The storyteller and the poet live in the world where words make a difference. How they tell or compose a story can determine the impact of those who read, hear, or listen to it. Both artists are concerned with the delivery and the demand. They both seek to help the listener or reader journey with them as they dance with words.
I wanted to explore this connect more and who better than the established poet Charles Ghigna. Charles is a friend and fellow "word dancer." Charles Ghigna - Father Goose® is the award-winning author of more than 100 books from Disney, Random House, Red Comet, Schiffer, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, Time, Inc. and more than 5,000 poems that appear in anthologies, textbooks, newspapers, and magazines ranging from Harper’s to Highlights from The New Yorker to Cricket magazines. He served as poet-in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, instructor of creative writing at Samford University, poetry editor of English Journal for the National Council of Teachers of English, and as a nationally syndicated feature writer for Tribune Media Services.
In your work, some of your poetry slows us down so we can see the words come alive. However, in the poems in a book like Animal Trunk: Silly Poems to Read Aloud, they speed up. We still see them but with a faster rhythm. How do you determine the rate you want to use with your poems, and do you consider the rate the reader will read the poem when you are composing it?
Great question, Kevin. You definitely have a keen eye and ear for poetry! The musical flow of a poem is always a consideration. Most of my poem ideas come to me in little whispers that say, "Listen to this." I listen. I smile. I write. Often the idea dictates its own natural rhythm and cadence of the poem. I listen and I let it flow. The short, repetitious lines of my rhyming poems for the very young often present a faster pace, while some of my free verse poems for the middle and older children slow down a bit as the typography and line breaks of the poem lead the reader from image to image.
As a poet (and I would say storyteller) you create worlds in a few words. We see fireflies visiting the past, the moon reminding us of why it is the Earth’s headlight, and books like The Magic Box: A Book of Opposites sharing a story of a box and Pandora the Panda. Storytellers are constantly trying to capture a significant time when they are sharing a story, what can they learn from the work of poets like yourself?
A good poem like a good story, presents a concise package of words that crystalizes the thought and pulls the reader in by the heart, by the imagination, as well as by the ear. From the opening lines, we want to establish a time and place so that the reader sees where they are in their mind's eye. Once they are taken into the space of that scene of the poem or story, they are ready to join in the fun of the adventure.
Some poets stay at their desks to generate their work. I see you have an appeal to nature. Outside of the writing desk, how do you find ideas for writing poetry? Do you spend time outside discovering poetry?
Another great question! Most of my time is spent here at my writing desk in the treehouse looking out the window at the treetops and writing of the things I see and imagine. I also spend time outdoors observing nature, noticing detail, becoming one with my surroundings, often strolling along thinking about what I see, then taking the next step of bringing what I see into the imaginative dream world of what could be, of the possibilities of the whys and what-ifs. I wrote most (of) The Magic Box: A Book of Opposites during one of my evening walks.
Should storytellers use metaphors? Why or why not?
Oh yes! Most definitely! If that is what feels right and natural to them and the story or poem they are writing. All good poetry, like most good stories, show, rather than tell. What better way to show than with an apt metaphor! It also adds a bit of freshness and originality to the work, and gives the reader a concrete image to grab hold of with their mind and imagination as they journey through the tale.
In your book “A Poem is a Firefly,” you share that the poem speaks to where it has traveled. How can we get others to be engaged in exploring their past in poetry?
Poems and stories come from so many different places for so many different people for so many different reasons. One of the magical places for me to find new poem ideas is from the past, from my memories of people and places. I often ask writers, young and old, to try to recall their very first memory. How old were you? Were you three or four? Where were you? Who was there with you?
Write a little bit about that as though you're writing in a journal or diary. See if something springs alive to you again that makes you smile or tear up. If that happens, you're probably on your way to creating a memorable poem or story to share with others. Those kinds of poems and stories often inspire your listeners and readers to write of their own long lost memories.
I so enjoyed reading “Once Upon Another Time,” where did this idea surface? How were you able to develop it? Was it quick or did it progress over time?
It was one of those ideas that come out of nowhere and catch you by surprise and make you have to sit down and write it. The first several lines of that book came to me in what poets of yesteryear used to refer to as "white heat passion." I wrote the first draft as though I were taking dictation from on high. At the time I didn't know where it was taking me.
All I knew is I needed to simply write it down, hang on for the ride, and see where it wanted to go. I later posted my beginning lines on social media and asked friends to join in the fun by adding more to it. Matt Forrest Esenwine jumped in and sent along several wonderful lines to move the story forward. The next thing I knew we were on our way to a rare collaboration of a wonderful, magical, enchanted story that encourages children to get outside and experience the natural world, to breathe the same air the dinosaurs breathed!
***In my next post, I will share our poets next work and how I connect to it and hopefully you can also connect to this powerful story of departure and arrival. Hope to see you there, stay tuned. You can check out all his work at https://www.charlesghigna.com
I hope to see you there. If you have a book or want me to profile your work with story, contact me. (See contact pages.)
loved this article! ty