Reading, reading, reading
I’ve been reading manuscripts for my intensive juried poetry workshop that we hold every year in June here in Wellfleet. I counted for a while and then stopped and am just counting the poets accepted so far – five. I will do more of the rejections Monday. I read the mss. as they come in as quickly as I can, divide them into definite negatives, possibles and definites. The negatives and positives I inform as soon as I can. The possibles I hold on to for further reading and consideration. I’ll accept 12 and two alternates. Almost every year, when things get real in May and each participant has to send me a ms. of 15 poems and the rest of the fee, somebody drops out. They may have changed their mind about coming all this distance or actually taking part or something may have come up in their personal or work lives. Oddly, I’ve never had someone drop out so far who was coming from another country [Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, England, Australia].I pay on attention to previous publications or awards in making my decisions. I just read the 5 poems and pick out people who are outstanding and poets I would be interesting in working with. One year, the second alternate, someone I was a bit dubious about and who had the least experience and had never published before has become on the most successful poets from the workshop. She is now widely published. Has her first book in press. She had something I could feel in her work and the workshop certainly brought it out. As soon as I have my 12 and 2, Woody will set up a private FB group so we can begin to communicate. Those groups often go on after the class. I’m still in touch with many of the workshop participants from previous years, but more of them are still sharing work and their lives in continuing groups on line. I’m also reading short stories for a guest editorship of the next fiction issue of 5th Wednesday. They are sending screened stories to me, and I solicited a number. It’s raw, windy and dreary today but we still walked at the harbor. It’s beautiful there in any weather. The garden is essentially done but we’re having trouble getting raised beds made. I think the guy who said he would do it has had 2nd thoughts and it now returning calls. I’ve been reading Jill Lepore’s THE SECRET HISTORY OF WONDER WOMAN and a book of short stories by Hillary Mantel, THE ASSASSINATION OF MARGARET THATCHER. Sometimes I just have to read something besides the obligatory mss. Tonight we’re going out to dinner at the house of a friend. She lost her husband last year. After a difficult first marriage, it was a loving and close relationship.