Poetry Month
Story by Kealiʻi Rapozo
Graphics by Lucky Lemieux
Photos provided by the interviewees
Stories and pieces of literature are all around us. Whether we realize it or not, it is at our disposal pretty frequently. Being a poet or an artist has no boundaries or limits; anyone has the ability to pursue their own artistic path at their own pace. Apr. is National Poetry Month, an opportunity to highlight those interested in the art. Ke Kalahea reached out to a few UH Hilo campus members to gather their perspective and love for this profound art, and its month, in its honor.
Uʻilani Barongan, Kanilehua Art and Literary Magazine Editor-In-Chief shares that poetry is not only an opportunity for artists to express themselves, but an opportunity to have on-record and refer back to later.
“I think there’s a lot of value in artistic expression, there are so many different forms of poetry which can meet the need for any emotion depending on the situation,” said Barongan.
Thanks to world events many of the submissions she’s received for Kanilehua have been activist related, “which is really cool.”
Any writer has the liberty to choose their own expression, but finding that middle ground for those emotions and thoughts to meet their audience is important to build connection.
Uʻilani Barongan
“I think it’s good to have something to relate to, and it’s a great way for people trying to find the words for the rest of us who maybe can’t articulate that,” she said. Barongan relates that to writing in general, as well as in the sense of being able to connect voices with emotions.
When asked about her perception of poetry being used in our everyday life, she shared that, “everything is art, and there’s poetry in everything.”
“I feel like poetry is useful in pointing out intricacies that are not already necessarily apparent. It’s giving more vocabulary, metaphors, to things to make them easier for people to understand,” said Barongan.
Music is another form of poetry. Barongan enjoys writing music and singing; however, although she considers herself more of a poet than a musician, she can still see that connection built between the two.
“In my time here I’ve seen a lot of development of how writing can build structure and find its place in music,” Barongan shares.
She appreciates the ability that writers have to make comparisons and connections to things she hasn’t necessarily thought of, and be able to articulate it in such a way that brings out its true beauty.
“Through social media, I've seen many responses regarding Palestine in the form of these long beautiful lists of prose; which I can appreciate because it is very palatable for people to understand what’s going on with the conflict but it’s also engaging people’s emotions,” she said.
Additionally, “giving them a different method to understanding more than just facts, because we can all look at the death toll, but being able to put it into a beautiful format to see how destructive things are I think is so important,” said Barongan.
Some advice she gives to those interested in writing is simply, “write!”
“We’re so lucky if inspiration strikes us. There’s so many ideas that we don’t write down and I feel like it’s a small price to pay to stop everything you’re doing and just write.”
Assistant Professor Clint Anderson
Clint Anderson, Assistant Professor of the School of Education said, “poetry at its core is storytelling.”
“It's through the human experience, things are passed down, traditions are captured, and culture thrives. Poetry is one of the tenants of humanity and the ability to capture stories for a purpose.”
Anderson added that it plays into this term that we as Native Hawaiians carry with us, ‘kaona’ or ‘a hidden meaning.’ Boundaries are pushed to progress through thoughts in order to navigate time, space, age and place.
He sees poetry on a day to day basis used through our words, with the ability to use it as a weapon, he wishes we use it to the best of our ability to uplift others.
“Conflict usually arises through misunderstanding, and poetry is a way for us to navigate those potential misunderstandings,” said Anderson.
He goes into depth that its use is often overlooked. From literary devices to nursery rhymes to advertisements, there is always a message being delivered, whether we realize it or not.
“It’s there surrounding us, even in our speech patterns we use with each other, as much as we would like to think that we speak in complete sentences, a lot of the times it’s poetic in nature” said Anderson.
Along with our surroundings, he focused on our line of sight, being that it molds our perspective.
“I think it also helps us to shape the way that we see things, because when we really think about how we conceptualize things even decide on what we contribute more compared to the sciences; I think a lot of the ways that we conceptualize things are artistically or poetically.”
Anderson’s appreciation for those that partake in the art is their courage, their appreciation that they have for poetry, and the power that is embedded.
“When you read and hear a good line of poetry you get an immediate response within yourself… I think that the beauty and art of the craft together, and words that either incite or inspire, educate on small and large scales of things are magical,” said Anderson.
He emphasizes this use of power through many great speeches given in history; their purpose being to persuade and expand perspectives.
“Martin Luther King, when he spoke, it was definitely poetry. We look at the flipside where it can be used like a weaponized as Hitler utilized speech and rhetoric in what I feel that people would agree is negative ideas,” said Anderson.
Ultimately, words have deeper meanings; tread carefully so both parties meet a positive ending.
Some advice Anderson offered for lingering poets, similarly, is to have the courage to call yourself a poet. Break through stereotypes, there is no set idea of what a poet should be. Secondly, know that your voice matters. No matter the style it's produced, we all have a story and the right to share it. Lastly, he emphasized that it has purpose. Ensure the idea behind your writing is concrete, and no matter the size of the crowd it reaches, if your writing can shift one person's perspective - you've done your job.
“There’s a concept we always come back to: ‘the universality through specificity’-so, that idea that any specific idea is in conduit to larger understanding of something,” he shared.
“The core of poetry is its expression of ideas and thoughts. So, I encourage people to enter that realm where they might have their own pre-conceptualized notions about what a poet is, and have fun with it.”
We have the courage and dedication to do so, so why not try it out to see how far you can go?
Professor Susan Wackerbarth
Susan Wackerbarth is an English professor and head of the Creative Writing Certificate. Although she isn’t a poet herself, she’s enjoyed seeing it throughout her career as an educator.
“I greatly admire people who have a gift for poetry, and am grateful that they write and publish it!”
She shared that poetry is important to her for a number of reasons.
“One of my MFA professors called poets ‘the ninjas of language’,and I think [that’s] a good description. Poetry says so much in so few words, and creates ripples of meaning in our minds” said Wackerbarth.
Additionally, she said, “poets use images to convey emotion and meaning in a concrete, immediate way. Their super-charged language bypasses our critical minds and goes straight to the heart.”
The ability to expand the boundaries of words to reach something bigger than one self.
Wackerbarth shared that she tries to read one poem a day, and listen to poetry in different forms whether it be through a podcast or music.
“I find poetry, both on the page and in my ear, both thought provoking and emotionally moving. It often calls up memories of my own that connect to the poem's subject. Similarly, the poetic language of lyrics is amplified by the emotional impact of music” said Wackerbarth.
For those seeking to give poetry a try, she encourages to expand your horizons with what you listen to and read. She also encouraged aspiring poets not to be afraid to listen to others work for inspiration. Gathering new perspectives, no matter the capacity, is the foundation of growth.
“Write what's in your heart, in the way you want to write it. Try different forms and voices. Write what's important to you,” said Wackerbarth.