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Oh go on, publish your selected...PM >From: Stuart Ross <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: Poetryetc provides a venue for a dialogue relating to poetry and > poetics <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Numbers >Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 12:30:03 -0800 > >Douglas Clark writes: > >>it kept me going through the years until in 1975 I made >>the mistake of publishing a Selected Poems which was an absolute >>publishing disaster and I have hardly written a serious poem >>since then. > >Hi there, Doug -- Your story's a sad one -- having the joy ripped out >of your writing. I can't help but think there's an issue of >perspective here, too -- that maybe you're having trouble viewing >your own work in a fair way (does that make sense?). Obviously, many >people have gotten much pleasure from the stuff you've produced since >the 1970s. Of course, that doesn't necessary give *you* satisfaction. > >Right now, my publisher wants to issue a Selected of mine, which I >really resisted for a long time. Then I agreed. And in the past few >days I've been on the verge of cancelling it again. So your email >struck me especially hard. If it's not too painful to dwell on, why >do you think the publishing of a Selected Poems had such a profound >negative effect on your writing? In my case, I don't see the need for >a Selected -- I'm not established enough; my three previous books are >still in print, if not in stores; I've never won an award; the masses >aren't exactly clamouring for it. That's why I'm so ambivalent. > >Best, > >Stuart >-- _________________________________________________________________ Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE* http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail