Guest Poet Lynne Thompson:
(Poetry Reading and Writing Workshop—Santa Monica College Continuing Education)
On March 19, we were fortunate and happy to have as our guest the vivacious and inspiring poet, Lynne Thompson, who is based here in Los Angeles. I’ve enjoyed being with and have learned a great from Lynne in many workshops over the years, and appreciate very much her taking the time to join our class, where she gave us a special, intimate reading of some of her poems. Among the ones she read were: “The Poet, Applying for a Job, Cites her Previous Experience,” “Song for Two Immigrants,” “Red Jasper,” and “Scissors.” As one poet from the class said afterward, “Reading poems on the page is always interesting, but when I heard Lynne read her poems out loud, they penetrated in a way that is deeper.”
Lynne has a distinct poetic voice and style. Her poems are serious, vivid, often display a lovely sense of humor, demonstrate her adroit skills with language, but I think most importantly, are deeply human—deeply feeling into the human condition with compassion and real verve.
Let me cite Lynne’s background and credits by quoting author’s notes from two publications: The “About the author” section of her award winning first book Beg No Pardon reads: “Lynne Thompson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, by parents born in the Windward Islands, West Indies. She received her B.A. from Scripps College and a J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law. She served as the Director of Employee and Labor Relations at the University of California, Los Angeles. An active member of the Los Angeles literary scene and a Pushcart Prize nominee, her poetry has been widely published and anthologized.”
The Wide Awake, Poets of Los Angeles and Beyond anthology, edited by Suzanne Lummis, includes an author’s note about Lynne: “Lynne Thompson has authored two chapbooks, We Arrive by Accumulation, and Through a Window. Her first full-length manuscript, Beg No Pardon, won the Perugia Press book Award and the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Award. Her latest manuscript, Start with a Small Guitar, was published by What Books Press in October, 2013.”
In addition to reading her poems, Lynne also did a Q & A, regaling us with some choice anecdotes from her experiences as a poet, including learning at the Squaw Valley Conference from the then United States Poet Laureate Robert Hass that “we’re all beginners,” that poetry doesn’t necessarily get easier with fame and fortune, which can bring intense pressures to bear on the poet.
As to what inspired her to become a poet, she told us that she has always had a strong love of and fascination with language, which manifested in her life very early.
Asked whether or not poetry is really important anymore, Lynne reminded us that poetry infuses our lives in many ways we may not be aware of, but becomes especially apparent on the special occasions: weddings, funerals, and in times of tragedy, such as in the aftermath of 9/11, when Auden’s poem, September 1, 1941, went viral on the net, and was shared by many one on one. That’s when “people turn to poetry and poets who have been working hard along, and have been able to develop the language needed at such times.”
When asked for advice, she suggested: “Read everything, from cereal boxes, to small press poetry journals, and therein poets you don’t like or understand. You’ll learn techniques and in time may come to value and esteem certain poets more as you broaden your experience.” She cited Jorie Graham as a poet she was not fond of early on, but whose work she has come to appreciate more with time. She gave us her take on the best poetry conferences to attend, and the best poetry journals publishing today.
And on the subject of publishing, she was adamant that aspiring poets “not get discouraged, especially by rejections.” She shared some hilarious stories about receiving many various rejections and told the class “you just have to persevere and let your pleasure in and love of language carry you along.”
Thank you, Lynne!