In this episode, we take a look at the next section of "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman, namely section 13. This is a section where Walt moves from investigating the people around him and starts taking a look at animal life around him. It begs the question, what is a life and what life has value? Spoilers: everything. 

You can find the full text of the poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45477/song-of-myself-1892-version 

You can contact me on Twitter @roryhatchel or email me at [email protected]

In this episode, we take a look at Psalm 1 and three different versions I've written of the poem. This poem tries to explore what it means to meditate on Scripture, or in our case, to brew. 

You can find the text of the Psalm here: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+1&version=MSG

You can find the text of the poem at: https://www.selahpoetry.com/2019/05/12/psalm-1-brewing/ 

If you want to reach out to me, you can find me on Twitter @roryhatchel or email me at [email protected]

This week we continue our discussion on failure. More than questioning our bias towards success, we can also work to undo it by normalizing failure. I talk about the value of failure, which, it turns out, is really just the value of life. As long as you matter, your failure matters. That's why it should be normalized and embraced, instead of ignored or briefly commented on as an unpleasant past tense. 

If you want to contact me, you can email me at [email protected] or find me on Twitter @roryhatchel

This week and next we're talking about failure. Failure is something that needs to be normalized because we are so caught up in success. Today I explain what I mean by "bias towards success" and also walk through the consequences for our creative spirit when we lose ourselves in success narratives. 

You can find me @roryhatchel on Twitter or email me at [email protected]

I've been stuck the past few weeks, trying to create or flat-out unable to. I had to step away and figure this out. What I found was that the more I struggled to create anything that wasn't my authentic self.

I've found that other artists have similar struggles. They feel tempted to give up entirely or This week, we enter into this, trying to figure our way out of it. I get some answers, and the beginning of where to look. 

If you want to reach out to to me, you can find me everywhere. Check out selahpoetry.com or [email protected] or on Tumblr at selahpoetryblog or on Twitter @roryhatchel and finally Instagram at selahpoetrypodcast

Today we explore Psalm 37 and it's classic line "Be still and wait patiently on the Lord." That was the inspiration for my poem, "Bilabial." We discuss being jealous of others, but more importantly, we discuss what to do with that insecurity and fear. We're told to be still, but what does that mean? What does that feel like? Why is that difficult? 

Today's Poem: 

Bilabial 

“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.” – Psalm 37:7

 

Whispers hover above the waters

At vespers in purple light.

Hear the breeze between the willows,

Downy and floating between my lips.

A pause, a gasp, a Selah.

 

Say to the still, small voice,

“There is a bomb in this heart

Pleading for a reed pipe.

Pan, if you hear us, send

The moon out once more.”

 

If you want to reach me, check me out selahpoetry.com or email me at [email protected] You can also find me on Twitter @roryhatchel or Tumblr at selahpoetryblog and finally, you can find me on instagram at selahpoetrypodcast

I'm back after a three week hiatus, and we get right back into it with Part 12 of "Song of Myself" by Walt Whitman. In it, we discuss being an artist and not worshipping productivity. We also discuss intentionality and deliberateness as a form of mastery, as oppossed to quantity. 

You still have value, even when you are resting. If you have struggled with the idol of productivity, Walt challenges that directly in this poem, and we talk about it. 

If you want to reach me, check me out selahpoetry.com or email me at [email protected] You can also find me on Twitter @roryhatchel or Tumblr at selahpoetryblog and finally, you can find me on instagram at selahpoetrypodcast

Important announcement: I'm a failure. I'm a failure, and that has nothing to do with creation or creativity. It has nothing to do with why or how I create, but failure helps me ask what is the intention behind my work? That's what we discuss this week. We need to know why we are creating, what questions do we bring to our work, in order to understand and healthily engage failure. 

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to connect with me at selahpoetry.com, on twitter @roryhatchel or at [email protected]

Here I discuss the value of theme to establish meaning in a work, and how that can be applied to our lives for the new year. Theme gives context to the year without worshipping perfectionism or control. As artists, theme gives us direction without too many constraints, and therefore represents the healthy balance of control and liberation that should exist within our art. 

We have an email: [email protected] We have a website: selahpoetry.com We have a Tumblr: https://selahpoetryblog.tumblr.com/

In this episode, I discuss the danger of New Year's Resolutions, not as something to be avoided, but as something to be reconsidered. I urge us all to focus on reflecting over the previous year before we rush into the new year. Say goodbye to the old, learn from it, reflect on it, practice Selah before you rush off into the future and speak life over it and into it with resolutions. 

If you want to tell me why I'm wrong or ask me questions, feel free to email me at [email protected] or check out my site at selahpoetry.com