1.Find a character or a situation in a newspaper story that strikes a chord with your imagination. It may be a small, quirky story. It may be a story of paramount significance and gripping drama.
• Often it is a small detail (as in the list of items Stalin checked out of the library below in the David Wojahn poem) or a poignant image that serves as the trigger for the poem.
2. Imagine a speaker that exists inside the scene(s) that you reenact/recreate.
• Make the situation come alive by providing the perspective of some minor character who was involved in the story or was just a passing witness.
• You may even choose to inhabit the mind of one of the main characters (like Ai) and allow the poem to be a character study of that individual. This can be particularly striking if the person whose mind you are adopting is a hideous individual who has perpetrated some heinous act.
3. Or adopt your distanced, authorial voice to provide commentary on the event.
• Try not to pass judgment on the actions of the characters.
4. The main premise of the newspaper poem is that real life produces characters and situations that are more random and unexpected than the human imagination can contrive. Use the newspaper to this end; it is a fishing hole for plot and character.[ However, take on a story that is too high profile and your piece may seem cliché.]
This assignment is worth 1 point.
Examples:
1. The Psychic Detective: Fantasy–Ai