Table of Contents
Introduction
Adonis Designs Press is pleased to present you with the nineteenth edition of Navigating the Maze. This annual teen poetry anthology includes the best poems by teenagers from around the world received in the twelve months prior to publication. It is produced in association with Springfield Poets and Writers, located in central Illinois.
This year, submissions rolled in from all over the United States, Singapore, Canada, Nepal, and the Philippines, and from multiple schools. Each year we’re excited to read each and every poem received. Thank you for your support of this program and congratulations to those whose poems and art were selected to be included in the 2017 edition of Navigating the Maze.
Make sure to check out the internet links on page 78 that will take you to websites about poetry. There is a link to the poet laureate of the United States. You can also search the internet for your state poet laureate and read their work.
Read. Read more. And then read more. Read as many poems as you can, from contemporary poets’ works to the masters. See and listen to how they fashion their poems. Then listen to your voice and be true to it, while always staying open to feedback from others.
Write. Revise. Then revise again. Join a poetry group and have your poems critiqued by others of all ages and skills. Try to stand outside your feelings about your work and what you were trying to accomplish and take each piece of advice, weighing its validity. You can incorporate suggestions into your poem or not. You are the artist. Just never be afraid to receive critiques. Even the ones that come from someone who may not know you are following a rhyme scheme or using a certain metaphor, can end up being useful in some way.
We believe that with any craft, one must practice it to reach toward precision and perfection. May you find that poetry fills your day! May you always have something of interest to say. May you arrange words in the most enchanting way. Write often; write well.
Anita StienstraApril 2017