All my workshopped poems end up worse than before I took the advice of the workshop! Yet I am drawn to that empathetic immediate readership, so I organize and attend workshops all the time. Of course I read all the time, too, and listen to my own advice--which I guess balances out the workshops 🤷🏻♀️... I do wonder (no mfa!) if I’m missing some important information, some magic key to unlock the world (the insular poetry “community”) that determines who gets published and who doesn’t. I guess I’ll keep wondering because I’m not going to waste my money on a worthless degree at this point in my life!
Has this changed over time? Is this the result of MFA programs? Or maybe are there small communities--I am inclined to believe I’m part of a few groups that do support and encourage each other. The cynical side of me thinks that a true community can only exist in person, and all media is illusion.
...hey Mr. fancy-shmancy NY pomewriter guy, how 'bout that nice Ben Rhodes fella? His mom got him a swell job in politics after his writing MFA from NYU, and now he has all sorta opportunities to feel sad about the shit the administration he worked for didn't fuckin' do. It's a little thing called retrospection--it's a little thing called a character's growth. Guess they didn't teach you about that at YOUR school...
How apropos to post this on the very same day you are hosted by VCFA MFA Writing program as a guest writer. I don’t think anyone goes into an MFA program expecting ROI--this isn’t law school. As far as going into debt for it, I paid for mine in cash from interest I’ve earned on investments. But not everyone knows how to good financial decisions and that is certainly not limited to writers. It’s pretty bogus to justify your point with authors from the 18th, 19th and early 20th century before MFAs were a thing. Maybe good old Walt would’ve been first in line for an MFA were one available--you don’t know. Toni Morrison didn’t have an MFA, but she did have an MA of Arts and went on to teach creative writing at Princeton. I’m sorry you don’t feel rewarded by the work you’ve chosen, that’s very sad.
All my workshopped poems end up worse than before I took the advice of the workshop! Yet I am drawn to that empathetic immediate readership, so I organize and attend workshops all the time. Of course I read all the time, too, and listen to my own advice--which I guess balances out the workshops 🤷🏻♀️... I do wonder (no mfa!) if I’m missing some important information, some magic key to unlock the world (the insular poetry “community”) that determines who gets published and who doesn’t. I guess I’ll keep wondering because I’m not going to waste my money on a worthless degree at this point in my life!
There is no poetry community any more than people staying in the same hotel are a community
Has this changed over time? Is this the result of MFA programs? Or maybe are there small communities--I am inclined to believe I’m part of a few groups that do support and encourage each other. The cynical side of me thinks that a true community can only exist in person, and all media is illusion.
MFA = Ponzi scheme?
P.S. Love Weegee!
...hey Mr. fancy-shmancy NY pomewriter guy, how 'bout that nice Ben Rhodes fella? His mom got him a swell job in politics after his writing MFA from NYU, and now he has all sorta opportunities to feel sad about the shit the administration he worked for didn't fuckin' do. It's a little thing called retrospection--it's a little thing called a character's growth. Guess they didn't teach you about that at YOUR school...
How apropos to post this on the very same day you are hosted by VCFA MFA Writing program as a guest writer. I don’t think anyone goes into an MFA program expecting ROI--this isn’t law school. As far as going into debt for it, I paid for mine in cash from interest I’ve earned on investments. But not everyone knows how to good financial decisions and that is certainly not limited to writers. It’s pretty bogus to justify your point with authors from the 18th, 19th and early 20th century before MFAs were a thing. Maybe good old Walt would’ve been first in line for an MFA were one available--you don’t know. Toni Morrison didn’t have an MFA, but she did have an MA of Arts and went on to teach creative writing at Princeton. I’m sorry you don’t feel rewarded by the work you’ve chosen, that’s very sad.