Is it possible to write Fantasy Poetry?

[Devora]

I'm thinking of experimenting with writing Poems using elements of High Fantasy. Does this exist, and if so, any recommendations for reading?

 

[shangrila]

Most of the chapters in the Malazan series begin with a poem from one of the worlds fictional poets. I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for but it's the first thing that came to mind.

 

[Ireth]

Not to toot my own horn too much, but I have a poem in my portfolio that might be of interest to you.

 

[Steerpike]

Aren't a lot of the earliest works of Fantasy in human history poems?

 

[Devora]

I was thinking more modern poetry that uses High Fantasy elements.

 

[Steerpike]

Seems like Tolkien's poems would be a good starting place, then. They may be a little more archaic in style than the most modern poetry out there, but I think they'd be instructive in terms of telling a fantasy story with a poem.

 

[gavintonks]

if in doubt google

Fantasy literature - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[gavintonks]

The Quest for Elena the Fair (poem) | Greyhart Press

 

[gavintonks]

Fantasy Poems

 

[Lorna]

Long, long traditition, from Homer's Odyssey to Beowulf, Spenser's The Faerie Queene, William Blake's The Four Zoas, Tennyson's Idylls of the King.

Take a look for the 'epic poetry' thread. This covers similar themes.

I would highly recommend a book of poetry I just finished called Glossing the Spoils by Charlotte Hussey.

Many magazines publish speculative poetry, which can include a fantasy element.

NEWMYTHS.COM

Ideomancer Speculative Fiction Magazine |

Abyss & Apex

Although none of these ask for fantasy in particular. Do I detect a gap in the market?

 

[Ghost]

The Science Fiction Poetry Association is a good place to start. Despite the name they're into all speculative fiction elements, not just sci-fi ones. That's a good place to look for magazines with fantasy poetry.

I checked Duotrope for poetry markets that accept fantasy and electronic submissions, figuring they'd be more likely to have free issues online. Heroic Fantasy Quarterly has some high fantasy stuff. Eye to the Telescope is another place to look. Goblin Fruit is my current favorite.

Poems
Emerge Ravenous by Bethany Powell (Polu Texni)
The End of Scheherazade by Nancy Sheng (Strange Horizons)
Arcadia by Jacob Rakovan (Mirror Dance)
It Only Takes a Cauldron and a Dash of Thyme by C.S.E. Cooney (Goblin Fruit)
A Mask is Not a Face by Dominik Parisien (Goblin Fruit)
Rainmaker by Julie Shiel (Twilight Times)

I make less of a distinction between types of fantasy in poetry, so I didn't look for high fantasy over other kinds. I hope some of it helps.

 

[Shockley]

With the exception of a novel or two, the works of Lord Dunsany (the guy who inspired Lovecraft and Howard, and Tolkien/Lewis to an extent) are mostly poems. They're also out of copyright, and thus widely available.

 

[Lorna]

Thanks Ghost, I just checked out 'Heroic Fantasy Quarterly' and 'Goblin Fruit' - both awesome e-zines I hadn't heard of. I found a wonderful poem called 'Sidhe-Song' by one of my current favourite authors, Philip Emery. His latest novel The Shadow Cycles contains poetry.

 

[gavintonks]

most gaps exist because no one is making any money there - if you consider the size of markets and user demand literally anything anyone will read is out there, but try it and see, most people get stuck on 400 words though so be careful about it being too long unless it is seriously engaging - good luck and give it a go

 

[Steerpike]

Ah, good call on Dunsany. Definitely worth taking a look.

 

[Ravana]

"Possible" to write fantasy poetry? Of course. Anything can be written as poetry.

Possible to market it? That can be another story. The number of poems that get accepted is smaller than the number of fiction pieces–apart from those markets that print only poetry, you'll find most accept only two or three poems per issue, as against a half dozen or more prose pieces… if they accept poetry at all: many don't. Conversely, the number that get submitted is, if anything, larger, so competition is that much greater. You can also pretty well forget making money off it… though that's true of all types of poetry, fantasy and otherwise. Sad… but true. (A buck a line is a good rate.)

 

[JBryden88]

It was gloomy land that seemed to hold
All winds and clouds and dreams that shun the sun,
With bare boughs rattling in the lonesome winds,
And the dark woodlands brooding over all,
Not even lightened by the rare dim sun
Which made squat shadows out of men; they called it
Cimmeria, land of Darkness and deep Night.
It was so long ago and far away
I have forgotten the very name men called me.
The axe and flint-tipped spear are like a dream,
And hunts and wars are like shadows. I recall
Only the stillness of that sombre land;
The clouds that piled forever on the hills,
The dimness of the everlasting woods.
Cimmeria, land of Darkness and the Night.

I think this speaks for itself

Robert E. Howard's "Cimmeria" which in of itself is a poem based on Conan the Cimmerian.