Hi everyone!  I am pleased to introduce our guest host, Stacy!!

According to the English Dictionary, ‘folk’ refers to a group of people in general, specifically those in a certain class or region. Folk literature is a type of writing that articulates the base origins, traditions, rituals, festivals, and celebrations of a certain group of people. To put it simply, folk poetry is like paying homage to history, to old things, to the forgotten practices and beliefs of forefathers who shared our same culture at some earlier time.
For this reason, folk is a many-faceted thing. For example, the folk traditions of Native Americans would be vastly different from the folk traditions celebrated by Native African tribes. Think in terms of the legends and traditions of a common people and you’ll get a good idea of how to write a folk poem.  Folk poetry, like folk art, also can be written as a remembrance or celebration of places or seasons. Prose and verse meant to capture the essence of wilderness, holidays, familial relationships or themes in nature, or even people, can also constitute as folk poetry.

For a great example, refer to this excerpt from the poem Autumn Hills, Wind by contemporary poet Wendy McVicker as she speaks of the woods of her childhood:

In my dreams we enter

the woods, you

slip between tall

trees (think, pillars

of stone in the old

cathedrals)

leaves on the ground so thick

we are ankle–deep

in gold.

These things whisper:

hair–thin branches

in the trees’ high crowns,

the leaves as we pass,

a black bird’s wings —

Or perhaps you’d like to go the folk-song route with a political statement or with the glorification of someone from history, as icon lyricist Bob Dylan did in many of his songs, one such as Tambourine Man:

Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
I’m not sleepy and there is no place I’m going to
Hey! Mr. Tambourine Man, play a song for me
In the jingle jangle morning I’ll come followin’ you

Though I know that evenin’s empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I’m branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street’s too dead for dreaming
Tambourine Man, 1965

Some other excellent contemporary folk lyricists/poets to consider for inspiration:

Iron and Wine
Jewel
Bon Iver
Gordon Lightfoot
John Denver

You may also enjoy perusing the vast collection of Folklore and Myth poems found here.
So for today, I challenge you to write your own folk poem. It may seem challenging, but in order to write a folk-type poem, you need only to dip into your own history. Rather the history of your town/region or your personal family history. Excavate old memories of times gone by, old family customs, celebrations, dinners, etc. Think in terms of old farmhouses, country roads, hills and trees, the four seasons and even religious beliefs/rituals, or people from history who have touched your life/influenced you in some phenomenal way. Most of all, just enjoy putting words on the page!

If you are new to the pub, this is how it works:

• Write your poem
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My Bio:
Stacy Lynn Mar is a thirty-something American poet. She has published four chapbooks of poetry, the latest titled Mannequin Rivalry. Her poetry has been showcased in over 45 online (and print) literary journals/magazines. Her previous work was nominated for the Pushcart Prize and Best of the Web. Stacy is editor and founder of the small, independent press Pink.Girl.Ink. She obtained her undergraduate studies in psychology at Lindsey Wilson College, then concluded her education endeavors with several graduate degrees (and Certification) in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. Her formal undergraduate studies in English Literature were conducted at Ellis NYIT. Stacy dabbles in digital art, art journal collage and enjoys the occasional indie music binge. She homeschools her nine-year-old daughter and is a yogini wanna-be. Stacy also has a well-known coffee addiction. Currently, she lives and writes in Kentucky.