Blog #2

Mez interview

I like that Breeze, or Mez, incorporate difference arts and mediums into her poetry. This is something I have never considered before and was a little unsure about when I started this course, but have embraced the challenge and am enjoying it.

While his “mezangelle” style is fascinating, it seems as though one could only really understand and enjoy if they have studied his style and learned to translate it. This may limit his audience, but for some reason, I don’t think that concerns him.

I’m an out of the box thinker (which is why I love teaching literature and sometimes struggle with grammar). I love writers like ee cummings and Emily Dickinson that push the norm and play with the accepted standards. I’m intrigued by Breeze’s style which appears to push the envelope even farther. The question that logically follows, though, is at what point do we loose the art itself in our attempts to break the mold? Is there some form required to keep within the parameters of art? What separates art from nonart?

As I continue reading this interview, I see that Breeze himself struggles with the label of “poetry” for what he does while conceding that it does have some poetic qualities.

I like that his art includes modern takes on language, something that is often considered inappropriate on a professional level.

If nothing else, this challenges me to experiment with incorporating other mediums within my own writing. I also have a tendency to want to use the high vocabulary I work so hard to equip my students with, but this article has challenged me to consider using more vernacular wordings and phrases. Finally, I am challenged to consider poetry to be more than just words on a page.