I know it’s been a challenging year on so many levels. I imagine we all have something, however, to be grateful for. I’m grateful for the health of my family and my friends and for my upcoming book: Singsong Crows And Alphabet Soup©️. Keep reading and writing poetry! Thanks for listening. My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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What inspires you to write poetry or whatever YOU write? I talk about inspiration here and how I was inspired to write the poem that I recite for you. Enjoy! My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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Yes, that is a take on an old B-52’s song No matter what anybody tells you, no matter what the “rules” to poetry may be, no matter what works for others, RHYME is still crucial to poetry. Don’t listen to anyone who says you can’t rhyme-if they do, don’t believe them. Rhyme definitely is an important part of poetry. We’ve gotten past “the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain“ thank you, My Fair Lady. Or the Valentine’s standard “roses are red, violets are blue...” Your rhyme doesn’t have to be formulaic, traditional, unimaginative or boring. I don’t even think an entire poem has to rhyme. Hit your readers with something different, interesting and new. Be unexpected. My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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Let’s just say I was somewhere there were challenges with various family “characters”. Although I had to be there it was a time of pandemic frustration and personality clashes. So WTF? My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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It’s not what you might think it is. We have to keep laughing. Irony is a beautiful thing. Enjoy. My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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We give ourselves so much pressure to find out what our life‘s purpose is. And so do teachers, gurus, self-help writers and on and on and on. Not everyone is going to be president of a major country, or write the life-altering novel. Some of us are meant to make a mark during our era or we may not even make an impression until after we are long gone. That has happened to so many writers, poets and authors. Their genius and the beauty of their words was not discovered until later. Don’t let this hamper your creativity and your art. You can make an impression. And do you know how you do that? Keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. (Kind of like Finding Nemo’s “just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming”.) My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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Often writers and poets, especially, will write according to the “rules”. Of course, we want to be published given that we often have to change our style, technique or voice to suit a publication. What I’ve seen as of late is that is less and less of a requirement. Individual voices who are expressing themselves beautifully and who may adhere to some rules, but break others are getting a platform. It’s kind of that baseball adage from the film Field of Dreams “if you build it, they will come”. I have really enjoyed seeing and participating in the resurrection of some more “obscure“ styles of writing poetry. They were “styles“ but they had much broader parameters and less boundaries. Let’s push those boundaries. Write what you love and people will definitely read it. I’ve become less and less about adhering to what someone else wants and more and more about writing what I want and finding the publications, contests, etc. who are looking for what I write. Unique, individual, not normative. We absolutely have to make a living. We have bills to pay and ourselves or families to support. However, if right now you are not supporting yourself with your writing or some kind of writing don’t stop. Keep writing. A mass that collection of works. Then throw the spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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There used to be a saying: “everything old, is new again”. But is it? Are we relegated to rehashing, retelling and regurgitating the same ol’, same ol’? There are some forms of poetry that have become obscure and, as far as I’m concerned, did not have enough exposure. Unique, interesting, unusual, and thought – provoking. Where is your unique voice? Are you just recycling and regurgitating other peoples’ writing and poetry forms, styles, techniques and voices? Try something new and make it gorgeous, ugly, gut-wrenching, hilarious or head-scratching. Jump in the deep end and I guarantee you will float. My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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My other podcast Radical Meditation takes a different, possibly controversial, interesting and always new look at meditation.

If you’re a standup comedian, a teacher, a historian, a student, a professor, a songwriter, or in business management - you are a writer! It’s important to keep you in your writing. That’s when you are set apart from others. My website https://www.kazakers.com My book https://www.amazon.com/dp/8182537479

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