Annotated Bibliography

Anderson, L. H. (2019). Speak. Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

Speak is a work of fiction written by Laurie Halse Anderson that tells the story of a high

school freshman Melinda Sordino, who is raped at an end-of-summer party, which causes

her to struggle with her mental health as she increasingly isolates herself and practically

stops speaking altogether. Melinda’s character is described to be stuck in a constant inner

conflict within herself about wanting to repress the memory of her trauma while

simultaneously desiring to speak about it. Towards the end of the novel, however, the

protagonist can be seen choosing the latter when she fights back and refuses to stay silent

during another violent encounter with the upperclassman in her school who raped her.

Along with conveying the powerful message of speaking up for oneself, the author also

provides a deeper insight into depression and related mental illnesses through Melinda’s

character, a relatable teenager with a sarcastic sense of humor and an ironic voice that

delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school.

This novel is one of my favorites of all time, because the style of writing is quite

inspiring due to its ability to deliver important messages such as speaking up for oneself,

while being rather simple and informal. Furthermore, I believe that Melinda’s character is

written brilliantly. The sarcastic sense of humor of the protagonist makes her very

relatable to the reader and her struggles with depression and anxiety help the reader have

a better understanding of individuals with related mental illnesses by being able to see the

ongoing events of the story through her eyes and point of view. In my poetry book, I

would like to write meaningful pieces of writing similar to this novel, that educate the

reader on a deeper level while being relatable at the same time. This novel, particularly
 Melinda’s character, serves as a major inspiration and starting point for my own poetry

book.

Blake, R. W. (1990). Poets on poetry: Writing and the reconstruction of reality. The English

Journal, 79(7), 16. https://doi.org/10.2307/818710

This journal article discusses the importance of poetry in terms of its ability to reconstruct

reality. The author of the journal article, Robert W. Blake, who is a poet himself, writes

about his conversations with other poets on how they perceive poetry, why they choose to

write poems, and what, if at all, poetry is good for. Blake also mentions some methods that

he observed were commonly used by poets in different context or ways to write poetry.

These methods include the need of solitude as well as tempered confidence that, as stated

by the author, refers to the assurance learned by poets as a result of constant practice,

which aids them throughout the creative process of constructing a poem. I believe this

journal article is a great introduction to poetry for me, because it provides excellent insight

from various experienced individuals into some of the basic questions I have about poetry,

including its meaning, significance, why it is written, and methods one can practice to

improve their poetry skills.

Glatch, S. (2021, March 9). How to write a poetry book and get it published. Writers.com.

Retrieved October 6, 2022, from https://writers.com/how-to-write-a-poetry-book

This website article provides an excellent well-rounded guide on the how-to of writing

poetry books as well as publishing them, by using a classic format of answering frequently

asked questions on poetry. From choosing themes as well as the order of individual poems
 in a poetry book to publishing the book itself, this article discusses many aspects of a

poetry book in excellent details and explanations, which can serve as a great beginner’s

guide for me when starting my journey of composing my own poems and eventually, my

very own poetry book.

LONGENBACH, J. (2011). Why Is A Good Poem Good? Salmagundi, 170/171, 169–173.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/41638729

This journal article discusses important characteristics of a good poem that differentiates

it from a bad poem. The author, James Longenbach, who is also a poet, specifically

analyzes a poem called “Brazil, January 1, 1502” by Elizabeth Bishops that he personally

seems to admire, in order to explain what makes Bishop’s poem a good one. While

mainly referring to the first two lines of the poem, the author describes several

characteristics in those two lines alone that make the poem a good one right from the

start. I believe this journal article can aid me in gaining a better understanding of poetry

through a poet’s perspective in terms of what the community of poets consider to be a

good poem as well as the characteristics that are crucial to writing good meaningful

poems. I can use this journal as a guide I can refer to, whenever I may be skeptical and

unsure of whether my poems are good.

Wagamese, R. (2016). Embers: One ojibway's meditations. Douglas & McIntyre.

Embers: One ojibway’s meditations is a collection of carefully selected everyday

reflections by author Richard Wagamese, that portray his observations on the various

concepts of life, including gratitude, grief, spirituality, and healing. Unlike classic full-
 length novels with a plot, theme, and climax, Embers is an exceptional piece of written

work presented not only in words, but also through digital media such as photography. In

this book, Wagamese shares his personal thoughts and individual experiences while

simultaneously keeping his book universal and exploratory, allowing the reader to

interpret the context in a way that relates to them, rather than reading the definite

meaning of a given text. Having read the novel myself, I find Embers quite inspiring. Just

as in this novel, I would also like to write meaningful text that can be left up to the reader

for its interpretation, while ensuring that the written work is personal to my own thoughts

and experiences. This novel can serve as important and motivational readings that I can

return to for inspiration.

YouTube. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved October 5, 2022, from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwhouCNq-Fc.

This Ted-Ed video is a lesson by Melissa Kovacs that explores the question many poets

often struggle to answer: What exactly makes a poem, a poem? The video examines this

simple yet complicated question in many different ways, including a brief overview of the

various types of poems and the three characteristics that seem to be common among all

poems, using examples of various poets and their written works in poetry throughout

history. The video also discusses the inclusion of visual art and songs in poetry of modern

times as well as the idea that poetry can only be written by humans since they are the only

ones who can comment on what it is to be human, unlike robots. This lesson is a great

introductory video that I can use to understand and gain some background information on

poetry, its various forms, and common characteristics.