Paul's Poetribe

Is Bob Dylan a lyricist or poet? Does it matter? He has been heard to simply call himself a 'song and dance man', but he often mocks the question, as in the lyrics to one of his songs: ”I'm a poet, and I know it. Hope I don't blow it.”

And in the liner notes of his second album, he writes: "Anything I can sing, I call a song. Anything I can't sing, I call a poem." When the Australian Poetry Centre first advertised on Facebook their Songwriters Wax Lyrical event, featuring Kate Ceberano, James Roche from the hit duo, Bachelor Girl, Marty Donald from the Lucksmiths, with Tobias Cummings and James Griffin, reading their lyrics as poetry, Facebook users scoffed at the suggestion.

Some said the Centre should be supporting poets. Not these people! One said Marty might be considered a poet, but the others certainly aren't! Aren't they? They all write songs. They all carefully select and arrange words using tools of rhyme, rhythm, simile and metaphor to convey meaning and connect with readers (and audience) on an emotional level. So what is poetry? And if these people don't write it, who does?

Some definitions of poetry, found in the more popular reference books, are as follows: "poetry is literature in metrical form", "any communication which evokes a feeling", or "the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings". Emily Dickinson said, "If I read a book and it makes my body so cold no fire ever can warm me, I know that is poetry ",whereas Dylan Thomas suggests: "Poetry is what makes me laugh or cry or yawn, what makes my toenails twinkle, what makes me want to do this or that or nothing." Who could possibly write that? Maybe very few of us are poets? Maybe all of us are.

It is certainly not the role of any person or organisation to judge who is or isn't a poet, what is or isn't poetry. The aim of the Australian Poetry Centre in presenting this event is to bring songwriters back to the fold, make them feel welcome within the poetry community, allow them to share their words with us, comment on why they chose the words they did, and why in that particular order, reflect on the memories and feelings attached to the words when they wrote them....and let them, as the authors of the work, (as well as the audience) discuss and determine for themselves how they see the issue, what they feel is poetry and who they would call a poet.

Why can't artists be poets or poets be authors or writers be artists? And why are screenwriters relegated to the bottom of the barrel where the art of screenwriting is generally not even considered literature? If you are a songwriter and feel like a poet, or wonder why you don't feel like a poet, or you're a writer of any genre, medium or form, why not go along and be part of the discussion.

Clem Bastow hosts this exciting event, the first event in 2010 for the Australian Poetry Centre, at the new Wheeler Centre, March 5th 7:30-9pm. Call (03) 9094 7826 for details or check the APC website.