The American Language: Transitional Voices in the Craft of Poetry

H.L. Mencken famously wrote, “the American, on his linguistic side, likes to make his language as he goes along.” In response to Mencken, this creative project investigates the complimentary use of exceedingly formal dialects, colloquialisms, and slang in the craft of poetry. Writing within the boundaries and in response to the American poetic tradition is comparatively undefined by a single language. However, this call-and-response between the American poetic tradition and the contemporary craft of poetry creates a particularly American voice. The definition and characterization of this voice are fleeting. As Mencken suggests, the American language is fluid, enough so to mirror the tone and political intentions of that poem. This creative project explores the boundaries of the American voice—the boundaries that seem to define the separation of a harmless political commentary and the abuse of our language