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How to Write a Book of Poems in the Style of Nada Gordon: A Playful Guide to Language, Whimsy, and the Everyday

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Introduction: The Spirit of Nada Gordon’s Poetry

Nada Gordon’s poetry blends humor, whimsy, and an irreverent approach to language with a keen sense of the mundane and the surreal. To write a book of poems in her style, you’ll need to embrace playful experimentation, cultural references, and the ability to make the ordinary feel extraordinary. Gordon’s work is often tied to Flarf, a movement known for its collage-like use of found language, online searches, and randomness, creating unexpected juxtapositions. This guide will walk you through key strategies for channeling her approach.

Chapter 1: Embrace Playfulness and Humor

One of the hallmarks of Nada Gordon’s poetry is her ability to infuse humor into serious subjects. She often turns to the absurd to break down the formal constraints of poetry and language. Here’s how to cultivate that spirit of play:

Step 1: Forget Seriousness (for Now)

  • Let go of formality: Writing like Nada Gordon requires you to play with words, mix high and low registers, and create unexpected shifts in tone.
  • Use wordplay and puns: Experiment with multiple meanings, and don’t be afraid to indulge in puns, jokes, and playful deconstructions of clichés.

Exercise:

Pick a mundane object, like a toaster or a pair of socks. Write a poem that anthropomorphizes the object in a humorous way, letting it “speak” about its existence or feelings. Push the absurdity of the situation, turning it into a small narrative or riff on modern life.

Chapter 2: Experiment with Found Language

Nada Gordon is well-known for incorporating found text from the internet, advertisements, song lyrics, and overheard conversations. Flarf poetry uses this technique to create poems that feel chaotic, but oddly unified.

Step 2: Collect and Remix Language

  • Collect from everywhere: Browse online forums, social media, or random Google searches. Copy snippets of text that catch your eye. These might be quirky, banal, or even nonsensical.
  • Mix genres: Blend together scientific jargon, pop culture references, and advertising slogans in one poem. Don’t worry if the resulting lines don’t make sense on the surface.

Exercise:

Do a random Google search for an unusual phrase, like “purple rain on a Sunday morning.” Copy the first five sentences from different sources that appear in your search results. Now, write a poem using those fragments as the backbone. Feel free to add your own lines and manipulate the text to create new meanings.

Chapter 3: Find the Beauty in Everyday Life

Gordon often blurs the line between the profound and the trivial, transforming everyday moments into points of reflection or unexpected insight. You don’t need grand themes to write in her style; the ordinary is often enough.

Step 3: Focus on the Mundane, Elevate the Ordinary

  • Observe everyday scenes: Pay attention to what’s around you—whether it’s your morning commute, a conversation at the grocery store, or scrolling through social media.
  • Make the mundane magical: Take these ordinary details and use poetic language to transform them. Allow your subject to bend and warp as it moves between reality and the surreal.

Exercise:

Spend a few minutes observing your surroundings, whether indoors or outside. Jot down notes about small, insignificant things—what people are wearing, the sound of traffic, snippets of conversations. Write a poem that transforms these observations into something surreal or dreamlike. Give objects emotions, let inanimate things speak.

Chapter 4: Incorporate Pop Culture and Internet Slang

Nada Gordon’s work often includes cultural references, memes, and internet language. To write like her, embrace the fleeting and evolving language of the web, popular songs, or TV shows.

Step 4: Speak the Language of Now

  • Use slang and internet phrases: Gordon often pulls from the language of the present moment, incorporating hashtags, slang, and internet culture into her poetry.
  • Subvert the reference: Use a pop culture reference or meme in a way that adds layers of meaning or shifts the context.

Exercise:

Think of a trending phrase or internet meme (for example, “YOLO” or “I’m just here for the snacks”). Write a poem that includes this phrase but twists its meaning—turning a joke or casual statement into something poignant or reflective.

Chapter 5: Juxtapose High and Low Culture

In Nada Gordon’s work, high and low culture often sit side by side, creating a layered effect. Classical references might collide with pop music lyrics, or philosophical musings could be interrupted by slang or everyday language.

Step 5: Mix Worlds, Break Hierarchies

  • Blend references: Use literary or philosophical references alongside more casual or contemporary language. Let the tension between these elements create an unexpected resonance.
  • Don’t resolve the clash: Part of the charm of Nada Gordon’s style is the unresolved tension between high and low. Allow your poem to feel fragmented or disjointed rather than seeking resolution.

Exercise:

Write a poem that references both something “high” (e.g., Greek mythology, Shakespeare, or classical music) and something “low” (e.g., reality TV, fast food, or viral TikTok trends). Don’t worry about making these elements fit together seamlessly—let them exist in an awkward, playful relationship.

Chapter 6: Embrace Fluidity and Non-Linear Narrative

Nada Gordon’s poems often defy traditional narrative structures. Instead of telling a straightforward story, they weave between ideas, images, and voices in a fluid, almost dreamlike manner.

Step 6: Break Free from Linear Storytelling

  • Let your mind wander: Don’t be afraid to jump between ideas or images without clear transitions. Trust the reader to follow along, even if the logic is strange or fragmented.
  • Use collage-like structure: Think of your poem as a collage of different voices, images, and snippets of language that come together to create a larger impression.

Exercise:

Write a poem that jumps between at least three different ideas or scenes. For instance, start with a reflection on your breakfast, then shift to a memory from your childhood, and finally, end with a random internet search. Allow these elements to remain distinct, yet part of the same piece.

Chapter 7: Avoid Overly Personal “I” Statements

Nada Gordon’s work doesn’t dwell heavily on the personal, introspective “I” in the way that some confessional poets might. Instead, her speaker is often playful, detached, or even ironic, avoiding direct emotional expression.

Step 7: Distance Yourself from the Speaker

  • Avoid direct confessions: Steer clear of overly personal or sentimental expressions. If you want to express emotion, do so through indirection, humor, or surrealism.
  • Let the world speak: Focus on external observations, dialogue, or fragmented images rather than personal introspection.

Exercise:

Write a poem where the speaker is not a central, confessional “I.” Instead, have objects, animals, or other characters speak. Let the “I” exist as a distant observer, if at all.

Conclusion: Finding Your Voice Through Gordon’s Playfulness

Writing a book of poems in the style of Nada Gordon requires an embrace of the whimsical, the fragmented, and the playful. By blending found language, cultural references, humor, and surreal twists on the everyday, you can create poems that feel lively and unexpected. Remember, Nada Gordon’s style thrives on breaking rules, so feel free to experiment, improvise, and let your poems surprise both you and your readers.