I first heard of the LBCC Poetry Club after taking the school’s poetry class last year as an optional elective.
I found it interesting and enjoyed using different methods of wordplay and sentence structure. Being a STEM major I did not get to use very many of my English skills since high school, where I was mostly concerned with agreeing with the teacher to get an A. So the chance to write poetry was fun.
Depending on your major, or even if you are in the arts, you may not get the opportunity to write for the sake of the written word very often. The devices you use may be necessary more than textural. If you want the chance to write for the expression of feeling, there aren’t a lot of places to go. The pipeline we have here at Linn-Benton consists of only a single poetry class.
However, there is another place for you to explore your expressive potential. We have here the poetry club that meets in the Equity Center, Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. This is a group of students and faculty who meet once a week for the sake of the written word – those who dissect the construction of many different era’s linguistic artists.
There is a different theme each week. A poem of that theme is read amongst the members and it is discussed in its details. Personal poetry can be shared and is encouraged. If you have an interest in poetry, spoken word or otherwise, come to a meeting and see if it’s for you. You don’t need poetry experience to show up, and it is a very supportive environment.
After attending a few poetry meetings, I feel like I got a good feeling for them. The regularly scheduled topics were not always covered, but we got into conversation about poetry shared by members and poetry written by outside authors. During the first meeting, one member recited much of the poem “Jabberwocky” by memory. For something containing so many made-up words, I was definitely impressed.
Among the discussion of wordplay, there were very deep discussions about difficult topics in members’ lives. It seemed like these weekly meetings were a valuable support network for those involved, and allowed them to form deep connections.
Eventually, a group member read “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love” and we talked about its tone. After that, we then read “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” and discussed the differences found. I did not know before that there was this type of call and response in poetry historically, and I found that very entertaining. Who won this lyrical battle of the early 1600s? You decide.
Through another meeting we found out that everyone hates the recorder, and many of us had terrible music teachers growing up. We read “The Caged Bird,” and gave our thoughts. Then some original, very emotionally charged poetry was shared by members and some feedback and support was given. I really appreciated this open environment for sharing creative work and emotional effort. I hope you consider writing for yourself.
Feel free to walk in.
