For some reason, this went off just to Helen: so here it is:
>I agree with Jon, not much going down in the way of discussing or critiquing
>each others poetry. It appears poetry groups on the internet are similar to
>dance classes, a lot of soft shoe shuffling, much trepidation about stepping
>on toes, and little learnin'
I'd say it is partly some 'trepidation about stepping on toes,' & that
because, as we have seen again & again, there is a great problem with
'tone' on e-mail. Those of us who have run workshops know how careful one
has to be in saying things, in offering suggestions etc. As well, one of
the problems here (& i put myself forward as an example of such feeling) is
that many of us see ourselves as 'professionals' & our work, especially
published work, as (if not 'finished' because perhaps nothing ever is)
'done.' Where I'd be happy to get some feedback in a group situation where
we're all talking together in person (or, I think I would), I'm not so
sure about getting such comments in this huge open forum.
And would Jon be as happy to get feedback for his poems that said, 'What a
load of shit, Jon', as he would to get the ones that say. 'You're a
genius'? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be...
I believe many of us do b/c comments when they have been asked for...
Anyway, I see this as something each of us has to choose, & while I can see
such 'critiques' as being very interesting, I'd be more interested in the
somewhat more 'neutral' talk that is 'poetics,' a representation of the
attitudes, concepts, etc we bring to our writing as we write. And I think
we get some of that even from such exchanges as the one that has been
burning up the wires (or ether) recently here...
Douglas Barbour
Department of English
University of Alberta
Edmonton Alberta Canada T6G 2E5
(h) [780] 436 3320 (b) [780] 492 0521
http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/dbhome.htm
It's all in books, save the best part; God knows
where that is: I found it once, wasn't looking
John Thompson
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