Comics and Poetry

Written by James Sturm

Every word in a poem counts. A word conjures an image, images juxtaposed to create
something new or suggest something elusive. Comics, like poetry, are about simplifying and
paring down. There is only so much space on a page and every mark must count. Visual
concerns are crucial for both mediums. A cartoonist cascades panels across a page as a poet
decides the placement of each line and letter.

In the examples shown here students were asked to create a twelve panel grid and have text in
each panel that alternatively begins "I used to believe/but now I know."

This exercise is stolen from Keneth Koch's classic book, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams, an account
of a poet's experience in the classroom. The book is full of great exercises, many which
encourage the juxtaposition of language in odd and unexpected ways. This exercise, when
done in comics, adds novel visual juxtapositions to the mix. In this class we also look at e.e.
cummings and a few other poets who very deliberately give visual shape and form to their work.

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Comics and Poetry

Written by James Sturm

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