"Poetry is prose in slow motion"

On making your own poetry anthology & definitions. Plus, a virtual + cozy “third space” opening soon for heartfelt conversation.

Welcome to Living Poetry. I’m Allie, a poet with roots in the chaparral and desert of Southern California.

On making your own poetry anthology & definitions

“What’s this?” I asked my sister, flipping through an Advance Readers Copy of The Anthologist, a 2009 fiction book by Nicholson Baker.

“I don’t know, that’s why it’s in the giveaway pile,” she said, shrugging.

“But how’d you get an Advanced Readers Copy of it?”

“I don’t really remember.” She dug through her box filled with fabric scraps, molten brass, and bobbins, focused on the task at hand, meaning I could safely steal the book from her.

This version of The Anthologist is hard to find, but you can find Baker’s two novels in one here.

I don’t know Nicholson Baker, but I like what this fictional character has to say so far, this man by the name of Paul Chowder.¹

Paul has a lot to say about poetry–starting right on page one, too.

“Poetry is prose in slow motion.” -Insight from Paul in The Anthologist

Turns out, in this novel, Paul is writing a new anthology describing what poetry is. At first, I didn’t realize this account was fictional (it reads like nonfiction) and I thought, “Wow, the guy is really whine-y about his non-illustrious poetry career.” I also identified, regrettably so, with Paul’s desire to be well-received and praised.

Upon realizing it was fiction, I could see Paul and his ambitious attempt at a new anthology as part of a larger satire seeping through the pages, with abundant humor poking fun at the floundering poet.² And so many of us are floundering poets, are we not? I know I am. Trying to grasp at what poetry is (or what life is) and also trying less to understand it and more to feel it.

So the novel is enjoyable. Thanks Nicholson Baker.

This month, I also skirt around questions of life + poetry in these 12 or 20 (second series) questions, in an interview series by

rob mclennan

. rob has authored over 30 books and I’m delighted to be part of the writers he’s so kindly featured on his blog.

All of this rambling about Paul and rob brings me to the questions for this month–questions I’d love to hear your thoughts on.

1. How do you define poetry?

2. How does your definition of poetry influence the way you understand and experience poetry?

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For example, if you think poetry is more of a feeling than a set form and arrangement of words, then perhaps you feel poetry throughout the course of every day.

Or if you define poetry as “prose with line breaks” then poetry is a matter of how words are arranged on a page. Neither definition is purely right or wrong. But they will influence how and where you see poetry.

How do YOU define poetry, then?

Please leave a comment and get the conversation going, especially if you’re open to being quoted (or having your main points summarized) in the next issue of Living Poetry.

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This is how I imagine The Living Room looks and feels at this time of year. Photo by Clay Banks.

The Living Room is a new, virtual + cozy “third space” that opens in January

After talking with fellow writer, colleague, and friend,

Katie Allen

, I’ve decided to open a monthly room for us to gather and chat. We will meet on the first Friday of each month for a 50-minute, heartfelt poetry chat. Once we get rolling, we’ll also have special guests join us for Writer/Poet Q&As, brief craft talks, and more.

The Living Room is an optional perk for paid subscribers and quite simply, a chance to connect with nice people who are excited about the possibilities of poetry.

Our first gathering will be January 3, 2025, at 11a.m. (PST). Monthly invites will be sent privately via Luma, usually a week or so before the event.

Become a paid subscriber to receive your monthly invite to this new, cozy space.³ If this is something you’d love to partake in, and you would need a scholarship in order to do so, please consider submitting your email here.

1. You can no longer find a copy of this book from 2009 easily, as it is now sold as The Paul Chowder Chronicles.

2. If you’d like an actual anthology of poetry to spark your curiosity, check out Advanced Poetry: A Writer's Guide and Anthology by Maya Jewell Zeller (Author) Kathryn Nuernberger (Author) Sean Prentiss (Editor) Joe Wilkins. Big thank you to fellow poet and friend Jarrett Ziemer for introducing this gem of a book for me.

3. I’ll also be offering 1-2 scholarship seats, available as each founding member join us. To join that scholarship waitlist, please submit your email here.