The combination of prose's approachable block structure with poetry's vivid imagery and emotional impact creates an intriguing form known as prose poetry. At a recent craft presentation I gave to the brilliant MFA students at Rutgers University–Camden, we discussed the merits and limitations of prose poetry and its distinctive qualities.
Prose poetry's structure—the sentence—makes it popular among both authors and readers. While retaining the poetic spirit, it enables writers to liberate themselves from conventional lineated structures. The sentence offers a more imaginative use of language. A reader’s familiarity with reading prose provides a longer imaginative breath as the eye moves from left to right. A lineated poem offers limited imaginative use of language due to its dynamic range from left to right. The block-like structure of prose poetry is recognizable to readers and makes it more accessible.
Take, for example, the opening lines from Charles Simic's The World Doesn't End:
My mother was a braid of black smoke. She bore me swaddled over the burning cities. The sky was a vast and windy place for a child to play.
Simic's imagery is striking, and his use of short, punctuated sentences creates a distinct rhythm that propels the reader forward.
During my craft talk at Rutgers, we delved into elements of prose poetry. We traced its roots from 19th-century French poets like Charles Baudelaire to contemporary masters like Gary Young and Kimiko Hahn. The MFA students were engaged and asked thought-provoking questions about this form. We discussed the importance of finding the right balance; we went over the main components that make prose poetry. Rhythm is a crucial component—deliberate use of repetition, sentence structure, and so much more.
Prose poetry is becoming increasingly well-known and popular as more authors see its potential. A new wave of poets has emerged in recent years, challenging the conventions of prose poetry. Claudia Rankine is only one of many contemporary poets whose work combines prose poetry with visual art, cultural criticism, and other forms to create innovative works.
Prose poetry is dynamic. Poetry in prose provides poets with a unique form from which to reach their audiences. By blurring the lines between prose and poetry, writers make both accessible and deeply impactful work. I encourage everyone to explore prose poetry and discover its many possibilities.
Alina Stefanescu’s site has a fantastic list to get you started.
Additional Resources:
- The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Prose Poetry edited by Gary L. McDowell and F. Daniel Rzicznek
- Prose Poetry: An Introduction, edited by Cassandra Atherton and Paul Heatherington
- The Academy of American Poets' Prose Poetry Resources
If you have any thoughts or experiences with prose poetry, I'd love to hear about them in the comments below!
Glad the craft talk went well! And thank you for the nod to check out Alina Stefanescuc's list of prose poems. That's super helpful.