Comments on: You can learn more from a critique than a compliment

By: EDUARDO BERMEO

EDUARDO BERMEO — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:26:40 +0000

CONNECTIONS: IT IS NOT WHAT DO YOU KNOW, BUT WHO DO YOU KNOW.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:04:33 +0000

Khalil Gibran wrote one of the most profound short stories I’ve ever read within 47 words. There’s few works I’ve run into that don’t become interesting halved, quartered, chopped. Not so chopped as to become a twitter, mind you, but there’s something for brevity and revision.

To mangle a Chris Rock remark, a poem isn’t you or its topic. It’s the ambassador of that topic. Don’t create diplomatic incidents then, unless you’re prepared to go to war. ;)

By: Oscar Bermeo

Oscar Bermeo — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 04:33:44 +0000

And that reminds me of a workshop I took with Albuquerque poet Danny Solis. Danny said the recipe for performance poetry was simple: Always go back to the impetus of your poem. The need you felt when you first wrote it down and share that on stage.

By: Anisa

Anisa — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:25:09 +0000

Wow, interesting. I was talking to a veteran poet the other day who mentioned she usually goes through 20-30 revisions on a poem, always referring back to the original to keep aware of her original purpose. This reminded me of that conversation.