Ben Nelms explains the features of the quadrad, a form of poetry he developed, at the Marshall Writers Guild seminar Thursday, April 19. (Photo by Kathy Fairchild/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

Retired University of Missouri professor and free-verse poet Ben Nelms is convinced of two things. First, e-mails and blogs do not adequately replace personal letters and diaries as a means of recording social history and second, "Everyone is a poet."

Nelms was the featured speaker of the Marshall Writers Guild's annual seminar held Thursday, April 19, at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Marshall. The seminar attracted more than 20 local writers.

Nelms has a long history with area authors. During his tenure at Mizzou, he was a frequent visitor to Marshall, where he conducted teaching seminars for local high school teachers.

Among the many schools he worked with, Nelms said, "Marshall was always special." He cited former MHS English teacher Dorothy Van Meter as an outstanding teacher with enormous influence on her students at the high school level and in the local writing community as well.

In 1990, the public television series "The Civil War" was brought to life, as historian Ken Burns intended it should be, "through the voices of the men and women who actually lived … it." Throughout the series, the letters and diaries of long-dead men and women made real the impact of that bloody conflict on the ordinary citizens of the 19th century.

As Nelms pointed out, writing the social history of the 21st century and beyond will be much more difficult in the absence of those personal records.

For those interested in recording social histories in their own families or in their wider communities, Nelms suggested a number of techniques.

Easiest of all is to interview members of one's own family on the same topic. A sixth grade writer might ask an older sister about what it was like to be in sixth grade, then ask her father and grandmother the same question.

Recording the answers and then comparing them will provide insights into both the past and the present. A project like this was done in Marshall in the early 1980's, at Nelm's suggestion; the results can be found in the Marshall Public Library.

Another useful technique is to make an alphabetical list of topics the writer particularly wants to write about. Short writings, perhaps a few pages, on each topic can paint a picture of life today for generations far into the future.

Nelms was most passionate on the subject of poetry. As a free-verse poet himself, he encourages everyone to write a little bit of poetry every day.

He's even invented a poetry form he calls the "quadrad." A quadrad is a poem of 12 short lines -- three or four words at most -- none of which have to rhyme. Each quadrad must contain at least one line consisting of a single word. Finally, the poem must be centered on the page.

The aim is to create a poem that captures a moment in time, with, Nelms says, "a twist," something unexpected. If you want to be a poet, Nelms says, "Begin with free verse."

The Marshall Writers Guild was founded in 1995 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion, encouragement, education and support of those interested in the craft of writing.

The group meets the third Thursday of each month at 1 p.m. at the Marshall Public Library. Membership dues are $10 yearly. For more information, contact Authorene Phillips at (660) 886-6130 or write to phillips57@murlin.com.

Contact Kathy Fairchild at

marshallhealth@socket.net