Savon Bartley

blues poet, writer, & educator | writing about poetry, art, culture, and craft

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

@Dalai_Mama_ Absolutely! It’s nice to know we’re in the same writing weeds these days. I think I have your email still. I’ll check and maybe send you some thoughts I’ve been having about poems 🫶🏽

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

I just read this poem by Terrance Hayes, and the way he used enjambment as a turn in conversation just blew my mind. It was like a line began in one direction and arrived somewhere I never expected. Wow.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

@Dalai_Mama_ idk if I'm properly explaining my amazement here but I really enjoyed trying to see how this piece works. Would love to hear your take since we're both fresh off the poem

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

@Dalai_Mama_ where he breaks the line vs he ends the line is so unexpected. The turn is almost jarring. Then he full stops after "let's not talk about that" completely changes the subject to philosophy and then hits you with back to back to back images down the poem.. like bruh...

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

@Dalai_Mama_ Bar for bar, he's really going crazy in this poem. How he starts a line and then where it ends is so surprising throughout the whole piece.
https://t.co/u87rdYqttC

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

Black life consists of constant confrontation with white America.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

I don't have to love you. I choose to love you.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

The first poem in your manuscript tells us what kind of journey we are about to go on, and the rest of the collection has to keep that promise.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

You have to take risks in your poetry at all times.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

Anything important in your life goes on your calendar. Dates, doctor visits, meetings, etc. Make a writing appointment with yourself and see what happens.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

Society has tricked us with film, television, music, and social media into believing that black men and black women hate each other. It is in the country’s best interest to make us believe that. Don’t. It’s not true.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

Reminder: Enjambment creates anticipation. It turns your poem into an active experience, so be intentional and use it as a way to reveal something new with every line.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

"Love is the will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth."
— Erich Fromm

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

If you’re writing a manuscript, the first poem in your collection has a responsibility to introduce your voice, your themes, and teach the reader how to enter the world of your book.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

Poetry makes reality more understandable.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

You’re creative, but you’re not consistent. You only write when the feeling arrives, then wonder why months pass between poems. You need a schedule.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

There was never a black American movement against white people. Every black American movement was against national oppression and a struggle for democracy.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

Enjambment 101: When a sentence moves beyond the line, the reader follows. The mind naturally wants completion, so use that curiosity carefully.

[Savon Bartley @SavonBartley]

We use the word love in such a sloppy way these days. It can mean almost nothing or absolutely everything at any time.