Starting to Write Poetry - - Kathryn Maris' Sneak Peek | Arvon

Starting to Write Poetry – – Kathryn Maris’ Sneak Peek

25 Jul 2016 / Writing Advice

Kathryn maris

Arvon tutor Kathryn Maris talks about poetry and gives us a few insights into what her teaching methods are like. Kathryn is tutoring Arvon’s Starting to Write Poetry course with Jamie McKendrick at Totleigh Barton, October 3rd – October 8th.

Kathryn Maris is originally from New York and has lived in London since 1999. Her poetry collections include The Book of Jobs and God Loves You. Her poems have appeared in The Best British Poetry, The Pushcart Prize Anthology and many periodicals in the US and the UK.

Give us a little hint in advance of your course: what is a poem?

Sometimes I receive a spam e-mail and I think, ‘That’s nearly a poem.’ Sometimes I see a published poem and think, ‘That will never be a poem.’ I believe that poetry, like ‘obscenity’ in the 1964 Supreme Court case, is subject to the ‘You know it when you see it’ test

If you could have dinner with a poet from the past, who would it be and why?

The Miss Marple in me wants to venture back to ancient Greece to find out everything I can about the poet or poets we call ‘Homer’. And though I fear I might be disappointed—because the fragments are so satisfying—I’d want to ask Sappho to show me everything she’s ever written. What a gift to be able to say, ‘Sappho was too prolific.’

If you could pass on a single poetry advice to all poets in the world, what would you say?

Be more collaborative and less competitive.




You can read some of Kathryn Maris’ poems here.

More information and bookings for our Starting to Write Poetry course tutored by Kathryn Maris here.

THE ARVON BLOG

Search for a Storyteller with David Fickling Books

01 Feb 2025 / News

David Fickling Books are looking for a special new storyteller. Could it be you?
Storytellers are at…

Read more

Winter Tales with Northern Broadsides

18 Dec 2024 / News

This year, Northern Broadsides and Arvon invited writers from across the North of England to submit a winter’s tale as part…

Read more

Stacey Halls Bursary

12 Nov 2024 / News

We are inviting applications for the Stacey Halls Bursary, thanks to the generous support of writer Stacey Halls. This is open…

Read more

My Arvon Journey: John Harrison

28 Oct 2024 / My Arvon Journey

I am just back from my second Arvon event of the year. Self-indulgent I hear you say? Yes, but I have…

Read more
Read more