Taking Stock with the Catalog Poem

A catalog poem includes or consists of the enumeration of things, people, places, feelings, actions, ideas, etc. Catalog often uses the practice of listing, a collection of a series of linked items, but allows for more description, digression, and thematic development of both the individual items and what binds the individual items into a whole. Often, catalog reveals likenesses between seemingly unrelated details, referents, contexts, sounds, etc., or challenges commonly accepted systems of definition and classification.

Catalog Poems to Read:

• Chen Chen, "When I Grow Up I Want to Be a List of Further Possibilities"
• Ross Gay, "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude"
• Rebecca Lindenberg, "Catalogue of Ephemera"
• Kate Potts, "Catalogue of Strange Fish"

Questions to consider in writing, or in discussion with others:

• In each poem, look for patterns in the items the poet lists. Are there different types of items listed? How do these items change from the beginning to the end of the poem?
• In each poem, the poet expresses something about themselves or the world through the form of the list. What is the connection between the list and the speaker of the poem?
• Does the list change how you think about the items?

Assignment:
Compose a catalog poem. You can choose to list big, important things, such as what you are grateful for or what is possible. Or you can choose to list small, less serious things, such as your favorite snacks, what annoys you, the animals you think look the most ridiculous. After you write a first draft, look through what you’ve written to see if there are patterns in the items you list. Are the items more specific or general? How is the first item different from the last item listed? Did any items surprise you, or that you found strange?