Sarah Lawrence College, Writing Seminar, Monday Recap

[RetroLounge]

Well, I survived Day 1...

We workshopped poems from 9:30 to noon. There's some really amazing talent in my little group!

Then after lunch an informal group formed on the commons and we began passing poems out and workshopping them there.

At 1:30 I had my one-on-one conference with Thomas Lux, followed by more workshopping, a talk by writer Nick Dawidoff, more networking, dinner, faculty readings featuring Lorna Blake and Stephen Dobyns, then student readings.

At the end of the day I stayed up too late talking craft and stuff with a few MFA students...

Now off for coffee and to start day 2...

RL

[lizziegrace]

1. Sounds like the best kind of exhaustion

from being creative and challenged. I'm so glad you're there.

:hug:
















(okay, not "the best", but as close as you can get for now...)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear Retro!

Sounds really like the perfect environment for you...

I know you will thrive there!

And who wouldn't stay up too late?

Good for you!

:hug:

[RetroLounge]

3. Kick

:hi:

RL

[Dora]

4. Very nice to hear about this.

What did you think of Dobyns? I've long admired his poems, and heard a few years ago that he was rather a rapscallion.

What do you think of the workshopping and your peers?

[RetroLounge]

5. The whole experience is amazing

The workshops, my peers, the readings.

Some amazing poets here, and all are great.

Stephen Dobyns, Stuart Dishell, Lorna Blake, Ron Eggats, and of coure, Tom Lux.

:hi:

RL

[Dora]

7. I'm so happy for you, for this immersion in the word.

What a wallowing!

[The Straight Story]

6. Thanks for the update

Glad to hear it is going well! Keep us up to date. Please :)

[Lyric]

8. Stephen Dobyns? OMG! I love him.

Pursuit by Stephen Dobyns

Each thing I do I rush through so I can do
something else. In such a way do the days pass -
a blend of stock car racing and the never
ending building of a gothic cathedral.
Through the windows of my speeding car, I see
all that I love falling away: books unread,
jokes untold, landscapes unvisited. And why?
What treasure do I expect in my future?
Rather it is the confusion of childhood
loping behind me, the chaos in the mind,
the failure chipping away at each success.
Glancing over my shoulder I see its shape
and so move forward, as someone in the woods
at night might hear the sound of approaching feet
and stop to listen, then, instead of silence
he hears some creature trying to be silent.
What else can he do but run? Rushing blindly
down the path, stumbling, struck in the face by sticks;
the other ever closer, yet not really
hurrying or out of breath, teasing its kill.

------

I am incredibly envious, and glad you're having a good time. :hug:

[RetroLounge]

9. Yeah, he read a bunch of new poems this week

amazing...

:hi:

:hug:

RL