(no subject)
It's cold and windy again today. One of those days where I get exhausted just trying to keep myself warm, where the only place I can actually be warm is curled up in bed in the fetal position, which is obviously not so good for my productivity. One of those days where I will find any excuse not to leave the house, even for a fun reason. Also, it's pointless to even contemplate wearing a cute outfit right now. To survive, I must stick with my lint-afflicted fleece and clashing hat. My parents gloat every time they phone that it is 80 degrees there. I cannot wait for spring.
My talk with Greg went fairly well. He said that to connect my work more with the community of contemporary poets I should... read. Yep, a no-brainer. He also strongly implied that I shouldn't worry about MFA programs or "making it" right now. There have been a lot of poets who started out at Carleton in the last ten years who are now published or in great MFA programs, but they all took multiple years to explore before getting to that point.
I am proud of myself that I was brave enough to raise some of the specific concerns I've had about my work. He said he hasn't been bothered by the "directness" of the language of my poems, and that upon reading them for a second time or aloud he realizes they are usually much richer in sound than he thought. As for the "finished" quality of my poems or what Chris called "world-weariness," he says not to worry about getting into a rut, that it is probably just a phase I am in right now. I should continue to stretch myself and try things I don't usually do (funny poems, happy poems, especially "sloppy" poems), but he said he's not that concerned by it.
The talk itself was pretty casual, but apparently Advanced Poetry Writing will be a more intense class. Another recently published poet who started out in Greg's classes is coming to visit next term, so that will provide a useful counterpart to Chris's visit, just so I don't start thinking all young poets are the same.
My talk with Greg went fairly well. He said that to connect my work more with the community of contemporary poets I should... read. Yep, a no-brainer. He also strongly implied that I shouldn't worry about MFA programs or "making it" right now. There have been a lot of poets who started out at Carleton in the last ten years who are now published or in great MFA programs, but they all took multiple years to explore before getting to that point.
I am proud of myself that I was brave enough to raise some of the specific concerns I've had about my work. He said he hasn't been bothered by the "directness" of the language of my poems, and that upon reading them for a second time or aloud he realizes they are usually much richer in sound than he thought. As for the "finished" quality of my poems or what Chris called "world-weariness," he says not to worry about getting into a rut, that it is probably just a phase I am in right now. I should continue to stretch myself and try things I don't usually do (funny poems, happy poems, especially "sloppy" poems), but he said he's not that concerned by it.
The talk itself was pretty casual, but apparently Advanced Poetry Writing will be a more intense class. Another recently published poet who started out in Greg's classes is coming to visit next term, so that will provide a useful counterpart to Chris's visit, just so I don't start thinking all young poets are the same.