Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Sir Andrew Motion Advises Budding Poets


Adjua Starks graduated from Cornell University with a degree in human development and family studies. Shortly after that, she studied at Cornell Law School and acquired a Juris Doctor degree before proceeding to work at various educational institutes. Her most recent position was assistant dean for the Office of the Dean of Studies at Barnard College in New York. Outside of work, Adjua Starks spends most of her time writing poetry.

Sir Andrew Motion, an English poet and novelist, shared his tips on how to be a successful poet with the BBC. According to the award-winning poet, there are several things you must remember in order to write a good poem.

First, he suggests that aspiring poets should let their subject find them. In his case, it was his mother’s passing that led him to start writing about his usual subject, death. He also advises poets to tap deeply into their own feelings. The poems he finds most interesting are those that are filled with emotion.

Apart from that, he says that poems should be about something that matters to the poet. Writers must be able to tell the truth – a difficult task for Mr. Motion while he was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom. Poets must also celebrate the ordinary, while still being particular about their subjects. If one is particular when choosing what they write about, the things that they do write are the things that they do best.

Mr. Motion also suggests that poets should read their poems out loud, let the work be open to interpretation, and always find the right time to write. Lastly, he urges poets to read more, revise their work, and persevere in their craft.