ANOTHER POST



Despite my post last night, you may be wondering how to
proceed. This is A LOT of work. My concern at this point
is not to communicate, via small essay, the aesthetic aspects
of the work that are most striking, etc. Pretty much everyone
(and I mean EVERYONE) has continued to improve since
stage 2 of the workshop process. The mss. are very much what
they were on their way to becoming then, and I'm amazed
by the hard maturity and consistency evident in the work. So
I think what we want to do is be prepared to state in class
how we feel about each--know the work--but you don't need
to write anything out. I would mark up and edit the manuscripts
as needed. In each case envision the manuscript as going off
to press next. Is it ready for that? We will go alphabetically
through the mss (each poet reading about five pieces) and
discuss each. I want us to leave tomorrow's session with
each of you confident about moving forward to the next phase.
So, simply read the manuscripts, mark them as needed, and
come to class with any advice you might have for THE NEXT
STEP. In many cases, I'm simply finding, poem after poem,
nothing to correct. This is probably the most talented group
of poets I've ever met with in one place over the long haul
of a semester.