How can writers of fiction and nonfiction improve their craft through poetry?
At the Willamette Writers conference this August, I was intrigued to meet several writers of fiction and nonfiction who each described a similar process of starting their day writing a poem before launching into their “official” writing work of the day. This brings to mind three ways in which poetry can inform and influence other types of writing: as a cathartic release than can cleanse the emotional palate; as a point of entry into subject matter or material that is wanting further exploration; and as a means of fine-tuning our linguistic instruments to the nuance of every syllable and sound, phrase, and line. The October 2007 issue of Writer’s Digest explores this issue in more depth through an interview with three of my favorite genre-benders: Diane Ackerman, Kim Addonizio and Naomi Shihab Nye. I encourage folks to learn from these author/poets how poetry can inform and inspire the writing of prose.
