Poetry: it inevitably relates to -- among others -- identity, history, culture, class, race, community, economics, politics, power, loss, health, desire, regret, language, form and genre disruption, love ... as well as the absences thereofs. The same may be said about Adoption.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

We are always looking for more POETS WITH ADOPTION EXPERIENCE to participate in this project.

Over time, this blog hopes to feature poets presenting the many varied face(t)s of the adoption experience, and how such has affected (or not) their poetry. This blog is open to any variety of the adoption experience, including but not limited to poets who've adopted a child(ren), adopted poets, poets with adopted siblings and/or other adopted relatives, poets who've experienced disruptions (failed adoptions), poets who feel they've de facto adopted regardless of whether they've done the legal documentation, poets who've given up a child(ren) for adoption, poets with parents who were adopted (or not), poets who've been impacted by other people's adoption experiences ... and so forth. We are open to exploring both positive and negative experiences.

Participants are asked simply to answer the following three questions:
What is your adoption experience?

How has the adoption experience affected your poetry?

Please share a sample poem(s) addressing (in part) adoption.

If you are a poet with adoption experience who would like to participate, feel free to email me at galateaten@gmail.com

Eileen R. Tabios
Curator, Poet & Adoptive Mom





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5 comments:

maryanne said...

Are birthmother poets welcome? It seems very heavy on adoptive parents.I am a birthmother poet, have been writing about my adoption experience for many years. My surrendered son is almost 43.

na said...

Thanks for writing maryanne. Yes, birthmothers are welcome because all types of adoption experience are welcome. (and in the Inaugural Issue we do have a birthmother represented: Christina Pacosz.

I reiterate that all types of adoption experience are welcome. If one type of experience is more represented, it's not because of how I'm skewing solicitations but because of the willingness of people to share in their experiences.

I would look forward to hearing from you and others.
Respectfully,
Eileen

Lori Carangelo said...

NWhen Maeryanne's posted, above, ny biological son was 43 also. Part of AmFOR's website includes a collection of adoption poetry by alphabetical subject as an e-book called 'ADOPT-A-QUOTE - Bridging the Adoption Experience- A Collection of Feelings" at http://AmFOR.net/AdoptAQuote.html
Here's mine:

BIRTHMOTHER

They took ou to another home,
Intending to forever separate us.
For a moment our hearts again met.
Then you moved on.
Whether in this life
or the next,
We will meet again, my child,
And in that place
Love will again come home.

LT said...

I have a new chapbook Sleeps With Knives about being an adoptee - I would love to share a few poems with you. My email is tracedemeyer@yahoo.com and my pen name is Laramie Harlow.
My blog is www.splitfeathers.blogspot.com
thank you for this great website.

LT said...

what we inherit... a ghost shell...

I dream of this, the weight,
a tortoise shell on my back, a heavy hull.
Did I choose its protection? I was asleep.
No one ever said, “You can drop it now” or
“It’s safe to drop that, you’ll be ok.”
Maybe the shell did protect me at one time
when I needed armor.
Maybe it isolated me for reasons
I do not know or understand.
It was heavy and hard to balance.
When I woke up, I could feel its weight.
I can still feel it, like a ghost,
like an arm or leg amputated.
Somehow it still signals my brain,
“Protect yourself.”
Maybe my mother put this shell on me before she left me.
Maybe I inherited it, like a talisman.
Maybe the shell was what women in my family wore to survive.
All I know is I was born with it. © 2010

I am an adoptee poet at www.splitfeathers.blogspot.com