Sonnets From Suburbia

I wrote "Father's Voice" thinking of how impatient/annoyed I'd get talking to my elderly father.  And then realizing how foolish that was.  What experiences like this have you had?

Feeling powerless and/or guilty about not doing enough about the world's strife motivated the "Receipts" sonnet.  How do you cope with feelings like this?

The need for attention is certainly something I relate to and an open mic night is where it's on display, which is what I tried to capture in "Open Mic Night." Where do you recognize your needs in this area?  (nothing to be ashamed of, btw.:)

"Hidden Skeletons" is a sonnet about the fact that we all, if I may be so bold, have little incidents where we might not have behaved in the highest manner.  Relatable?

Do you think this form, sonnets, can deliver certain themes, messages, commentary better than free verse?

How does the use of the couplet at the end of each sonnet help you get the gist of the piece?

Iambic pentameter is, as Lady Penelope says, "like heartbeats penned."  Can you hear the da-dum-da-dum-da-dum-da-dum-da-dum?  Does that help the reader "sync up" with the words or no?

Questions for Penny...

1.  Why sonnets?
      Two reasons:  I'm a lifelong actress and have enjoyed many years of stage, television and film work.  You may (or may not) remember me from shows like  Rich Man, Poor Man, Knots Landing, The Tony Randay show, Crazy Like A Fox or films including All the President's Men, The In-Laws, The Frisco Kid.  Click link for more - imdb.me/pennypeyser   And through it all Shakespeare, his plays and sonnets have been inspirational to say the least.   How it all started - I was in a Shakespearean acting class and we were assigned the task of writing a sonnet to get more up close and personal with iambic pentameter.  I went home, dashed one off and thought - this is fun!  Came back to class with four of them - crabby teacher only let me read one - and I just kept writing them.  That was 12+ years ago and sonnets have become my favorite "delivery system" for expressing myself, how I see the world around me, relationships, parenting, social media, etc.

2.  What's with the costume?
      I began performing my sonnets at poetry readings and found they were crowd pleasers.  I came up with the idea of creating my Lady Penelope character, knowing an Elizabethan costume would be a fun counterpoint to using an old form on modern day topics.  I started a YouTube channel before writing my books which you might want to check out. https://youtu.be/YBBxu3FkdAw?si=nu8QLp2l0wS2xAF5  and also developed a one-act play that I performed at the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June '23 and will be doing it in NYC July 11,13, 14 as well as the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August.  The costume has never been washed due to a dire warning label about its possible demise if I did so.  Don't stand too close!

3.  Do you find the Elizabethan sonnet form restricting?
      Just the opposite!  For me form is freedom.  (Rappers are with me on this.  Where would rappers be without rhyme and rhythm?)  Being able to play within a structure is a joy.

4.  What category would you place your book in?
         I suppose I'm a bit of a hybrid.  I think of it as a humorous, sly sometimes pensive commentary on life as I see it, experience it.  I happen to express this way - not today's usual poetry book which favors free verse and usually not amusing.

5.  Would you appear at our book club - online or in person?
     I would love to appear, perform and chat especially in person if location permits. (I live in Los Angeles.)

6.  Trivia about yourself?
    I grew up in Irvington, NY and my dad, Peter A Peyser, served as a U.S. Congressman from 1971 - 1983.  I'm the oldest of five, a mother of two fine men and grandmother of two rambunctious grandsons.  I'm married to Doug McIntyre who is also an author and former radio talk show host.  I make pizza every Friday night!  If you're in the neighborhood....