Monday 16 June 2014

The Making Of Poets In New Mexico

By Ina Hunt


Poetry has developed to a great level over the years. Various institutions and individuals have done so much in developing poetry in this state. Poets in New Mexico have been developing what has been done by poets who preceded them all in the spirit of taking poetry to another level. The most notable in promoting poetry are the New Mexico Poetry Society and the Poetry Loud campaign which is a national movement organized by high school teachers for high school students.

Alice Briley formed the state Poetry Society in 1969. Ever since, they have done a commendable job in promoting poetry. They are faithful supporters of the welfare of cultures of different people. Their poems are, therefore, composed of cultural elements. They do not support political, social or religious movements, hence, discourage their members from getting involved in such movements and claim to be representing the society.

This society boasts of a number of poets. Among them are; Jim Applegate, Joe Shaffer, Jeanette Oestermeyer, Ann Applegarth and Lynn Baldwin among many other renowned poets. This organization has been in operation for all this while despite most of its founding members moving out of the state. In recent years, they have formed a strong partnership with the Eastern University. The partnership has helped organize student competitions which receive a lot of competitors and viewers.

The group developed the RGV chapter which has for all this time encouraged upcoming poets. It formed a strong partnership with the New Mexican University. The students reaped the benefits through lectures and advice on poetry. The university began imparting this knowledge into students admitted in poetry classes. This friendship bred scholarships for needy students at the state poetry society.

The poetry loud organization, on the other hand, organizes student competitions for poetic recitations. Later, they arrange for state and national prizes. This is not limited only to this region, it operates throughout the country. Among the prizes are two hundred dollars for first-place winners, five hundred dollars for their school libraries, a hundred dollars for runners-up and two hundred dollars for their schools. All expenses during the trip are also paid for the winner. National competitions have bigger prizes for competitors. A number of good poets have emerged from these competitions.

Among the most influential poets are Dana Levin, Pata Mora and D. H Lawrence who migrated from Britain. Their poems were well received by their readers in this state and the other parts of the world. These are among the first professional poets in this state.

These poets addressed varied themes as dictated by the issues during their times. Among the topics they discussed included the negative effects of industrialization, the French and American Revolutions, effects of modernization and love among others. They were very well received by their readers.

Apart from their themes, the writing styles were also determined by the times when they wrote their works. The literary movements; romanticism, symbolism, naturalism and realism, were very crucial in determining their writing styles. Each of these movements had its own styles that arose from the needs at the time.




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