Completely agree. Place writing transcends form. As a graduate of the MA program, I am always prepared to explain what it means when I tell people that I studied place writing. That I am a playwright complicates matters as people sometimes think they have misheard. I often describe place writing as writing that explores our relationship with place - ranging from nature writing to deep mapping of a place.
Hi Emma, good to see you here. There are many writers who don't realise they're place writers, and I hope that by drafting these posts on Substack, more people will become familiar with the term and feel comfortable calling themselves place writers. Your description is nicely succinct.
Thanks for your interesting question, Ren. Poetry of place, to me, is perhaps more concerned with feelings and internalised thoughts, rather than the more outward related topics that we can connect to, and draw from, with place writing. But this is just an immediate response. I haven't delved deeply enough into the differences between these terms. You've given me a new task, for which I'm grateful. Do you have a view? What does 'poetry of place' mean to you?
That does make sense to me. I've always thought that poetry of place was about how place shapes our sensibilities. A poetry of how the objective shapes the subjective? Or if not about it, demonstrating it.
Interesting to read of your group and process. I have recently come across One-Place Studies, a branch of local history and wondered if you had come across this approach in your search for this emerging genre.
Hi Jill. I'm not familiar with One-Place Studies. So, a quick look online... and I see it focuses on family history (right up your street Jill!) and location. Such a great way to study the human impact on, and integration with, place.
Yes and I can see in the work of @Christopher Brown in his book NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY LOTS (place = Austin TX) how this blends across many fields and disciplines
Completely agree. Place writing transcends form. As a graduate of the MA program, I am always prepared to explain what it means when I tell people that I studied place writing. That I am a playwright complicates matters as people sometimes think they have misheard. I often describe place writing as writing that explores our relationship with place - ranging from nature writing to deep mapping of a place.
Hi Emma, good to see you here. There are many writers who don't realise they're place writers, and I hope that by drafting these posts on Substack, more people will become familiar with the term and feel comfortable calling themselves place writers. Your description is nicely succinct.
How does "place writing" differ from the more familiar (to me) term "poetry of place"?
Thanks for your interesting question, Ren. Poetry of place, to me, is perhaps more concerned with feelings and internalised thoughts, rather than the more outward related topics that we can connect to, and draw from, with place writing. But this is just an immediate response. I haven't delved deeply enough into the differences between these terms. You've given me a new task, for which I'm grateful. Do you have a view? What does 'poetry of place' mean to you?
That does make sense to me. I've always thought that poetry of place was about how place shapes our sensibilities. A poetry of how the objective shapes the subjective? Or if not about it, demonstrating it.
Yes. I like this. And, more to think about.
Interesting to read of your group and process. I have recently come across One-Place Studies, a branch of local history and wondered if you had come across this approach in your search for this emerging genre.
Hi Jill. I'm not familiar with One-Place Studies. So, a quick look online... and I see it focuses on family history (right up your street Jill!) and location. Such a great way to study the human impact on, and integration with, place.
Yes and I can see in the work of @Christopher Brown in his book NATURAL HISTORY OF EMPTY LOTS (place = Austin TX) how this blends across many fields and disciplines