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Join the Masquerade! Writing Persona Poetry

Published on by Beatriz F.Leave a comment

If you’ve never written a poem in any voice but your own, you might want to try writing a persona poem—it may lead you down unexplored paths of creativity!

The Academy of American Poets defines a persona poem thus:

“A persona poem is a poem in which the poet speaks through an assumed voice….Also known as a dramatic monologue, this poetic form shares many characteristics with a theatrical monologue: an audience is implied; there is no dialogue; and the poet takes on the voice of a character, a fictional identity, or a persona.”

The voice you adopt when you write a persona poem can be a fictional, imaginary or historical character, an animal, an inanimate object, a collective such as a country, or even an omniscient god-like voice.  This is when the fun begins!

In “Richard the Lionheart’s Mummified Heart Examined,” a poem inspired by a true story and reprinted in my latest collection, Stone & Star: Poems in Voices Across Time, I alternately adopt the voice of the King’s Minstrel, the Royal surgeon, Richard I, his wife Berengaria of Navarre, the heart itself, and the forensic scientists who examined the heart in modern times.  Needless to say, this was a fun poem to write and the voices seemed to meld seamlessly to tell the story.

In psychological terms, Jung described persona as a social mask that conceals “the true nature of the individual.”  The term originates from the theater in ancient Greece where actual masks were worn by actors on stage to represent different points of view.

However, I find that writing persona poetry rather than concealing, frees the writer to reveal their subjective truths to the reader without the constraints of their own personality. 

Writing persona poetry is the closest I will ever come to acting, and I find it incredibly liberating.  I first found my own voice via persona poetry and it is still my favorite poetical form to use.

When writing as a historical character, I do some research and try to read letters written by that person if they are available, to pick up some of their personal vocabulary.  The way they address and sign their letters, their general tone, their “voice” is usually apparent and I use that to guide my own writing of the poem. 

Recently, my poem “Lafayette Gingerbread” was published in an anthology,  Poets Respond to the American Revolution: The US250 Persona Poem Project by Highland Park Poetry, which was devoted entirely to persona poetry about U.S. history from 1765-1800, leading up the American Revolution. 

We were asked to write from the point of view of fictional or historical persons, animals or objects:  one poet wrote from the perspective of Brown Beauty, the horse Paul Revere rode, some wrote from the perspective of symbols such as the Tree of Liberty or the Liberty Bell.

When writing as a fictional character, I try to stay within the confines of the work they appeared in, and use vocabulary suited to the time period of the novel.  I have fun imagining what some fictional characters would say, given a chance, especially when in the original work they were not given much dialogue.  In this spirit, I’ve given voice to Weena, the Time Traveler’s mostly mute companion in H.G. Well’s The Time Machine, and Nova, the beautiful mute heroine in the original 1968 Planet of the Apes film. 

I find most of the persona poems I write are emotional in nature, speaking from the heart in a more direct and universal way than I could write from my own limited experience. Some writers may feel uncomfortable putting words into another’s mouth, so to speak. Unlike novelists or playwrights, who regularly write dialogue for fictional and in some cases historical characters, poets are used to thinking of their writing as highly personal and not open to other’s voices. But isn’t most poetry persona poetry, in a way?  Because whenever we write, we almost unconsciously adopt a persona, a writing voice, that is not our everyday voice, but which nonetheless reflects our authentic and true nature.

Beatriz F. Fernandez is a poet and short fiction writer. Join me for my November 1st reading (along with Miguel Mitchell) as part of the Speculative Sunday Reading series!  Presented and moderated by Akua Lezlie Hope. Readings are live on Zoom and tickets are free via the Eventbrite link.

Thank you for reading and please follow us here and on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/

Old Scratch Press’s latest publications: Old Scratch Press Catalog

For the Love of Literary Late Bloomers

Published on by Beatriz F.Leave a comment

Some flowers spread their fragrance in spring, some tease us until late summer:  just when we think they’re dried up, spent, they surprise us with an explosion of blooms!

I’ve always had a soft spot for the late bloomers of literature.  (Maybe because I myself identify as a late bloomer!)  As thrilling as it is to read about young prodigies like S.E. Hinton of The Outsiders fame, (she wrote that book as a high school senior!), the late bloomers are just as amazing to me.

What is considered a late bloomer in literature?  The general consensus seems to be a writer whose first major work is produced after age 40.  

Debra Eve, publisher of the website Later Bloomer (now an archival site) has collected many fascinating essays and information about late bloomers in all fields of life, including literature and poetry.

Bloom (via Substack now) is another site devoted to the late bloomers in life.

This Write and Journal article states that late-blooming authors are more common than we think and why this may be a forward trend.

Eva Q. Tennant’s article on late bloomers shows how “the creative spark doesn’t dim with age — it deepens.”

Old Scratch Press founding member Nadja Maril has written about another late blooming author and OSP member, Morgan Holladay, author of The Song of the North Mountain, and her experience publishing this collection after age 50.

One of my personal favorite literary late bloomers is Mary Wesley, who turned to writing adult fiction in her 70s and went on to write ten bestsellers in the last twenty years of her life!  I learned of her work via the 1992 mini-series adaptation of one of her most well-known novels, The Camomile Lawn. 

In poetry, there are many later bloomers, but one that may not come to mind is Thomas Hardy, whose early fame was built on his 14 novels, but who considered himself a poet and wrote poetry for 30 years before publishing his first collection when he was 58.  After that, during the rest of his life, he published only poetry.

When I think of late bloomers, writer Winifred Watson also comes to mind, not because she was a late bloomer herself, but she wrote about an older woman experiencing a Cinderella-like transformation in Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, an experience that mirrored her own rise to fame in late life when her novel was rediscovered and republished by Persephone Books and made into a delightful film of the same name in 2008 starring the incomparable Frances McDomand.  This article on Anne Sebba’s site discusses how Watson’s unlikely second act came about.

So tell me, who are some of your favorite late bloomers?  Please share in the comments!

Beatriz F. Fernandez is a late-blooming poet and short fiction writer. Join me for my November 1st reading (along with Miguel Mitchell) as part of the Speculative Sunday Reading series!  Presented and moderated by Akua Lezlie Hope. Readings are live on Zoom and tickets are free via the Eventbrite link.

Thank you for reading and please follow us here and on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/

The Struggle of Choosing the Perfect Title

Published on by Nadja MarilLeave a comment

By Nadja Maril

A founding member of Old Scratch Press

A few years ago a short creative nonfiction essay of mine, titled “Lipstick” was published in Hare’s Paw Literary Journal. It took many attempts to find a home for this particular essay. On reflection, part of the difficulty was in deciding on an appropriate title.

In contemplating “writer’s notes” about this particular piece of writing, I remember thinking about how titles set up certain epectations.

During that lull, after I’ve sent out my work and for several months while waiting for a response, always there is self-doubt. Is the essay too short, too long. Did I mess up the tenses again. Is is too negative? Will readers find it disturbing? Will editors opposed to any type of make-up be turned off? Yes, a lot of weird thoughts were whirling around in my mind, and several of them centered on the title I’d chosen. I’d started to question my choice . Did I give I it the right title?

I felt I’d written something good. I’d workshopped it with some colleagues and received some positive feedback from editors who ”couldn’t find space for this particular piece in our upcoming issue, but please send us more work…” so I sensed I’d written something powerful, but had I chosen the right title?

Photo by Dids . on Pexels.com

Titles are hard. At least they are hard for me. I know they are important. As a former journalist, I know it is the headlines ie titles that people read first and maybe the only thing they read. Maybe if they see the title “lipstick,” I thought, they will literally think it is an essay about lipstick. Maybe I should have chosen a title that indicated it was about a fraught relationship between a mother and a daughter.

If a piece has been submitted to a magazine and it’s anonymously sitting in the slush pile, a reader/editor might barely read the work, if they decide they don’t like the title. After all, they’ve got a whole bunch of other stories waiting to be read. Maybe they shouldn’t even bother. Perhaps they are asking themselves, will this particular story interest me?

As a writer, not as an editor, I want my title to be appropriate. When I put on my editor’s hat, I’m thinking I want a title that will draw readers in and how does one do that?

As a writer, I try to draw on advice from other writers, who suggest choosing a poignant line from your piece and taking that line as your title, or as an alternative approach, selecting a moment that will evoke surprise as your title. For surprise I could have chosen, What I did when I Found Her on the Floor. For an evocative line I could have chosen, “The silence grows longer and longer.”

Often I start writing and I do not know what I’m truly writing about until my journey is coming to a close. Selecting a title can help me clarify what are the most important aspects ot the story.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I’m wondering whether this desire of mine to find the perfect title could be turned into a writing prompt. As the hot summer days seem longer forcing us to spend more time indoors and fellow writers are all looking for fresh approaches, here is an idea. Try writing your title first and specifically focus on a scene in the story that will create tension.

WRITING PROMPT: Think of a scene from your past, full of tension and conflict. Maybe it was the moment your boss handed you a pink slip or you were standing in the cafeteria line and realized you’d forgotten your voucher or wallet. What made this situation tense? How did you feel at the time? What were you thinking about? What were your physical responses?

You can do this with fictional characters and situations as well. The title, “The Moment My Boss Handed Me a Pink Slip” is obvious or maybe not. Perhaps the title will change depending on the actions that ensue. But it’s a beginning.

Picture the scene in your mind. Select a few important details that stand out. Try writing the same scene again for ten minutes with a different variation. Did you learn anything?

Thank you for reading and for your feedback. If you have a favorite technique for titling your work, please share. We’d love to post it.

Submissions are scurrently open for the final 2026 issue of Instant Noodles Literary Magazine. Check it out.https://duotrope.com/duosuma/submit/instant-noodles-O0jFm

What’s in a Title? Naming Your Poems Like It Matters

Published on by Beatriz F.Leave a comment

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”

              ~ Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, spoken by Juliet, Act 2, Scene 2

Today I am writing about a subject dear to my heart—choosing titles for poems.

The opportunity to name something you created should not be wasted.  You’d think people would give this more attention than they actually do.

Back in the 80s, there was a best-selling book called The Name Game and its main premise was that your name was your destiny.  If you wanted your child to be popular, excel in school and marry well, you had to be very careful what you named that little baby in the bassinet.

It would seem to follow that naming your poem merits some consideration as well!

To be clear, I’m no expert and I’m not denigrating any method you may be in the habit of using to choose your titles (or name your children!). But I have a keen interest in this subject and it seems to be a somewhat neglected area of discussion in poetry.

Just to see if maybe something on this subject was buried in books about writing poetry, I checked out a few classic poetry craft books: Ted Kooser’s The Poetry Home Repair Manual and Robert Pinsky’s Singing School. Kooser devotes a few pages to the subject.  Pinsky mentions nothing about titles but does provide lots of examples of classic poem titles to peruse.

I then checked in the library catalog of a library of 2 million+ volumes, and only ONE book comes up under the LC classification subject heading: Titles of poems, it is a book called The Title to the Poem by Anne Ferry.  She explores the subject in depth, asking questions like “Who gives the title? Who has the title? Who “says” the poem? Who “hears” the poem? What genre does the poem belong to? What is the poem “about”?” and considers the deeper aspects of titling poems: “There are complex relationships between what titles purport to tell and what they actually tell, and this is true not only of titles so worded that they demand interpretation, but also of those that appear straightforward.”

A title can anchor a poem in space and time, giving the reader some necessary context with which to begin reading and enjoying it.  For example, a recent poem I wrote I entitled:

“Native, Antilles High School, Ft. Buchanan, Puerto Rico”

I could have just named it “Native” but the place and the time were very relevant to understanding the background of this poem, so the title’s subtitle in this case was very important.


Similarly, a poem entitled “An Evening Encounter at the Arecibo Observatory” gives the reader a lot of information, the time, the place, and the sense that this encounter is not going to be an ordinary one, given the nature of the place!


A title can lend specificity and a sense of fun at the same time:
For example, “At the Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory” (and yes, this place really exists!)


First of all, how can you visit a place called the Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory and NOT write a poem about it and use that name in the title??  However, I later thought I really should have called it “Touring the Mayan Monkey Mijas Chocolate Factory” and that would have conveyed even more relevant information because I was a tourist, not someone who worked there or a local who regularly visited, for example.
This title conveys a specific place (Mijas, Spain), history and culture (Mayan), fun (monkeys!) and sensory detail (the aroma of chocolate) and opens all sorts of questions in the reader’s mind, such as:  What does a chocolate factory in Mijas have to do with Mayan monkeys?
 

Bridget Kriner’s article: Making It Work: Five Jobs for Poem Titles — The Poetry Lab helps you think about how to title your poem by thinking of what you want that title to bring to the poem.

“…titles are hard to get just right and do really important work–namely, a great title shows the reader how to read a poem.

A poem’s title is where the reader is introduced to a poet, an invitation from the poet into the depths of a poem’s magic. This is, essentially, the main job description of a title: to welcome its readers at the doorway of the poem and to draw them inside. However, the specific function titles perform can vary.”

In The Power of Titles: Strategies for Choosing the Right Title for Your Stories & Poetry, Emily Harstone makes a powerful argument against giving poems what she calls “placeholder” titles.

“As a poet, I haven’t always put as much emphasis on titles, but working
as a reader and then an editor for a literary journal really changed that
for me. When I was in that role I had to read about a thousand poems
over the period of two months. This is not an uncommon experience
for editors or readers.
I had to pick around ten poems out of all these poems to share with
others. But after reading so many they all started to merge together in
my mind. It didn’t help that a number of them had the same title.
Sometimes I’d try and remember a poem I liked, but then ended up not
finding it because while I remembered part of the poem I didn’t
remember the title.”

This problem would be exacerbated during the judging of a poetry contest, for example, and could keep your poem from winning an award! Imagine a judge reading dozens of poems called “A Dream” for example and trying to remember which one they liked best!

I think the approach of giving memorable titles to poems helped me when, after winning the 2nd annual Writer’s Digest poetry award with “Respiratory Tech at the Vietnam Memorial, 1989,” (which conveyed the speaker, place and time) I followed it up several years later with “The Menopausal Mermaid Takes Medical Advice” which came in at #36, I think. If you keep in mind that the first contest had ~4200 entries, and was only in its 2nd year, so the entries probably ballooned afterwards to even higher numbers, the importance of a memorable title becomes all the more obvious.

I think the saddest thing I see is “Untitled” as a title. I’m sure there are many brilliant poems by that title (though I can’t think of any off hand), and of course many poets just use the first line of their poem as a title, as per Emily Dickinson (but then again, most of her poems were not meant for publication.) But I feel like not giving your poem a title is a lost opportunity to engage with your reader on a different level.

Rodney Wood gives several techniques to find the right title for your poem: Why poem titles matter more than you might think | Write Out Loud

He does warn that any technique used too often can quickly become monotonous, though.

His final advice should resonate with any poet: “A title doesn’t have to be clever, poetic, or punchy — but it should be deliberate. It’s the invitation, the signpost, the spell. It’s the first poem the reader reads, even before the first line. So give your poems the names they deserve.”

Thank you for reading and please follow us here and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OLDSCRATCHPRESS/

Beatriz F. Fernandez is a Miami area poet and University Reference librarian. She is the author of three poetry chapbooks, the most recent of which is Simultaneous States (2025) by Bainbridge Island Press. In 2025, she became a member of the Old Scratch Press short form and poetry writing collective.

Her upcoming poetry book, Stone & Star: Poems in Voices Across Time will be published this fall by Old Scratch Press.

READ ONE OF OUR MEMBERS’ LATEST POETRY COLLECTION:

HOWLING INTO THE VOID

BY R. DAVID FULCHER

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Howling into the Void by R. David Fulcher

A Free Workshop with Emeritus Member Ellis Elliott

Published on by diannePLeave a comment

Saturday, July 18 11:00am – 12pm ET

BY DONATION
An online workshop led by Regina Dilgen, in conversation with Fiona Owen and Ellis Elliott

Workshop Details

Are you ready to send your work into the world but you’re not sure where to begin? This practical workshop will guide writers through the submission process from start to finish. We’ll cover how to:- find appropriate markets- interpret submission guidelines- format your work professionally- write a simple cover letter- track submissions- handle acceptance and rejection with confidence. Whether you’re submitting poems, stories, essays, or creative nonfiction, you’ll leave with the tools and resources you need to take the next step in your publishing journey.

This event is by donation and requires registration. Click on the image for all the information:

Having been to Ellis’ workshops before, I can safely say this is very much worth your time!

~Dianne

handmade boat

Why I Still Love Literary Magazines

Published on by diannePLeave a comment

One of the joys of literary magazines is that they introduce us to work we might never have sought out on our own.

If someone had asked me whether I was looking for a poem about a pine-bark boat carrying a birthday-candle across a marsh under an equinox moon, I probably would have said no.

And yet here I am thinking about exactly that poem.

Morgan Golladay’s “Equinox Moon,” published in Instant Noodles Literary Magazine, is the kind of poem that reminds me why I keep returning to literary journals. It creates an entire world in just a few lines. We feel the cold leaching through boots and mittens. We see the still marsh. We watch a tiny handmade boat drift into the darkness carrying a small flame.

What I admire most is the poem’s quiet confidence. Nothing dramatic happens. There is no great revelation, no sudden twist. Instead, the poem trusts observation. It trusts atmosphere. It trusts the reader.

One image in particular stayed with me:

This tiny taper, though small,

is enough to banish the darkness.

The line works beautifully within the scene, but it also feels larger than the poem itself. We have all experienced moments when something small, a kindness, a memory, a friend, a poem, becomes enough to carry us through a dark stretch of life.

That ability to suggest more than it says is one of poetry’s great strengths.

Reading a little about Golladay afterward made the poem make even more sense. She has said that poetry works best when it is heard and that it should be concise, simple, and tight. “Equinox Moon” embodies that philosophy. Every image earns its place. Nothing feels wasted.

It also reminds me that literary magazines are not simply collections of writing. They are collections of discoveries. Every issue offers readers the opportunity to encounter voices, perspectives, and images they might otherwise miss.

That’s certainly what happened to me here.

If you haven’t visited Instant Noodles Literary Magazine recently, I encourage you to spend some time with the current issue. You’ll find poetry, fiction, nonfiction, humor, and artwork from writers and artists working in a wide variety of styles and genres.

You may come for one piece and leave thinking about another entirely.

That’s part of the magic.

Have you discovered a poem recently that stayed with you long after you finished reading it? What poem was it?

HOURS LEFT!

Published on by diannePLeave a comment

7/5 Last Chance to Submit!

Instant Noodles Submissions close TODAY for: AL DENTE!

Al Dente:
 In cooking, pasta or risotto al dente (/ælˈdɛnteɪ/, Italian: [al ˈdɛnte]; lit. ’to the tooth’) is cooked to be firm to the bite, requiring a brief cooking time. The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables. In contemporary Italian cooking, it is considered to be the ideal consistency for pasta.

What does al dente mean to you? To your neighborhood vampire it probably means something different. How about to the prospector mining gold?

Send us something that you haven’t overcooked!

Submissions close TODAY: July 5, 2026; the issue publishes SEPTEMBER 1, 2026.

close-up of the Statue of Liberty

A Poem Worth Revisiting This Independence Day

Published on by diannePLeave a comment

Every Fourth of July, Americans revisit familiar symbols: fireworks, flags, parades, and historical speeches. This year, I’d like to suggest revisiting a poem.

One of the most influential poems in American history is “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus. Written in 1883 to help raise funds for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, the poem was not originally intended to become famous. In fact, it was largely forgotten for years after it was written.

Most people are surprised to learn that the poem was not originally part of the Statue of Liberty. The statue itself was a gift from France celebrating liberty and democracy. It was only in 1903, sixteen years after Lazarus’s death, that a bronze plaque bearing the poem was installed inside the pedestal.

Today, however, many readers recognize its closing lines, which have become inseparable from the monument itself:

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”

Emma Lazarus

What fascinates me about “The New Colossus” is that it did something very few poems ever accomplish. It changed the way people saw a monument.

The Statue of Liberty was already standing in New York Harbor when Lazarus wrote her poem. Yet over time, her words became so closely associated with the statue that many people now think of the poem and the monument as a single work. A few lines of poetry helped shape how generations of Americans understood one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.

That’s an extraordinary accomplishment for any writer.

As poets and readers, we sometimes forget how powerful language can be. Most poems will never become part of a national conversation, nor do they need to. Yet “The New Colossus” offers a reminder that poetry can leave a lasting mark on culture in unexpected ways.

I also enjoy the fact that the poem’s influence wasn’t immediate. It wasn’t a viral sensation. It wasn’t an overnight success. It spent years in relative obscurity before eventually finding its place in American history. There is something encouraging about that for writers.

As Independence Day approaches, consider taking a few minutes to read “The New Colossus.” Even if you’ve encountered those famous closing lines before, reading the entire poem offers a new appreciation for what Emma Lazarus accomplished.

More than a century later, people are still discussing her words. That’s not a bad legacy for a poem.

Do you have a favorite poem that feels especially American to you? We’d love to hear about it in the comments.

The New Colossus

BY EMMA LAZARUS

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

LAST CHANCE FOR AL DENTE!

Published on by diannePLeave a comment

7/5 Last Chance to Submit!

Instant Noodles Submissions close THIS WEEK for: AL DENTE!

Al Dente:
 In cooking, pasta or risotto al dente (/ælˈdɛnteɪ/, Italian: [al ˈdɛnte]; lit. ’to the tooth’) is cooked to be firm to the bite, requiring a brief cooking time. The term also extends to firmly-cooked vegetables. In contemporary Italian cooking, it is considered to be the ideal consistency for pasta.

What does al dente mean to you? To your neighborhood vampire it probably means something different. How about to the prospector mining gold?

Send us something that you haven’t overcooked!

Submissions close on July 5, 2026; the issue publishes SEPTEMBER 1, 2026.