Samples of Dr.Goodman's articles
Local poet's passion shines in new volume
"Jeffrey is passionate about poetry, and frank about the struggle to produce a good composition. It takes him "a long time to write a poem," and he often goes through dozens of drafts. "the feeling of a poem comes from sound and rhythm," he says, "and you have to get coordinated with the meaning..."
"A creative person, according to Jeffrey, "knows how to use methods" that will produce pleasing work. While some poets treat their creations like "tomato plants," allowing them to grow willy-nilly, Jeffrey prefers to order his pieces by the methods that are pleasing to him. These methods will no doubt please others as well. Indeed, Jeffrey Goodman's poems are well worth reading.
[Excerpt from an article by John Sledge, editor of the Mobile Register's Book page. Mobile Register, Sunday, November 29, 1998]
State of American Poetry divided into two camps
By Jeffrey Goodman
"The state of poetry in America today can be described quite economically. There are, these days, two poetic parties- a majority party and a minority.
The poets of the majority party are Romantic Modernists (or Post-Modernists). These poets practice the belief that poetry is primarily self-expression, especially of unique feelings. They normally write free verse, lineated prose or (more frequently now) prose...
The poets of the minority party are Classical Traditionalists. They practice the beliefe that good poetry represents the core of normal human experience. Art is, in a sense, objective. It is seeking, therefore, truth from the most considered, most informed and widest possible perspective...
Can one write a moral poem in free verse and an aesthetic poem in regular meter? Certainlly. Can one write a poem that is both aesthetic and moral? Certainly. All good poems are just this..."
[Excerpt from an article written by Jeffrey Goodman for the Mobile Register. Mobile Register, Sunday, April 26, 1998.]