Poetica as a space to hear and to grapple.
in which john green takes the words right out of my mouth with ALL the reasons i LOVE poetry
I have been enjoying the Ours Poetica channel so much! It is so lovely to have someone read poetry to me, and I'm really glad that you started this channel. I hope it encourages young poets and exposes us to more poets from all walks of life.
I used to write poetry,starting in my childhood. My teachers helped give me confidence,and introduced me to various poets. I loved the words,how they came together to express my thoughts,feelings,and experiences. Reading poems opened up new worlds to me and made me curious about the time periods when they were written. From there,my love of history grew.
That poem made me go all teary-eyed. Thanks for sharing the new channel. I'm definitely subscribing.