Punctuating a Poem - Part 2

, . ; - : / : - ; . ,

When tutoring college students enrolled in English classes, I describe punctuation as a road map. It helps us readers find our way in a sentence or a paragraph. I explain that a period tells us to stop fully and look both ways. If there's no punctuation, we keep right on going. A comma is more of a rolling stop (the kind we all do at certain corners).

But, whether we're talking creative writing or academic essays, I encourage every student to pay attention to his or her pauses by reading out loud. I reason, "Where you pause, you'll want your reader to also pause, right?" 

As a creative writer, how you choose to do this is up to you. You could insert a comma, a line break, or some other funky, unexpected symbol (a slash, a dash, etc.). You are setting the rules.

But, once you set those rules, just as with a form poem, stick to them. If you put a comma in one place, a line break in another, and no symbol still further along, you will have asked us to detour from the place we're trying to get to - the meaning and feeling of the poem. 

We will be lost in the lines of the poem.  It will be like reaching a dead end in an unfamiliar city.

My advice on punctuation is to do what feels right to you in the piece you're writing. Just maintain that choice all the way through that last line.

Earlier Post: Punctuating a Poem - Part 1

Rewriting Greek Tragedy in Poetry

Theaterwork's Company of Poets generated the words written
on the set of the upcoming play Antigone.

I've been part of a collective for nearly a year now. This is the second theater performance we've worked to enhance with poetry. We began meeting in November, writing from prompts and Jean Anouilh's play Antigone, which premiered in the early 1940's. 

That play was based on Sophocles' original treatment of the Greek myth. Oedipus' daughter buries her brother who has been killed by her uncle, her mother's brother, and in turn, her life is forced to an end. All in all, a sordid story expertly told.

The Company of Poets, as we're called, has been actively exploring the words and themes of the play - writing it into new directions. We will be publishing a chapbook of some of the works we've created, entitled "Other Antigones," and reciting our work before some of the performances. We'll also be doing an event specifically focused on poetry - ours and others - that derive from the many arguments and concerns that arise from the play.


Did I mention the play itself is in a reclaimed city pool? That's what you're looking at in the photo above. Theaterwork has gussied up a 12-year vacant pool. The show opens this Friday. 


Our main poetry performance is still a few weeks off. 

“Antigone” Poetry Performance in collaboration with 

Theaterwork’s production of Jean Anouilh's play 

Company of Poets: Anne Valley-Fox, Jenice Gharib, Angela 

Janda, Lauren Camp and Ann Hunkins

333 Montezuma Annex, Santa Fe, NM

April 24, 7PM