Comments on: Commonplaces

By: Sarah Puglisi

Sarah Puglisi — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:41:51 +0000

Without realizing whyjust rolling with my feelings as so much of the time I do, I just placed a book on my blog that you might like, and that connects to this so clearly to me. It truely was in my mind to just let you find it, but you appear to be riding that other wave. In her book Vecchione in such clear song talks of spirit and the voice found by a writer. Tho cryptic this post relates. Writers are methaphor makers. There is a really good book called The Clam Lake Papers I should take over to your new section, as I figure this out. That writer and yourself seem to truely share something.
Sarah

By: Graham Wegner

Graham Wegner — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 08:35:12 +0000

Just because you add in a few poems that maybe I can’t really relate to, doesn’t mean I’ll be unsubscribing or feeling alienated. It’s no different to the idea of live blogging a conference where the blogger writes in a bunch of notes as the presentation unfolds - it’s purposeful for the writer and maybe someone who also attended the session or was hoping to, but anyone else can just skip it and wait for the next post that might be of interest. I’ll be honest - I’m not big on poetry ( but I find some song lyrics to contain poetic imagery) and what you choose may or may not mean anything to me but that’s my problem, not yours. It’s your blog and people read here because you are true to yourself and your own ideas, not writing to please any sort of potential audience. Another way of looking at it, if I added in lots of blog bling on TGZ (badges ;-0, pulsating graphics, Web 2 logos) would that alter your perception of what I write? The only negative I could imagine is someone new comes to your blog, sees your latest entry, groans, “Not another eclectic poetry blog!” and leaves. Well, if they don’t look a bit deeper, it’s their loss, not yours.

By: Doug

Doug — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 23:23:12 +0000

Bruce, as a remote catalyst for this new (what I now imagine to be) feature of the blog, I’m glad to get your input. I began writing here without plan or conscious purpose, and I’ve relied on intuition to guide what passes for an editorial policy, as opposed to any set of guidelines. I’d hate to have to define my selection criteria! Your comment, that what I notice may be as interesting as what I have to say, nicely summarizes the rationale. It may serve the same purpose for me, as well. I hope so, anyway.

Still, I am curious what readers have to say about me rearranging the furniture, and bringing in a few potted plants. (I like your analogy Thanks.

By: Bruce Schauble

Bruce Schauble — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 18:36:02 +0000

After I responded to Doug’s post with an email, he wrote back and asked me this question. Here’s what he wrote, and my reply follows. Anyone else want to jump in?

DOUG: I believe that the success or failure of this idea rests on the quality of my judgment as to what I put there. This, of course, is true no matter what I write. But by posting content without comment - like the poem, The Country, by Billy Collins, for instance - because it made me laugh out loud - I run the risk of alienating readers who come to the blog to hear from ME.

Truly, this could be a separate blog. But I post the “thoughtful” stuff only a couple times a week at most, so I don’t think I run the risk of burning out the readership by overwhelming them with material they aren’t interested in.

As a writer, teacher, and recent correspondent of mine, do you have any thoughts on how well this might fly? Any pitfalls you envision? I think I’ll go ahead and post the Collins poem now to break the ice… I’m curious how it’s gonna work with what I’ve already got going.

BRUCE: I don’t think you need to worry about living up to the expectation that you will stand and deliver something in your own words each time you blog. People return to your site because they’re interested in what you have to say, but also because they are interested in how you think, what you notice, what has come to your attention. Chances are that if something has interested you - like the Collins poem - it’s going to interest a lot of us as well. And, as you indicate, there’s a regular flow of serious stuff as well. But I think there’s plenty of room in Borderland for the occasional tropical potted plant or polkadotted whoozits to make an appearance. Local Color of a different hue, if you will.

In summary, I’m all for it. I’m interested in what’s in your head, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in what’s in your attic.

Good luck with the new addition.

- Bruce