Poetry Queries: Can Poetry Be Taught? with Abbi Parcell

1. Can the craft of poetry truly be taught, or is it an innate talent? What experiences have shaped your perspective on this?

Yes, I think that poetry, like any craft, can be taught. I also think that some writers are more comfortable than others when it comes to crafting a narrative or a poem. But I don’t think that the boundaries between poetry that has been ‘taught’ and poetry that is an ‘innate talent’ are as clear-cut as this. Even innate talent requires some form of nurturing, practice, and refinement to reach its full potential. At the same time, teaching methods can be tailored to enhance the abilities of a student. The development of your own poetic ‘voice’ or ‘style’ – whatever you want to call it – cannot be crafted from non-specific and innate talent alone. There will always be pre-existing reference point that your writing exists in relation or opposition to. But I also believe that it cannot be developed through refinement or teaching alone. How do we distinguish between the two? You can lead a horse to water, I guess…

2. How do you differentiate between teaching the technical aspects of poetry (like form, meter, and metaphor) and fostering a poet’s unique voice and creativity?

Teaching poetry, like any topic or skill, involves a balance between understanding the technical knowledge and encouraging individual expression. The technical aspects, such as form, meter, and metaphor, provide a foundation upon which poets can build. I think it’s very important to understand these elements as they inform the rhythm and sound of a poem. They can also help us craft and refine the narrative. The devices can be an intimidating place to start but they do help us to form a solid foundation.

But, like any other craft, it is essential that students have space to try out different devices and decide whether they are aiding their expression or whether trying out another device will be more effective in creating their desired effect or expression. A huge part of fostering a poet’s unique voice and creativity is creating a space where they can experiment and explore their narrative voice. Regardless, there needs to be a built trust between student and teacher where experimentation and exploration is not just supported but encouraged. This can start by prompting students to think about ‘what they want to say’ or thinking about how they can share their thoughts, feelings and experiences in their writing. Just as some students find more traditional modes of feedback useful, whereas others prefer workshopping to help refine their writing.

For some, this is far more of an internal process. Some writers, myself included must go through an independent process of trial and error where they write and rewrite, spread their work over multiple documents, hide pieces that they are unsure of in a folder buried deep in the cloud. Some may start or switch to writing by hand, where they can physically cross out words, lines or stanzas. Sometimes, we have so much to say and a real urgency to say it. We find ourselves having to write and write and write as the ideas come to us, with no semblance of structure, or regard for form, meter, or rhythm. We just need to get it out before the idea runs away from us completely. There are other times where we just finally have to accept that we need to take some time to write nothing at all.

3. What are some of the most effective methods or approaches you’ve seen for teaching poetry, especially to those who might initially feel intimidated by the art form?

I think that starting with free writing or stream-of-consciousness exercises can be a great way to overcome barriers to writing – especially if you are new to it. It can be really useful in helping students to overcome their initial intimidation and tap into something as familiar as their own thoughts and feelings. This is something that I revert to in my own writing, even now – it’s just the way that I use the initial writings that has changed over time.

4. Do you believe that formal education in poetry can limit a poet’s creativity, or does it provide essential tools for expression? How do you balance teaching the rules of poetry with encouraging students to break them?

I think that formal education in poetry has its place and provides essential tools for expression. You have to understand the rules to push back against or break the rules. Structure and subversion cannot exist without one another. As a poet, you need to understand the rules of poetry to be able to make informed choices about when and how to deviate from them. We also need to understand what the expectations of certain conventions or forms are before subverting them. Subversion is never a one-dimensional stating of the superiority of one issue over another. Subversion is a conscious undermining of pre-existing structures to validate itself as an ‘other’. 

As I said at the start; you can lead a horse to water…

Teachers can only encourage students to experiment and challenge traditional forms, which can lead to innovative and powerful expressions of their unique voices. The role of the teacher is to create an environment that values both technical proficiency and creative freedom. This balance will help poets find their own path.

Abbi Parcell (BA MA PGCE) is a butch writer and poet based in Manchester. She explores testimony of lived experience through auto-fictional practice. Her work explores intersections that shape personal identity, considering how internal processes intersect with external perceptions. Abbi focuses on the importance of establishing lesbian histories, connections, and how radical it has always been for lesbians to simply exist.

She is currently a Writer-in-Residence at the Portico Library and is completing her PhD in Auto-fiction as Testimony at The University of Salford. Abbi has also worked with The Manchester Poetry Library, The International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester City of Literature, LIRG and The Poetry School London. Her poetry collection Hold Your Metaphors Accountable was released in 2023 and was published by Team Trident Press. 

Abbi will be running the two part video course Women, Writing & Place with us this Spring, starting on Saturday 1 March 2025.