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5 Easy Poetry Techniques You Can Implement Right Now

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "The important thing is to write what you need to write, and if that’s going to include rhyme, let it include rhyme, if it doesn’t, that’s okay too."  - dimitrireyespoet.com When I started seriously studying poetry I realized two things, for 1, there was a lot to learn and even more to read, and 2, I was actually doing some of these important techniques without even knowing. Now when I teach poetry from middle school to college I make it a point demystify poetry for students by telling them that they are already implementing techniques they are unaware of. For the sake of easy use, I’ll go over 5 Easy Poetry Techniques You Can Implement Right Now. Enjambment Unless your poetry style is journal writing or…
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A Poetry Game to Get You Writing

A Poetry Game to Get You Writing

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "Everyone around the world is dealing with physical distancing in a different way. As we all adjust, a large purpose of Dimitri Reyes Poet is the continuation of poetry education in a way that's helpful and fun."  - dimitrireyespoet.com Which leads to the creation of this “Poetry Game” idea. To begin, my wife and I have been thinking about ways to create a poetry game in the past few months, and are considering creating some sort of card game in the future but the offering of this particular game is way easier. Many poets & writers even use this “game” as a technique to create new work. Additionally, I’ll preface this game by saying that all of what you do surrounding poetry somehow feeds into your…
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3 Ways to End a Poem

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "The closer you can bring a reader to being in the poem, the more involved in the work they’d feel, and the more invested they’ll be."  - dimitrireyespoet.com The following are 3 simple ways to end poems, all different in nature, but what they’ll have in common was that they’re all techniques which I’ve used in my own published work. They will be linked below, but if you were interested in reading my work before reading the blog, I’ll leave the links here: https://platformreview.org/poetry-archive-2020#/dimitri-reyes/ https://www.clashbooks.com/black-telephone-magazine/2020/5/26/dimitri-reyes?fbclid=IwAR3FpkUEt6-RaJHMKLae1GbJAuHnCWwXAEGNmT3VUrk_LZCwttCcSkXsubY This is to say, that though these are simple techniques, they aren’t end-all solutions. If you are looking for more professionalized & personalized help, I suggest you consider working with me through Patreon or perhaps taking one of my workshop classes…
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How to Write a Poetry Bio for Beginners

How to Write a Poetry Bio for Beginners

Interviews, Professionalism, Publishing, Services, Writing Process
Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "At one point I had no idea what to put in my writer’s bio when I was first published and I had to scramble to find out the best way to go about it."  - dimitrireyespoet.com One of the most satisfying things that come out of working with my Patreon poets are the ways in which they improve each time we speak to each other. They’re proof that as long as the writer is always looking forward and working on themselves— whether that’s by reading, writing, or creating in a myriad of different ways— there is incremental improvement in their work. Emerging poet, Cathlin Noonan is a great example.  Quite recently, Cathlin has received her first publication acceptance (yay!) and reached out to me seeking counsel…
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Unread Poetry Books in My Collection

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "This was one of those books that are in the when-I-need-it-this-is-going-to-be-important pile..."  - dimitrireyespoet.comWe are halfway through 2020 and what a ride it has been. From the United States where I’m writing, lockdowns and protests have really painted the picture of what it means for us to be in an involuntary state of being ‘still’ where we begin asking questions about ourselves and the world around us. This has led to so much production in the art world where a large piece to what we do is recording histories and stories as they develop. The links below will take you to some examples of media doing just that. Art House Jersey City Community PoemAcentos Review, Black and Glorious: Towards Black Liberation Previous Next In lieu of…
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How to Write a Poetry Cover Letter

How to Write a Poetry Cover Letter

Professionalism, Publishing
Instagram Facebook-f Youtube Pinterest "Maintaining your composure and remaining level headed through your career allows you to observe yourself objectively and this is very important for your work and how you choose to navigate your spaces."  - dimitrireyespoet.com As you can gather from my countless blogs about writing poems, revising poems, publishing, professionalism, and more, just about everything you put on paper has to be considered when you plan on publishing your work. One of those everything’s involves writing a cover letter which is often needed with just about every submission. Though there isn’t a precise way to write one, there are some things you should consider when you draft it. It needs to be clear and straightforward with a glean of confidence and professionalism without seeming too pretentious. I’ll…
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How to Get Free (Poetry) Books

How to Get Free (Poetry) Books

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "Book swaps are the best! Especially amongst friends because you can then talk about those books after the both of you have read them."  - dimitrireyespoet.com The summer season is here meaning it’s a good time to catch up on things you might not have been able to during the Winter or Spring. This includes some good reading! Whether you’re a peak-time outdoors person, or you wait until the after-six cooldown, it’s nice to explore a new book and there are so many greats that have been released this year. Though I am a proponent of supporting our artists, I do realize that many of my viewers are always trying to save a few dollars, so I thought it’d be helpful if I showed a few…
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How You Should Be Titling Poetry Submissions

How You Should Be Titling Poetry Submissions

Professionalism, Publishing
Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "Many factors contribute to a submission being accepted but the quality of your work should always be top priority."  - dimitrireyespoet.com Very recently, I put together a How to Sign Up for a Submittable Account video where I discuss how to register, why Submittable is important, and some tips on how to navigate the website. Upon the release of that video, a poet who I know personally brought up some interesting questions as a follow up to submitting poems, one of them being if titling your submissions, “x Poems” as in “3 Poems” or “5 Poems” will hurt your chances of getting your poetry looked at.  This was an excellent question because in actuality, there’s no cut and dry answer. Every publisher operates uniquely and this…
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Black Lives Matter & Poetry

Black Lives Matter & Poetry

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "... in an extremely necessary Black Lives Matter movement I felt it appropriate to share the words of other BIPOC poets in order to give my audience an awareness and understanding of our voices."  - dimitrireyespoet.com Art has always been an important part of all cultures and in its electrifying ability of connecting people it transforms itself into a mode of protest. Throughout history, art in the form of protest has been able to reach across communities, opening the door for emotion and empathy while offering space and power to those who need it to educate, think, dream, and/or dismantle. In the United States where we’re actively engaged in an extremely necessary Black Lives Matter movement I felt it appropriate to share the words of other…
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6 Great Tips for Submitting Your Poetry for Publication

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Instagram Facebook Youtube Pinterest "When you start to submit poems you will want to begin looking at the general requirements first."  - dimitrireyespoet.comThe general requirements on a magazine or journal’s submission page should be read over before you decide to submit. There, you will find all of the information about how to submit and if you send in your work correctly, it’ll assure you a fair chance. Secret tip about general requirements: they only differ everso slightly between publications and magazines. It’s important to pay attention to these general requirements because although they’re very similar, they’ll usually have one or two minor requests (like writing your titles in all caps or titling your submission with your last name and the number of poems) and if you don’t abide by those…
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