Wishes, Lies, and Dreams

Poetry Comics inspired by the work of Kenneth Koch

Lately I’ve been reading the books of poet Kenneth Koch, an acclaimed writer who brought poetry into elementary schools in the 1960s. The lessons he created led to deeply imaginative poems. He shares them in his books ROSE, WHERE DID YOU GET THAT RED and WISHES, LIES, AND DREAMS, which I highly recommend.

I adapted a few of his prompts for three new exercises in making poetry comics.

1. Invisible

Write a poetry comic about something you can’t see. A sensation. An emotion. A force like gravity. Draw the undrawable.

Further reading: INVISIBLE THINGS by Andy J. Pizza.

2. Three Wishes

You discover a wishing well hidden in high weeds. It’s an enchanted well. If you toss in a coin, three of your wishes will be granted. Wish as weirdly, wildly, and bravely as possible. Or make mundane wishes—it’s up to you.

In the last panel draw what would happen if your wishes came true. Would the result be awful, amazing, or hilarious? Remember the lesson of fairytales: wishes never turn out quite like you expect.

3. Color Feels

Color is a powerful way to convey emotion in art. Start by drawing a color wheel. What does each color feel like to you? How would you draw that emotion?

What if you ventured outside the primary and secondary colors? What unusual, specific mental states could you illustrate?

Next week: Making the Old New, poetry comics inspired by the golden age of newspaper comic strips.

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For comics to inspire your own writing and drawing, check out my new book POETRY COMICS, published worldwide by Chronicle Books. You can find signed copies at my local independent bookstore and purchase it online wherever books are sold.

I’ve just heard there will be an Italian translation, the third foreign edition of the book planned so far! Can’t wait to share more.

Photo by @sarahturner1 on Instagram