Writing Wrongs first Full Year '09

Writing Wrongs had a pretty good year, for it being the first full year of its existence. The audience stayed up for the most part with a consistency I couldn't have really expected. We had some great features, I mean great. I'd have to say that my favorite features of the year were Blair and Brian Ellis, though we had so many just destroy the spot. I'm quite sure Rachel gave the best feature nobody saw (as part of an experimented Saturday night show, a spectacle I plan to make amends for in 2010). Some of our shows were so packed, we had to steal chairs from the coffee shop itself and we would still have a standing room. I saw so much growth amongst poets this year that I hope it becomes a trend for years to come. As far as slamming goes, here's how it went down

Women of the World Poetry Slam '09
Rep: Barbara Fant


If you've got a problem with Barbara Fant, then you're a horrible human being that needs to question your existence. Yeah, I said it. People LOVE Barb and that's before they hear her actually recite a poem. Then it just gets stalkerish. At any rate, this was Barb's second WOWPS appearance and she finished 24th overall

National Poetry Slam '09
Team Members: Wyk McGowan (1st), William Evans (4th), Barbara Fant (2nd), Mike 'Spike' Cowell (3rd), Ethan Rivera (1st)


This team was pretty fun. We should've had more than we did. This team did well. We should've done better. I'll chalk that up as my shortcoming for not utilizing the prep time the best in having our team ready to perform like we could've. Nevertheless, we finished 27th (out of 68 teams). Its the best finish for a Columbus team since 2004. I'm quite sure its a top five finish for Columbus' history. A nice building block, especially for the first year of Writing Wrongs being in competition

Individual World Poetry Slam
Representative: Ethan Rivera


Ethan was the lightning rod for Writing Wrongs for the duration of the year. He showed the most growth and work ethic in making himself a better poet and it showed when he won our IWPS slam-off pretty easily. He finished 76th at IWPS, which I know disappointed him initially, but it became evident that he was learning on the fly and earning the respect and admiration of his peers. His poetry will be a force to deal with in '10.

So many crazy things are set to pop off this upcoming year, I'm definitely happy to have such a great seat for the show that Writing Wrongs will be.

Exercise #11

Tell the story of your birth from your father's perspective.
You are not allowed to use 'you' or 'I'. It should be your father's voice, not you in your father's voice if that makes sense. A couple things to consider: What kind of man was your father? Was he there? How empathetic was he? What about his relationship with your mother before or after you? Don't be scared to go there with this one.

Exercise #10

Take a look at this picture



What would be the last Will and Testament to the person living here? What was their occupation? How long did they live there? Any children? Are they alone in the house? Who built the house? What would the promise if they survive?

Writing Prompt / Exercise #9

He was a tree that was easy to forget...

Ethan's prompt 6

If you told me our
last hug was a lie
I would gargle arsenic
to get the taste out.
Sand your name
from the surface,
sweep up that feeling
and place it under my bed
where I keep all of the things
I am afraid of.
I keep nightmares beneath
my dreams.
Why should your heart
be any different?
I would blame love poems on you.
Find spiders stretching
to the corners of your picture frames.
Fill trash cans
with your puppet strings.
I would apologize
for making you pretend
that this was what you wanted.
You created a beautiful
painting on my chest.
You may erase the pencil marks
but I will keep
these graphite scars
as a reminder
to not look down.
That love is a a tight rope walk
you can never prepare for.
If it was a lie
then it was a good one.
I won't regret believing it
because I was not built
to hate you.

Writing Exercise #8

1) Remember something that frightened or threatened you when you were young (a neighbors dog, shadows, the moon, parents seperation, failure, etc).

2) Now imagine that same thing is being tried publicly. How would you react? Would you be happy or sad? Would you want to defend it or prosecute it. Is the court room a civilized hall of justice or something closer to the times of the Crucible. How do other people feel about? The same as you or different? What will the punishment if it is found guilty? Stoning? Electric chair? Torture or solitary confinement? Are you happy for its existence or do you wish it never existed at all?

Writing Exercise #7

Ok, this one requires a little bit of work, but should be fun.

1. In one (or two) word(s), state what you feel is your biggest strength (charisma, singing voice, athleticism, etc)

2. Go to this website and click on your birthday. Find anyone you recognize (or at least sounds interesting). The first line of your poem will be: Dear (celebrity), when we were switched at birth, you used my (talent from question #1) for __________.

I'm guessing you'll get some weird and funny stuff out of this one.

Ethan's Prompt 4

Dear Ethan,
This is your tongue. Thank you for the airtime. I have yet to feel under appreciated by you and that is something rare in my world. I have seen the sun for 734 consecutive days and not once did I force you to make that happen. You have kept me safe when the war outside was not worth my liquid.
But I would be amiss not to tell you I do not appreciate you holding my hand when we cross the street. I was born far before you and do not need a chaperon in shallow waters. Your moth is no YMCA. This is a mine field of subjects filled with Ts and Ds that should not be soft spoken. Do not fear what you do not say. It can only hurt me. Your molars are sharper than your silence and know more about inflicting pain than your fists.
Do not fear me touching someone other than you. There is something learned in that moment. I need interaction too. Do not hold me back. You protect your heart far more than you even think about me and that is a mistake. I am the strongest muscle in your body and believe me, your heart is crystal stemware begging for the shatter. I am whole. I am pure. You will never break me despite the disclaimer. I spend my days in isolation and spend my time out growing this life sentence.
Just keep in mind, I think about her just as much as you do. I am not as introverted as my life story would claim. I am lonelier than your arms because they get to hug her. Your eyes get to see her. I only get to dream how she would feel. Let me cross the street already. I promise, I don't bite.

Sincerely Yours,
The Tongue

P.S. Don't bother writing back. I already know what you are thinking.

Ethan's Prompt 3

During movie night,
my girlfriend told me
I come from a violin
string of baristas.
The constant vibration
in out of tune lattes
with whipped cream
stains my coffee table.
A caffeine rush away
from letting everything out
this was how she told me.
I am the music
coffee shop cashiers
want to play.
The number one hit they
dream of writing.
The big break
in a small town
that never happens.
But she told me I was
trapped behind the counter.
That ringing up customers
poised to never finish their
memoirs was holding me back.
She said that I spend
too much time inhaling
and I have forgotten
what release tastes like.
It is not a crime
to field your dreams in a coffee shop,
she told me,
but I shouldn't expect her to follow
or a better tip
than this one:
Let the past die
in its bloody tuxedo shirt
and stop playing that sad song
on the violin
when there are so many other songs
that you can be playing.

Writing Exercise / Prompt #6

'If you told me our last hug was a lie...'

Have at it!

Writing Exercise #5

In memoriam of 9/11.

1. Pick something peripheral to the towers. The air. The clouds. The street. The buses or car on the streets. Fire hydrants. Pick one. Exclude the towers or planes. No people. Please no people.

2. After you have chosen the object, write from its perspective on 9/12, the day after.

Its emotional, but you might get something worthwhile out of it.

Writing Exercise #4

This one is inspired by the Brian Ellis feature.

1. Pick your favorite (or least favorite) body part or function. This could be your arms, throat, smile, glance, voice, stomach, etc.

2. Write a letter from that body part in the first person perspective to the rest of you. For example: 'Dear William. This is a letter from William's eyes....'

What would they say? Are the envious of other body parts? Do they feel neglected? Flattered? Are they real or synthetic? How are they viewed by other people.

Writing Excercise / Prompt #3

This one is tough, but work with it. Good for some imagery and non-linear expansion

Ingredients:

1. A measure or length of distance - A yard, an inch, a caterpillar, a light year, a sword handle, whatever.

2. A profession of any kind - A carpenter, prostitute, crisis counselor, etc

3. A person from your past (real or imaginary)- The doctor that delivered you, a grade school teacher, your first bully

4. A time of day - Morning, brunch, post-coitus afterglow, etc

ANSWER ALL OF THOSE QUESTIONS BEFORE PROCEEDING!

Now, the first line of your poem should be:

During (Answer #4), (Answer #3) told me I come from a(n) (Answer #1) of (Answer #2).

Example: During the bloody sunset, my still-born twin told me I come from a sickle blade of executioners.

That's the prompt. When you post your poem, DO NOT include the first line, so we're just left with the poem. GO IN!

Writing Excercise 1

On the last day of snow
while we slept
on the back porch
you confessed you were
a candle stick.
Wax dripping
down your torso
hardening into speed bumps
on the track to your heart.
That every flame before me
left scorch marks
behind your eyelids.
You cry them
everytime you wake up
somewhere unfamiliar.
Your lipstick
on his neck
where you don't remember
kissing him.
Your wick
is a fuse
attached to your trigger finger.
You burn these walls,
replace them
with skeletons
from our bedrooms
treating them like home.
Washing your bed
with amonia
to get out the yesterdays
scratching your back
when you sleep.
Your diary
is a history book
promising to tell you
about tomorrow.
It holds secrets
you tell it,
the future
is your flame to catch.
Let the wax
melt over your face,
feel the warmth
of letting go.

Writing Prompt #2

Imagine you have been given a garden to grow whatever you want.

How did you get the garden? What does it grow? Who did the garden belong to previously? Where is the garden? Is it toxic? Is it miniature of gigantic? Is there anything buried there?

Go wild with this one.

Writing exercise #1

The last day the Berlin Wall came down
While we slept on my grandmother’s porch
You confessed you were a cookie
Crumbling at your center
The splinters of our respite
Penetrating your faults
You are four parts of edible
A pit that rest heavy in the cellar of my stomach
Brick and mortar coating my diaphragm
Begging to be torn down
With feeble hands
These hands are not yours
These hands have the crumbs of you on them
Evidence of your unfolding
A windstorm broken in half
Over the knee of a large man
His weight bending the floorboards
Of my grandmother’s porch
The crater we have curled up within
We are a greedy fetus
Growing fat on the promise of redemption
Laughing with holes
In our smiles
Broken sighs
In the chest of giants
We didn’t know we were the wheezing
Of something greater
The exaltation
Of daylight between to border
Of war torn cities
Our fingers digging for faith
At each other’s throat
Will be the first stones
We take down

Writing Prompt #1

Write down your answers to 1-3 before reading number #4

1. Name a memorable day or season (Christmas, Graduation Day, winter, Pablo Escobar’s birthday, etc)
2. Name a location (downtown, the basement, clouds, etc)
3. Name a noun (eagle, bloody syringe, a wave, etc)



4. Now, make your first sentence:
a. ‘The last day of (answer to question 1), while we slept in(at) (answer to question 2), you confessed you were a(n) (answer to question 3).

There is your prompt, have at it

Writing Wrongs Workshop Series

Writing Wrongs Poetry Slam will be featuring many workshops associated with the features that come to town. Please check the left pane for details and paying options.