Becoming a poet, continuation from my commentary on my poem "Gifts"">Becoming a poet, continuation from my commentary on my poem "Gifts"
Published March 17, 2009 | 
">Bruce WhealtonLet me continue with my discussion on becoming and the subsequent idea of being a poet, which I began with a prior posting here entitled “Comments on my poem ‘Gifts’”
I had started to explore my interest in poetry, some time in 1991 when I had a mentor by the name of Martin Kirby. I would visit him on Sunday’s and read some of my own poetry, get guidance, and listen to poetry that he wrote and we’d read poetry from famous poets. His wife was there as well, Peggy. These were somewhat like “readings” but at the time I had never read to a group of strangers. I knew them from the church that my parents and I attended. My mother had said to Martin that I was interested in poetry. So, I guess I had started to think of myself as a poet back in 1991. Martin was a professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at Paine College in Augusta, GA.
It was the advice and support that I got from Martin that helped me see myself as a poet in the making. He offered so many suggestions, guidelines and more. He would also tell me if and when a poem was “publishable.” He also strongly pushed the notion of many, multiple revisions in writing poetry.
Comments on My Poem 'Gifts'">Comments on My Poem 'Gifts'
Published March 17, 2009 | ">Bruce Whealton“Gifts” is the title of a poem that I wrote recently. I don’t really know what made me think of these things. I don’t know what brought my mind back to something that happened back on 1992, some 17 years ago. It was April when I moved to Wilmington, NC. It sometimes feels much more recent than 17 years ago… much more recent. It seems like I had an entire life before that and that I had become someone different back then. Well, I called it a defining time. I had not thought of myself as a poet prior to that – not really.
Now I think it is significant that in the book I published on Word Salad entitled “Being a Poet” which is available here: http://wordsaladpoetrymagazine.com/VolumeXIVNoIV/books-published-by-word-salad/book/5-on-being-a-poet-collection-by-bruce-whealton/4-other-poetry-publications.html
I use a number of images of the beach. One reason is that this was a defining moment in my development as a poet. It is a turning point. At the same time that I moved to Wilmington, NC from South Carolina, I not only found a new life, and a new home, but I also began for the first time to see myself as a poet. Almost immediately after moving to a new city alone, for the first time ever, I read my own poetry to a group of people. I remember within just a few months, someone influential to me, referred to me, in speaking to someone else, as a poet. That was Jean Jones… it’s strange the little things one remembers. That first time, reading poetry, attending poetry readings, was at the “Coastline Convention Center” in Wilmington, NC. Dusty was the MC back then and as I said in the poem, “Gifts” Jean Jones was the contact person, listed in the paper. Jean Jones, of course, is my co-editor with Word Salad Poetry Magazine.
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