What's Next

Now that I've locked in a set of questions for poets for now, time to start querying folks. I know an editor or two, a few poets, and then others who just might like to answer such questions. I have a call into a web designer/programmer and hopefully by Tuesday I'll find out some costs. I might go the blog route, but it would be nice to be able to change design and other such things should the project have a shelf life extending beyond a couple of years.

For now, the project's just in a bit of a holding pattern.

There's also an audio journal project on the horizon, but it's not of the poetry variety -- that niche is already well-filled by others with more funding and ideas than I've got time for. This audio journal involves questions and responses from all walks -- not just poets and such. It will also involve a podcast that I hope to distribute once every two weeks. But we'll see. The test will be here in the next three weeks. It involves receiving responses and editing those responses down with backing music (performed locally here in the Merced area!) and perhaps some editorializing.

So that's what's next, for any who may care. In the meantime, I've been reading some blogs from all over the place, grading papers, teaching, some writing. Oh, and my wife and I bought a house.

Finalized Set of Questions

Here's the cluster that managed to make it to the final stage:

• What is the poet's responsibility?

• What is your stance on, or relationship with, the nature of language?

• "The role of poetry is to purify the language of the tribe." (Mallarme) -- How does poetry in the 21st Century relate to the emerging "language of the tribe"?

• Blake: "Enough, or too much." How does this apply to your writing/revision/editing process?

• What roles do luck and play have in your work with poetry?

I will have another blogsite up for the responses to these questions. In soliciting poets and editors, I'll ask them to respond to two or more of the questions -- my wife indicated that five might seem a bit much in all our busy wanderings. If you would like to participate, let me know at: poetryquestions (at) gmail (you know the rest!) dot com.

One More, Maybe Two, and Then Revise, Then Wrap

Getting closer to the end here.

I really want to include a question about luck, and one about play. Maybe they could inhabit the same question.

• What roles do luck and play have in your work?

I really don't want the answer to center on the theme or content so much as process. Perhaps a slight change:

• What roles do luck and play have in the way you generate your work?

It's clunkier, I think, but it is clearer.

Over the Top

Still thinking of questions for a "questions-for-poets" project. I've read more online interviews and most seem to focus on particular passages from books or on the publishing of books. Little that prods the poet to give their understanding of the parts and measures and wakefulness of poetry and writing poetry. So I may still have a niche for this project.

To wit:

How much and what do you exaggerate?

No, that's close but not quite pointed enough.


What part of your poetic process involves exaggeration?

No, but at least this question address the process of poetry.


Maybe:

Blake: "Enough, or too much." Do you take this advice in your poetry?