read write prompt #49: mission, echolalia
by Dana Guthrie Martin
This week’s Read Write Prompt started as a conversation in the comments over on my blog last week. Melissa Fondakowski of Poet with a Day Job said that she appreciated my working the term “glossolalia” into one of my poems and added that using the word “echolalia” in a poem would be even cooler.
I thought it sounded like a fun challenge, too, so I asked her if she’d write up a prompt that we could use here at Read Write Poem. She was all over it. Here’s her prompt:
There’s a lot going on in the world right now: an economic crisis, a pending presidential election, a war, the possibility of a military state, partisanship like we’ve never seen it before and the potential for even more wars, higher taxes and cuts to our basic human services.
Everyone from the candidates, to pundits, to “Joe Bloggers” like you and me are talking about it. Some of us rage, some of us joke, some of us throw our hands up in utter despair, some of us try to make logical sense of it all.
And still some of us just simply make everything more confusing. Remember, language, that nonpartisan gentle giant, can be used for good, and evil. Thankfully poetry tends to lend itself to good.
Poetry makes sense of the world by reminding us of our spiritual, meditative and focused natures. By reminding us what we share in common. By helping us open our hearts to possibility and change. The very act of writing and reading a poem can change the world in just the same way that a butterfly (or moth, for Dana) flapping its wings in South America can send a tropical storm northward the following year. Poetry is language at its most auspicious: true, beautiful and transformative.
So in honor of the confusing speech of this time, in honor of repetitive talking points, in honor of verbal nonsense, in honor of lies and not-quite truths, in honor of “straight-talk” (which seems neither straight nor talk — discuss) and especially in honor of 50-cent verbiages, I present to you your poetry mission: Write a poem that somehow hinges on the word echolalia. Perhaps it can be the title of your poem, or the literal center point, or maybe just the crux, or pivot. Whatever you do with it, let’s work together to put meaning back into our words — let’s take our language back through poetry!
This is the Wikipedia definition of echolalia: the repetition of vocalizations made by another person. Echolalia can be present in autism, Tourette syndrome, aphasia, Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, developmental disability, schizophrenia, Asperger syndrome and, occasionally, other forms of psychopathology. When done involuntarily, it is considered a tic. The word “echolalia” is derived from the Greek meaning “echo” or “to repeat” and “babbling, meaningless talk.”
Have fun y’all.
Everyone thank Melissa for this great prompt. Now get out there and get your poetry tic on.
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Wear it loud, wear it proud! Display the Read Write Poem badge on your site. Just click here or on the image above to get the code! read write poem news- yes, yes, here’s another virtual book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 6, 2010 | 11:37 amFind the latest tour stop for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace at Jillypoet, Jill Crammond Wickham’s blog, where you can find an interview with Pamela that discusses how she creates manuscripts.
Previous stops include Daniel Romo at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies and James Brush at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- the best of the web is in our ranks
February 6, 2010 | 11:35 amSarah J. Sloat’s poem,”Attending the Tasting” (published in The Literary Bohemian) has been selected for Best of the Web 2010. Congratulations, Sarah!
- another (w00t!) read write poem member on the joe milford poetry show
February 6, 2010 | 11:34 amOn the Joe Milford Poetry Show tomorrow (Feb. 6): W.F. Roby at 9 AM (PST). Find the show here!
Joe describes Will as a “great language poet and bad-ass.”
- ‘literary podcasting made simple with wordpress.com’
February 6, 2010 | 11:33 amDave Bonta has published a how-to article that might be of interest to WordPress users: “Literary Podcasting Made Simple with WordPress.com,” based on his and Beth Adams’ experience at Qarrtsiluni.
Thanks, Dave, for continuing to help make the community aware of technological resources that can expand our art.
- the latest (virtual) book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 3, 2010 | 3:53 pmThe latest tour stop has been posted for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace. Find out how Daniel Romo responded to the work at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies.
James Brush provided our first tour stop at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- planning for napowrimo in april, and you are invited!
February 2, 2010 | 6:12 pmHello, hello dear Read Write Poem community members! We are in the planning stages for NaPoWriMo. (What? Is that a groan I hear, or an excited exclamation?)
We are planning another prompt-every-day for those folks who love to write a daily poem in April (which is, as most of you know, National Poetry Month in the United States — although there is an international following of writing poetry every day in April, too, so it is not just about the States).
Anyway! This is a call for prompts because we want to run your ideas, one every day, in April. So here’s what to do:
- Prompts must be no more than 250 words, and we will take the first 30 that we receive.
- Include “NaPoWriMo Prompt” in the subject line of your email as well as your username (e.g., the name you use when you log in) so we can match you up with your prompt and give you the link love.
- Email your submission (in the body of the email — no attachments please) to prompts (at) readwritepoem (dot) org!
We’ll let you know when we’ve got the 30, but don’t delay because it takes a lot of time to format the posts and we want to be ready come April Fools’ Day. Woohoo!
- new senior contributors at read write poem
February 2, 2010 | 11:51 amWe are thrilled to announce that Ren Powell and Dave Jarecki are moving into the senior contributor role at Read Write Poem. Both have been writing feverishly for the site, as well as providing ideas for content and for the community as a whole. In short, they make this site a more lively, and better, place.
Ren and Dave will fill the roles vacated by Carolee Sherwood and Jill Crammond Wickham, who have moved into the manager role.
Everyone please thank Ren and Dave for their hard work and commitment to Read Write Poem.
- rounding out the virtual book tour of sarah j. sloat’s ‘in the voice of a minor saint’
January 31, 2010 | 1:53 pmOur last stop on the Virtual Book Tour of Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint is with Ren Powell. Find Ren’s review at More Babel.
Joseph Harker provided our first stop in December, and you can find David Moolten’s review at Edible Detritus. David’s was followed by Dave Jarecki’s. Dave’s review is at his blog. Find Jill Crammond Wickham’s at Jillypoet: Mom Trying to Write.
In case you missed the introduction, we are (virtually) hosting Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint. For complete tour information, such as how you can get your own copy of the collection or how you can get involved in future tours, read this post.
- make your own book: get off the computer and onto the paper
January 30, 2010 | 4:19 pmBeth Adams has posted her latest project at The Cassandra Pages. “A Handmade Book” may not explicate all the details of bookbinding, but Beth shows readers the “Secret Belgian Binding.” It’s a beautiful as well as inspiring post.
If you would like more detailed instructions, Google “secret Belgian bookbinding” and find sites such as this one. Or look for a local book arts class for hands-on instruction.
As Beth says, ” … it did me good to get away from the computer and feel my hands at work!”
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Great prompt — I’ve already got some ideas cooking.
[...] In partial response to ReadWritePoems’s echolalia prompt. [...]
hoping it’s on track…
http://thedustylens.blogspot.com/2008/08/incomunicability.html
thank you and have fun!
A.
Hey Andrew. Be sure to come back next Thursday where we link our poem-posts for this prompt!
Or, if it is for last week’s prompt, look for Get Your Poem On #48. And link there.
(We want people to see your link!)
Oh, sorry! I have misplaced my comment then. Well, I’ll put it again onto the proper post next time (hopefully).
Thank you
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