Fanpoetry

Fanpoetry is poetry created as a form of fannish expression. Fan fiction written as poetry is known as poemfic. This, perhaps more than any other art form, divides fans. Some fans love it. Some fans hate it. And some fans simply ignore it.
One of the earliest examples of a poem in a media zine is The Territory of Rigel which appeared in the 1967 zine Spockanalia, the very first Star Trek zine. Tolkien fandom had earlier fan poems; the earliest known dates from November 1959.Sumner Gary Hunnewell. Tolkien Fandom Review: From its Beginnings to 1964 (accessed 7 September 2012)
A fan in 2006 describes poetry: "A poem is usually a vignette, a snapshot of one specific moment or image or idea that you then explore in depth with language. If a story’s a meal, and a novel a multiple-course meal, then a poem is a sauce reduction, one mixture boiled down until the flavor is intense." from A 2006 Interview with J S Cavalcante 
==Fannish Reaction to Poetry in Print Zines==
Many classic fanzines included fanpoetry alongside fanfiction. 
1) Some fans loved poetry and went out of their way to read it and comment on it.
2) Fans often made a point of how much they ignored/disliked poetry in general, but then offered up an an example of a poem they had enjoyed.
3) Some fans felt that zineds included poetry as filler: "Too often these names have contributed filks, poems, spot art, etc., while the bulk of the material [in an advertised zine] may be something the prospective buyer has no interest in." from Pop Stand Express #10 And: "I object to poetry in zines primarily because it is used as filler and therefore editors don't seem to feel they need to work on it much." from a fan in Jundland Wastes #13
4) Some fans believed that poetry was important and could be well done, but didn't trust themselves to know a good poem from a bad one. In zine reviews, they often skated past poems, saying they didn't feel qualified to comment on them: "Fanpoetry is a category that most readers and editors greet with derision and sometimes justly so -- the American school system does not teach love or appreciation of poetry. We're taught that it is pretty, but useless; it has no place in a society where income rates higher than ability. We are not taught the difference between good poetry and bad, how to read it, how to write it, or why to love it." from a review of Panning for Pyrites by Susan M. Garrett in Psst... Hey Kid, Wanna Buy a Fanzine? #1 
5) Some fans felt that other fans wrote poems for zines because it was perceived to be an easy way to obtain a contributor's copy. (need to find a quote)
6) Some fans objected to poetry because they felt it was often misunderstood and therefore badly done: "Poetry, unfortunately, is about the hardest form of writing imaginable. I think It's even harder than drama. To quote a poem on poetry from an old issue of Masiform D, "One word per line does not a poem make, any more than water without a shore would make a lake." I wish writers and editors would respect the art a bit more." from Jundland Wastes #13 
7) Some fans didn't like poetry as they felt it was "too flowery" and sentimental for the subject at hand: "If I read one more poem mooning over that damn Vulcan, I'll set fire to the entire zine!" comment in Horizon Newsletter #22 (1988) 
8) Some fans felt that editors weren't selective enough in regards to poetry: "Many editors openly admit that they nothing about poetry, so their editorial policy is to print everything they receive, or no poetry at all, or poetry that other people tell them is 'real good.' And what kind of presentation can a poet hope for when poetry is printed in tiny, illegible fonts for 'artistic' purposes, used to fill white space at the end of a page, rarely accompanied by artwork, or rewritten by the editor because 'it's too long to fit the page'? So, why should a fan even read poetry in a fanzine?" from a review of Panning for Pyrites by Susan M. Garrett in Psst... Hey Kid, Wanna Buy a Fanzine? #1 
9) Some fans just seemed to dislike the whole genre, or at least as presented in fandom -- a fan comments on a science fiction and fantasy zine published in 1979 by two Temple University freshman: "Some wonderful poetry is contained here, unlike the usual schlock that abounds in almost all Trek zines." from a review of the zine "Ogre" in Scuttlebutt #13 
10) Some fans didn't like fan poetry in general: "My biggest gripe is with fan poetry. I love poetry, yet I hate fan poetry. Could this be that most of these so-called poems are not really poems at all? Just because you can string some words together that might rhyme or can write about feelings or can throw in some pretty imagery, it doesn't make you a poet and that fancy paragraph that you wrote a poem." from S and H #24 
11) Other fans objected to the styles of poetry: "Why do people feel that poems have to rhyme. Rhyming couplets are all very well for humorous ditties, but most times seem to aim for a serious point. Often I wish they stick to prose." comment in Horizon Newsletter #22 (1988) 
11) Some fans were simply not fans of poetry, but they didn't begrudge others' interest in them: "There is nothing wrong with the poems. They're just not my thing." Sockii Press Questionnaire, accessed February 7, 2012 
==Fannish Reactions to Online Poetry==
From Laura Hale in 2002, speaking as a moderator for FanDomination.Net: 
==In Recent Years==
In recent years, some fans have rekindled a love affair with formal poetry. House MD sestina #4, 2008; accessed 2008-10-4 Snape/Lupin fluffanelle, 2005; accessed 2008-10-6 Some fanpoetry is sexual in nature.Hold, an SGA double sestina, 2008; accessed 2008-10-4 Night Moves, a crown of Sentinel sonnets, 1999; accessed 2008-10-4 Some works of fanpoetry directly parody known works of literatureThirteen Ways of Looking at Rodney, 2008; accessed 2008-10-4 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Poet, accessed 2008-10-11, while some lead to the creation of still other fanworks Rodney's Poetry Months, 2008; accessed 2008-10-4. Some are epic.A Princeton Odyssey (Alexander Pope Is Turning In His Grave Remix), 2008; accessed 2008-10-4
Poet & academic Sheenagh Pugh discusses fanpoetry in her 2005 book, The Democratic Genre.Sheenagh Pugh site: The Democratic Genre (accessed 5 October 2011)
==Notable Works==
*At Losgar, The Dead City, by Wild Iris (The Silmarillion)
*Freawaru's Lament, by Ellen Fremedon (Beowulf)
*Home By Morning, by Fileg (Lord of the Rings)
*Poseidon, by ChibiMu (Saint Seiya)
*The Spikeid, by Quinara (Buffyverse)
*'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Hanson Style, by Jay Windley (Hanson)
*The Wanton Folly of Me Mum, by Sylvia Volk (Buffyverse)
*K/S (sonnet), unnamed author (Star Trek)
==Its Relationship to Filks==
==Some Fan Poetry Zines==
*The Blue Lights (Starman poetry zine) (Starman, gen)
*Captivities
*A Collection of K/S Poetry (Star Trek: TOS, slash)
*Dreams and Echoes (Beauty and the Beast)
*Faraway Land (Beauty and the Beast)
*Innisfree (Star Trek: TOS, gen, 1979)
*Millions of Voices Cried Out (Star Wars)
*Nourishment (Star Trek: TOS, gen, 1977)
* Panning for Pyrites
*The Poetry Chamber (Beauty and the Beast, gen and het)
*A Portfolio of Poetry and Portraits (Harry and Johnny, slash)
*Soft Among the Stars (Star Trek: TOS, gen)
*Somewhere on the Edge of Words (multifandom, gen)
*Songs of a Stargazer (Star Trek: TOS, gen)
*The Star Gazer (Star Trek: TOS, gen)
*The Starry Night (Star Trek: TOS, gen, 1985)
*Tracings (Forever Knight, 1997)
*Uni-Verse #1-2 (multifandom, 1987)
*Vice Verse (Miami Vice zine) #1-2 (Miami Vice, gen, 1989-1992)
*Voices (Star Wars zine) (Star Wars, 1994)
*Voice from the Stars (Star Trek: TOS, gen)
== Events ==
* Multifandom Poetry Fest 2023
==References==
Category:Poetry