What’s your favorite genre, someone recently asked me. Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, plays? My answer: All of them!
The longer I write, the more I’ve learned that the various writing genres are not mutually exclusive. The same solid idea that sparked a short story could easily morph into an essay or a poem. Especially if you still have curiosity about the topic. So why limit yourself to just one form? Be like Little Puss, a shape shifter!
Case in point. Shirley Jackson. This renowned writer didn’t just pen short stories and novels; she also wrote essays and even drew cartoons! Here’s another: Vladimir Nabokov. He wrote stories, novels, poetry and his nonfiction memoir, Speak Memory, is a model for any writer in terms of craft. Dorothy Parker: poetry, stories, book reviews. And Tennessee Williams wrote much of the above and even took playwriting to another level by tackling screenplays.
Shakespeare was also a notorious shape shifter, excelling in every form available at the time. If he lived today, in addition to the plays and poetry, he’d probably dash out a sitcom or two, don’t you think?
Shape shifting is also more efficient. In my case, my essay “Eulogy of a Northern Red Oak” eventually turned into a poem. It’s essentially a condensed form of the same essay but with unusual line breaks and intentional omissions, the sadness of the topic–the loss of our natural habitat–is exacerbated. The poem was named a finalist in the 2019 Poet Laureate Competition and will be published in “Waiting for the Wood Thrush,” my first poetry collection by Finishing Line Press in November.
As I plunder through my old writing projects, I’m continuing to “shift shapes.” Or is it “shape shift” ? Maybe I’ll breathe new life into an old essay and turn it into a short story. And I think I have a poem or two that might work as a short story….humm….let the magic begin!
Today I’m honored to be interviewed on “The Muffin,” the daily blog of the award-winning Women on Writing site.
Before the deluge today, we enjoyed a wonderful day of poetry at the 
In this particular order….
Last night I had the pleasure of reading my poem “I Like My Bagel Toasted” at the special launch celebration of 
Hats off to the editors who read and considered the nearly 1,000 submissions they received for this issue! My “bagel” and I were indeed lucky to be included. It’s taken a lot of courage to write about my multiple sclerosis so this has been a big step for me.
How are you celebrating National Poetry Month? Right now I’m pondering poetic connections between the wet red mud and fledgling grass seed outside my window….and tonight I’ll be reading my poem “I Like My Bagel Toasted” at Pfeiffer University.
It’s snowing in the Uwharries today, on the second day of April no less! Big sloppy flakes drifting down like tiny snow angels. Or, according to my husband, who sees “Dick Tracy snowflakes with big black lines around them.”
What do you do when you find out you’ve got a little bit of Hollywood in the family? You write a poem about it!
me up recently because my friend and fellow writer Joy Wright asked me to share a few favorites and I thought it’d be fun to post my list here.
Ashley Harris 