poet Archives

Writing Poetry: Why I Love It and How I Became Obsessed

April 27, 2022December 26, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet2 Comments

In this post, I’ll discuss why I choose to obsess over poetry. How I was first exposed to it and why my passion for reading and writing has led me to where I’m at today with my writing routine. I also provide multiple lists of recommended reading, book reviews, and other blog posts I’ve written about poetry.

beverage in cup next to open book of poetry — Photo by Ena Marinkovic on Pexels.com

The Root of My Obsession with Poetry

In 2011, I was exposed to poetry in a creative writing course in college. I read Wittgenstein and Maggie Nelson, which finally cracked open the world of poetry and creative writing in a way I could grasp. Since then, I’ve fallen down into a rabbit hole I don’t think I’ll ever want to get out of.

Poetry: It’s Not as Fancy as You Think and It’s for Everyone

I used to think that poetry was some high-brow artistic form of writing. I thought that I’d never be able to understand, let alone write poetry, even though I was already an avid writer and reader.

Maybe it’s because poetry is intimidating at first due to its literary history and importance to countless civilizations, both ancient and new. Perhaps it’s because of its history of religious poetry, passing down legends and mythologies, or its significant use in addressing societal and cultural shifts. This fear of poetry is pretty common for people interested in it but hesitant to jump in.

Poems That I Recommended Reading

A Hymn to God the Father by John Donne

The Odyssey, translated by Robert Fagles

Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg

white paper with black text formatted as a poem — Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels.com

The Need to Read Poetry and Everything Else

I read tons of books on writing poetry. I’m keen to find reliable resources with pro tips that I can use to push my poetry in new directions. But reading poetry more than writing seems to positively affect my work. I’d highly recommend balancing time between reading and writing poetry to advance your writing.

Reading Suggestions: Excellent Books on Poetry by Robert Pinsky

My Book Reviews of Singing School and Democracy, Culture and the Voice of Poetry by Robert Pinsky

Also, check out my list of Recommended Poetry Books and How to Read a Poem

Interested in Writing Poetry? Jump into the Rabbit Hole and Have Fun!

What can I say about poetry, about writing? Read, write, write some more, and get your hands on as much great poetry as possible. If you love it, let it become your obsession. Take joy in poetry and memorize poems you love; this has helped me compose and acknowledge the value of being able to read poetry effectively at events.

Looking for guidance and tips? Read my post How to Memorize a Poem!

Are You a Poet? Or Are You New to Writing Poetry? Let’s Chat

Do you write poetry? When did you start, and why do you continue to write? Connect with me today and leave a comment below! I’d love to know your influences and what your writing routine is.

Enjoyed this post? Here’s 3 easy ways to come up with ideas for poems!

Dreams Crease [poem #427]

April 18, 2022April 20, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

A night bleeds,

always

dreams crease

and bend around

your head

filling words

and spaces

with unknown

lives lived in

another world.

Liked this poem? Try this one or this one here.

Publication: “A Collection of Pandemic Poems” FREE and Available for Download Today

September 29, 2021February 1, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

Today, I published “A Collection of Pandemic Poems.” This collection is FREE and can be Downloaded or Printed at flipsnack.com. I will be ordering a small batch of printed copies which I plan on sending to those I dedicated this collection to.

A Collection of Pandemic Poems

by Alina Happy Hansen

In March 2020, I was laid off due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While I was unemployed, I wrote poems for friends and family that gave me compensation in return. This collection is comprised of those poems and is solely dedicated to them.

Backstory

Last year was a wild ride. I was unemployed for months during the beginning of the pandemic. I spent eight or more hours a day searching for remote work, applying to jobs, refining my resume, and blogging. In the end, I applied to over 450 jobs before I found a full-time remote position.

During that time, I decided to write personal poems for $, and the response was incredible. Friends and family reached out and ordered poems in exchange for any amount of compensation they wanted to give.

Each poem took me hours to create, from writing various drafts to blending my handwritten poem with carefully crafted designs on cardstock. The poems were framed with unique art, hand-colored, and then mailed to the recipient.

These poems are one-of-a-kind unique pieces. I decided not to include scanned copies of the originals in this collection because I felt those belonged solely to the friends and family I made them for.

How I Ended Up With a Flipbook

For the past few months, I had working on how to publish this collection. In the beginning, I was going to design an entire zine by hand and then make copies the old-fashioned way (using a copier in a print shop). I realized going that route was time-consuming and would waste paper products. I then settled on formatting the collection into a digital zine which turned into this, a flipbook! I chose Flipsnack because it was easy to use, and it gave me complete control over editing the essential elements.

What’s Next?

Now that I’ve completed this goal, I am refocusing on editing the first five chapters of the novel I’ve been working on for the last few years. It’s been a very long and tedious journey, but I love my book and am committed to fine-tuning it as close to perfection as possible.

Starting next month, I will participate in a Fiction and Poetry workshop by The Writers Studio in San Francisco. This course is fully remote and takes eight weeks to complete. I am so excited to be in another workshop! I think I miss being in school. (I’ve already begun to research out Master’s programs in San Francisco).

Enjoy!

I want to say thank you to all of my friends and family that made this collection possible. I really can’t say it enough. Without your continuous support of my writing, I honestly don’t think I would be where I am now. It means the world to me that such incredible people support me.

Thank you!

Poetry Reading at the 2021 Utah Arts Festival

September 11, 2021April 21, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

On August 29th, I participated in the 2021 Utah Arts Festival as a Literary Artist. I read about twenty minutes of poetry, a blend of works in progress, poems written in workshops, and a few pieces that I dredged up from documents I’d long forgotten.

I attempt to crack jokes during my poetry readings to lighten the mood. That’s why you’ll notice these photos of me are a little silly. I usually find that sometimes people can get quickly bored at poetry events, especially if they’re hearing one poet after another reading pretty heavy stuff. This has led me to attempt to “wake up” my audience. I’m still working on how to perfect this process.

Alina Happy Hansen Poetry Reading at the 2021 UAF

The UAF was a packed event on a hot summer’s day in Salt Lake City. The air was hazy from the wildfire smoke trapped in the valley by the mountains, leaving a slight aftertaste in the mouth and an underlying scent everywhere. Besides the smoke, the ongoing Pandemic appeared to be an afterthought for most people in SLC. I saw very few people downtown and at the UAF wearing masks or social distancing. Masks have been recommended for people outdoors because the air quality is so poor.

I want to say thank you to UAF, those in charge of the Literary performances, and everyone that attended my reading. I had a wonderful time sharing a selection of my poems and engaging with my audience.

If you liked this post, try these:

Poetry Reading at 2018 Utah Arts Festival

A Writer in San Francisco: A New City, A New Life

https://www.alinahappyhansenwriter.com/portfolio-publications-events/

I Love Living in San Francisco: A Writer’s Reflection

August 11, 2021April 21, 2022 Alina H. Hansen Writer & Poet

The last two months have been wild. I have been caught up in moving to San Francisco and exploring the city. Going from a slightly greener and very dry Salt Lake City to humid city life by the sea has been an enormous change. But I love every minute of it.

Living in the city has its pros and cons. I love the convenience of being downtown; we’re close to everything important. It’s easy to run errands, pick up groceries, find new shops, and take in amazing views of the city at every step. A con: it’s necessary to watch where you step and keep an eye out in some neighborhoods, but this comes with living in every big city.

A short walk, and I can see the Transamerica Pyramid and the Bay Bridge. I can wander north into Chinatown and then even further to Fisherman’s Wharf. The gradual visible changes between neighborhoods create a beautiful blend of living that melds together. The neighborhood’s various styles and layouts differ so drastically; it’s like walking through different cities sometimes. But I find it comforting and refreshing; there’s more life here, more choices, more.

(*Transamerica Pyramid photo by Alina Happy Hansen 2021*)

Walking downtown among the skyscrapers, I’ve managed to get lost a couple of times. It’s easy to get caught up in the beautiful architecture, the modern mixed in among the old Victorians. The sheer height of these buildings and the contrast in designs among them are captivating.

(*the Bay Bridge photo by Alina Happy Hansen 2021*)

I love how dense the city is, with almost more than 4x the population as SLC jammed into approximately 49 square miles, every inch of space is utilized. Instead of being spread out for miles like SLC, it’s meticulously stacked and organized to fit as many people in as possible. I love hearing so many different languages being spoken when I walk around. I love being a part of this multi-cultural microcosm. It’s like living in a kaleidoscope, mesmerizing and beautiful at the same time.

(*Coit Tower and the Bay Bridge photo by Alina Happy Hansen 2021*)

I’m still settling in, getting familiar with the city’s layout, and trying to memorize the patterns. I’ve managed to compile a list of places I already go regularly and an even more extensive list of places I want to visit.

While I’m exploring and learning about life in SF, I’ve been getting back into my daily writing routine (writing 2k words a day), writing poems here and there, and of course, I’ll be pulling out my novel that I’ve been working on for years now. I have a few ideas for a handful of short stories I’m still contemplating about, but I can feel I’m about to go into an extensive streak of writing in every spare moment I have.

The Pandemic & More

While I’ve been going through this enormous change, it’s been a balancing act between staying positive and aware of the Delta Variant. I feel safer living in SF compared to SLC, the response here to COVID-19 and now Delta is proactive. They take it seriously here.

I wear a mask when I go out because I don’t want to get sick. Even though I’m fully vaccinated and if I get COVID-19, there is a better chance that my symptoms will be less severe and an even lower chance I’d have to go to the hospital; I’m not interested in taking the risk.

The long-term effects of COVID on people’s health are concerning, and the risk of spreading COVID to an unvaccinated person who has a higher chance of dying is reason enough to keep my distance.

I appreciate that SF has reinstated a mask mandate that applies to everyone regardless of their vaccination status. I’m just waiting to see what happens in the fall. With the number of cases in the U.S. rising already and children getting COVID, I feel like there is a good chance of soft closures in some cities.

In no way do I feel like things are “back to normal” I am getting the impression it could be another year of uncertainty, deaths, and a consistent rate of cases until the U.S. and daily life starts to resemble pre-COVID times.

Besides the Pandemic, I’ve been keeping an eye on politics, the insane weather resulting from global warming, and the details coming out about the January 6th Insurrection. There is so much going on, the world has been shaken up, and I don’t think things will settle down any time soon.

But I’ll take my slice of success and paradise living in SF with my boyfriend; I’ll take this welcomed change and keep going. I’m not going to blindly pretend things are “back to normal” or will go back to the way it was. That’s just not the case. It’s the time to plan for the future, stay aware, be active, and stay safe.

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About Alina Happy Hansen