#061- How to Become a Better Poet ft. Lynne Thompson

What does it take to become an award-winning poet and Poet Laureate of Los Angeles?

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In this insightful episode of The Poetry Vessel Podcast, host Nathan Hassall (former Malibu Poet Laureate,) sits down with award-winning poet, former lawyer, and fourth Los Angeles Poet Laureate, Lynne Thompson.

Lynne Thompson was the 4th Poet Laureate for the City of Los Angeles. The daughter of Caribbean immigrants, her poetry collections include Beg No Pardon (2007), winner of the Perugia Press Prize and the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Award; Start With A Small Guitar (2013), from What Books Press; and Fretwork (2019), winner of the Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize. Thompson’s honors include the Tucson Festival of Books Literary Award (poetry) and the Stephen Dunn Prize for Poetry as well as fellowships from the City of Los Angeles, Vermont Studio Center, and the Summer Literary Series in Kenya.

Discover her inspiring career transition from the courtroom to the page, get expert advice on how to write poetry, and learn why reading poetry widely is essential for every aspiring writer.

Thompson also shares her thoughts on creative evolution, the structure of poetry collections, and the powerful role of the blues and the color blue throughout her acclaimed works like Beg No Pardon and Blue on a Blue Palette. Plus, enjoy readings of her wonderful poems.

📚 BUY LYNNE'S BOOKS: - All books: https://www.lynnethompson.us/books - Blue on a Blue Palette - https://amzn.to/4yKZJoX

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📌 CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Introduction to Lynn Thompson and her journey from lawyer to poet 02:08 - Advice for emerging writers: Reading broadly and developing a practice 07:46 - Transitioning from a legal career to pursuing poetry full-time 11:50 - How a background in law and legal logic influences her poetry 14:20 - Poem Reading: "Blue Night with Scissors" (Discussion on centos and organization) 19:00 - Exploring the pervasive theme of "blue" and the blues in her work 23:00 - Serving as the Poet Laureate of Los Angeles during the pandemic 29:40 - Poem Reading: "Whole and Full" 33:20 - Embracing childlike wonder, strange language, and the Georgia Review publication 42:00 - The importance of revision and letting a draft cool off 48:00 - When is a poem finished? (The concept of abandonment) 49:25 - Poem Reading: "Blues Got Me and Gone" (The mechanics of writing centos) 56:20 - Compiling a "New and Selected" collection and balancing the arc of development 1:00:20 - Poem Reading: "Say Hallelujah" (A praise song dedicated to Peter Harris)

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