I've grown a lot over the last semester. I've moved from mere interest in reading poetry to the desire and confidence to continue writing it. My personal life in the last year has been marked by a lot of turmoil; perhaps it's silly, but writing poetry, and reading Nine Gates--not only as instructions for the ethos of poetry, but the appreciation of truth, beauty, and life--has helped sustain me, and reconnect me to something I'd lost. With that in mind, I wanted my final portfolio to be symbolic of that persistence and growth, and a record of the words I didn't know I had in me.
The practice of poetry is twofold: writing and reading. So I've gone back and recorded all of my poems from the semester, the poems by Josie Prince--appropriately enough, it took learning poetry, the art of carefully choosing words, to teach me my own name. They are all collected here, in our voice--her voice--my voice. As far as symbols go, I can think of nothing better to embody my semester than the spiral I started the first day of class.
I hope you're all safe and well. Thanks for reading.
-Josie/Matt
Listen:
We Left the Flowers There on the Curb
Instructions When You Catch Feelings for the Life Drawing Model
Matt!
Your work really does seem to be able to stay true to the center of a thing, like your spiral. You are taking your readers on some terrific journeys without going all over the place. I hope you'll keep taking risks, staying true to you, staring that lion in the face, sometimes even stroking its mane. Thanks for sharing all these poems with us! I love your embrace your poem name, too!
Matt! Apologies for the uber late response. I wanted to just let you know that your poems were some of the most fun and heartfelt ones that I read. Even the one about animal crossing that was more lighthearted, I felt that it harbored so much self-acceptance and beauty that I almost forgot what it was based off of. It wasn't an animal crossing poem, it was a Josie Prince/Matt Felts poem. I tip my metaphorical hat to you, and wish you all the best. And great job on that spiral!
Matt, I always wondered about the progression of your spiral. I want to say that I really appreciate the journey your poems take us on. I always felt like you were very detailed and intimate with how you wrote your poems. These poems are relatable and the story takes us through our own experiences. In a way, Josie still had this mystery that made us want to know more. This alias suits you.
Overall, I really enjoyed your poems and thank you for sharing this with us.
Matt/ Josie,
All this time, I should have known you were Josie, your writing mimics the detail and imagery you demonstrated so well in fiction workshop last semester. I would agree that it was nice to have someone familiar in this class, and even in the same group. Your writing has always had a degree of mystery to it that makes me wonder what you could have been thinking about to make you write it--even if the prose are clear, their meaning always feels just beyond reach--in a good way. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to pick a favorite, but your poem "Instructions When You Catch Feeling For The Life Drawing Model" always stood out to me. As an artist, your lines seemed perfectly phrased to express how it feels to watch the models and draw them, it's sensual. I have always thought that poetry made people vulnerable, like an open book. But you manage indirection well and I think that even when you are sharing everything on the page, there is still much left unsaid, which I consider to be a good thing. It makes me continue reading to see what hints I can get.
Overall, your writing is really great and I hope you only continue to grow into it and discover your voice. Since I will be graduating, I know we won't have anymore chance encounters on campus, but I wish you the best in your writing.
P.s. Glad to see you finished the spiral haha
Seeing your poetic technique journey take form in your day one spiral is sensational. I have been a fan of Josie Prince all semester. The intricate imagery of 'Life in Palmtree' still gets to me. I still love how vivid the floral elements are and how they work with the subject matter, just as I loved the other poems. Being able to see your poetic progression in relation to your effort to be authentically you and create vulnerable moments has been so inspiring. I've had a wonderful semester (despite the virus) with you and our class and have learned much from your journey.
Super proud of you josie! Kickass spiral and kickass poems
Hi Matt! Thank you for sharing this with us. You're a really great poet and I hope you'll continue to stick with it. Also, that spiral is amazing.