Poetic Asides

No matter what you write, a bit of poetic license can be a valuable asset to any writer's arsenal.

- ROBERT LEE BREWER

SETTING THE SCENE IN POETRY

Setting is not always top of mind for people when considering how to write more compelling poems. After all, many have read poems (excellent poems, in fact) that seem to take place in a vacuum of time and space, because they're dealing with subjects of the heart, mind, and soul. And those poems are wonderful, but setting the scene can sometimes take those same great ideas and emotions to new levels.

“I consider setting to be a crucial element in my writing,” explains Marissa Davis, author of End of Empire (Penguin Poets). “It grounds the reader in the work, providing a sensory portal to leap through—and in doing so, functions as no small part of what makes a poem feel real, tangible, alive. I feel this goes for fictional settings as for real ones.”