Sunday, January 20, 2019, 1:00 P.M. To 4:00 P.M.
Olav Hague wrote: Don’t bring the ocean if I feel thirsty, nor heaven if I ask for a light; but bring a hint, some dew, a particle, as birds carry only drops away from water, and the wind a grain of salt. And thus was Jim Moreno drawn into the magic of Norwegian poets Hague(How-ga), Rolf Jacobsen, and Tarjei Vesaas (Tard’ eI Ver’ sos). Moreno: “I was doing research on Imagist poetry when I found a poem by Rolf Jacobsen on a pile of papers, “When They Sleep”. I noticed that Jacobsen’s poem gave a glimpse on decreasing political enui in a beautiful fantasy that included brevity, clarity, and imagery, aka Imagism.
Moreno continued: That led to an exploration of literature and quotes by Jacobsen. That in turn, led to Hague and Vesaas and another new world to influence the poesy of beginning and seasoned poets. Adds Moreno: abiggerbrighterworld.com describes the Norwegian poets as “ so much to think about: Norwegian poetry of place and contemplation.” In this tragic time of accelerated hate and ignorance isn’t it nice to discover artists who reflect and not react, poets who the above mentioned web site show and not tell the imagery energy and clarity of a Paz, an Oliver, a Kowit, a Rich, a Bly, a Troupe, or a Hirshfield taming if not transforming bigotry and xenophobic thought.
Brighterworld.com transforms the reader in describing Hauge: He also expresses the Norwegian geographical landscape’s grandeur, simplicity, wildness and purity. And as Antonio Machado counseled on his walks in the Seville countryside, it is important to observe the landscape of where you walk, the history of the landscape, the colors that unfold, and the synchronicity that occurs on the walk. When you are composing your verse what is your inner landscape, its history, the colors that unfold inside you, and the synchronistic discovery that happens as the here-and-now moments of poetry creation unfold.
And, typical of a Jim Moreno poetry workshop at San Diego Writers, Ink, research of poets from genre’s and cultures that resonate with the magic of our Norwegian friends are part and parcel of this 3 hour workshop. As jazz pianist Robert Glasper said: It was our aim to create an expression of jazz that was genre blind as a means of sharpening the dialogue between cultures…if I can mix traditional Korean music with Indian raga & I can mix that with the fervor of the Delta blues, then what am I saying about the people. If I can marry their cultural expressions musically, then I can marry the people as well. Moreno will marry poets and genre’s in order to provide poetry prompts that inspire.
When Jihmye Collins wrote that its vital for writers to get a greater sense of what they are trying to express, we at Writers, Ink believe that this is achievable in a myriad of ways by
writing in community. Jim Moreno will provide a Container of respect and safety for you to write from your heart in a village of respect.