On Fri, 16 Apr 1999, Mark Robinson wrote:
> When I edited SCRATCH magazine, we probably had a ratio of 6:1 male:
> female in poets published but 12:1 in poems submitted. Yet: the
> overwhelming majority of students in creative writing courses I've
> taught have been women.Any suggestions why?
- Hi Mark! your experience tallies with that related by Tony (Shearsman)
Frazer, and approximates to the editorial problems which Tracy relates
(pleased to note it's not an all-male thing). With OTHER, there was a very
small, but perhaps significant, failure-to-supply count (where
failure-to-supply can include no reply, missed deadlines, refusal to
submit work and other reasons):
- 3 women poets
- 2 black poets
- 1 cambridge poet
- 1 scottish poet
Too small for a coherent study, I'd say, but interesting.
As a teacher of creative writing, how did you go about it? I mean it's
difficult... My assumption would be that your practice would relate more
to current theories of "learning enabler" than to any desire to teach any
"standard theory of the good poem"... Did you find your being a bloke and
them being largely women was an inhibiting factor for you or them?
Remember, the eyes of the world are upon you.
RC
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