Writing Workshop

My initial thoughts on workshop before the week started was excitement because I never let anyone read my work so when we have to do it for class, I thought it would be fun, and it is. Having a room full of writers critiquing your work is a magical thing because no one is speaking to you for the grade. No one is helping you or tearing you down to be funny. Whatever they have to say, they feel like they want you to progress and succeed. That is my favorite part because that's what is so so scary about workshop, people critiquing your writing, but when they are respectful and helpful, it makes the whole process even more fun. The benefits of workshop are definitely getting some honest comments. Some people didn't hold back and that's what I needed. To hear the truth about their thoughts to fix any awkward phrases or helpful suggestions. The helpful feedback helped my poem stand on its own without being confused about the true meaning of the poem and I needed help with that. The feedback gives us perspective on how we write according to other readers and see the reactions without your input. We find our strengths and weaknesses through other eyes. That is fascinating.
The drawbacks of poetry workshop are obviously people critiquing your precious work. If you give out something personal to your life, they are going to try to fix it and make it sound better, but it will feel like they are critiquing your story written on the page. If you have a strong mind about the matter, the workshop could really help. This is like putting your soul on display for everyone to see and that takes bravery.
I love how as English majors we can sit in a circle and honestly give opinions and suggestions on how to make our work sound out even more. We can truthfully ask questions about our work and get honest answers, no judgement necessary. I love that about workshop and I hope this isn't the last time I get to participate in one.

5. Thoughts on Workshop

Our poetry workshop in class was definitely a learning experience for me. I have participated in workshops before, so I kind of knew what to expect. I was a little intimidated when I found out that my poem was the very first one to be workshopped, but at the same time I was a little relieved that my anticipation wouldn't have to build up any longer. 

I found it very helpful that to kick off the workshop session, we had to read our own poems out loud. I found that my poem sounded differently read aloud than when I read it in my head, and this exercise alone made me more conscious of the flow and rhythm of my poem. It was then very beneficial to hear everyone's comments, both good and not-so-good, regarding my poem. The poem that I workshopped in particular was a story poem, so I was very focused on seeing that my story was conveyed artistically to the reader.

That being said, I think that the poem that the author chooses to workshop is so crucial. I really took to heart what Professor Groner said when she advised us not to choose a poem that was overly personal to us. Because I chose a poem that was not super personal to me, I was able to take any negative feedback that I got and view it constructively. I think that if I had workshopped one of my heart-on-sleeve poems instead, I might have not been able to be as receptive to the feedback. However, this makes me wonder about how my personal pieces would be able to grow. If I am unwilling to share them with the class out of fear of putting myself out there and taking criticism, how can those poems ever be positively revised? Perhaps those poems are more like my diary entries. I am not worried about meter or rhyme or enjambment when I write my most personal poems; I am only thinking about extracting me from myself and spreading my heart across the page.

Blog 5: Workshop Reflection

I've always really enjoyed workshops. I don't know if it's because I'm really selfish and love hearing the good things people have to say about my writing (as I'm sure most people do), but I really love them. It was so cool to hear and read how people reacted to my poem and what it made them feel and think of - I think I just really enjoy evoking emotional responses from people through my writing. I think, from what we've done so far, everyone has had such insightful comments for every poem we've done. While it's hard to hold back from responding to comments made throughout class, I really think that's beneficial because a good piece of work (poetry, in this case) should be able to stand on its own and the point of the workshop, I think, is to be able to get the piece to the point where it does. I think it's really important for everyone to say what they feel could improve or change, but at the same time it's important to make sure that the author knows that they don't need to take every single piece of criticism and use it. A lot of times, there have been some really amazingly thoughtful comments and suggestions that have either given a new perspective to a poem or, if the author chooses to work with them, could really make the poem so much stronger. Overall, I've really been enjoying the workshop process and I think it's helped me grow as a writer.

Workshop Reflection

 Working on other people's poetry and gettin feedback from many students really helped me a lot in numerous ways. I was able to look at my work more objectively as I heard what others literally "felt" as they were both reading and listening to my poetry. It was interesting, though, how classmates sometimes found more meaning in my poem than what I really meant to put in:) Also, reading other students' work helped me a lot not only because all of them were pretty much amazing but also because they were students' work than a professional's. It was an interesting experience to actually give a feedback to someone else's deep, condensed feelings, while until now I only had a chance to read and guess what the author is really trying to tell me through the poem.
 The only problem I met through the workshop was that I was not able to give deep analysis nor feedback on classmates' poem because of my language barrier. I understood the poems but sometimes it was hard to get the hidden meanings in between the lines or sometimes even behind the letters. Overall, however, the workshop helped me a lot to read and write poetry better!

Workshop

Going through workshop the past few weeks has taught me a couple of lessons the long way. Although my poem has not yet been workshopped, I have seen the benefit of others and their creative processes through it. Many poems have been improved, changed, or left predominantly the same. I cannot say that I really see a drawback in workshopping besides maybe the altering of an initial goal or the polite criticism hurting someone's feelings or initial thoughts about their work. When handled correctly and maturely, this is a super helpful process that I think also brought our class together, too!

Blog 5

While workshop can be a terrifying thing, it’s also very necessary for anyone who is serious about their writing. It gives you a chance to have your work looked at extremely closely by multiple people, all of whom have experience both writing and reading, so their opinions are especially valuable in this kind of setting. It’s helpful to get criticism on your writing, both good and bad, because it helps open your eyes. Sometimes it’s hard to see the flaws in our own work; we work hard on our writing and what we put down on the page is likely to be very intimate material, in one way or another. It’s really good to have others workshop your writing, so that they can catch your blind spots and open your eyes to new suggestions. Feedback is also a great way to find your true stance on your writing. Perhaps someone thinks a specific line is unnecessary or they just don’t like it – maybe this has never been brought to your attention before and you decide that no, this is your favorite line of the entire piece. These kinds of revelations can also be helpful, because you can give more power to things you love, especially when they’re under attack. I always find that this helps me get a definitive stance on how I feel about my writing. The drawbacks of workshop, for me specifically, is that not everyone gives adequate feedback (specifically, because almost no one was in class on my workshop day!) Workshop can also be tricky if you do not have a strong connection with your writing; all the opinions could discourage your own voice, if it is not yet developed enough to withstand so many suggestions.

"An Evening with Zadie Smith" at Tulane

On March 1st, I had the amazing opportunity to attend a reading and interview with Zadie Smith at Tulane University. I’d previously known Smith for her first novel, White Teeth, but this night left me wanting to learn much more about her work as a writer. The auditorium was packed as Smith took the stage. She started the evening by reading one of her yet-to-be published short stories entitled “Two Men Arrive in a Village,” a heartbreaking narrative filled with nameless characters that experience grave injustices. She introduced the story by explaining how she questioned if there was an effective way to write a story about pain in which the character's suffering effectively spoke to the universal experience of suffering. The story wasn’t just dark for the sake of darkness -it was a vivid, gripping, poignant reflection on human suffering and injustice. It left teary-eyed, but also unbelievably inspired.  

Despite my general annoyance with the woman conducting the interview portion, Smith’s answers were brilliant and reflective. When she would speak, I felt the need to take intense notes (three pages worth, in fact). She was amusing, earnest, intelligent, and unbelievably self-aware. This was most apparent during the audience portion of the interview when an audience member asked Smith what the meaning of life was. Despite the audience’s laughter, she remained straight-faced. “I know you’re joking, but this is a very serious question.” The audience quieted down and after a few more moments of reflection, she replied with certainty: “I think the purpose of life is to get over yourself.” I think it’s my favorite answer she gave all night.

Dogfish Reading Series

Last Thursday, I attended the Dogfish Reading series hosted in a beautiful home with food, drinks, and lots of writers. On a whim, Rachel and I decided to check out the setting and plus, we wanted to cheer on the lovely and talented, Professor Groner. She was one of the two featured readers sharing her work. I was truly amazed at how comforting and at home I felt, where other writers talked about their work and everyone just sat around and enjoyed the art of words.

I was personally inspired to be in a room full of such talented people that had the guts to share their work with the old and newcomers. We heard an empowering short story that revolved around the idea that race and poverty are still present today. Professor Groner shared a poem about the observations of a marine biologist and a short story about how sisters actually emerge from swamps. I felt so proud to call her my Professor even if I was concerned about my poem I had turned in the day before, after hearing these wonderful stories.

There were so many people present and yet, it felt so tranquil and that is why I am definitely returning. I have never been to a reading before last Thursday and I was astounded why I hadn't before. Although we did not stay for the open mic, I would love to stay longer next time, in preparation to listen to more words late into the night. Hearing people read their own writing sucks me in and I crave more. I'm so excited to return and get to know more people each visit. Things like this make me happy that I am a writer.

Extra Credit: Zadie Smith

Tonight I attended a reading and Q&A session for writer Zadie Smith. I actually knew nothing about Zadie or her work before attending the event, so I went in with no expectations. I found it be a very enjoyable evening, even though the lecture hall was overflowing with people and I had to set up a chair in the very back of the room. Zadie herself also said a lot of things throughout the event that inspired me and stuck with me.

She started out the evening by doing a reading of her newest short story, “Two Men Arrive in a Village.” I found this story to be very thought-provoking and open to interpretation. The story started out very broad, so it was a little difficult for me to visualize it at first with Zadie just reading it. However, as she went on, I was able to get more of a taste for the story. The story explored cross-cultural lines and the act of one culture, in a way, barging in and invading another. It was interesting to me that while the story drew very hard lines between different cultures, like when the two men were reacting to the food that the villagers prepared for them, at other times it blurred those lines of difference, like when one of the men was telling the young girl in the village that he was an orphan too. It was a dark and at times uncomfortable story. However, I found that it was very eloquent and started a train of thought in my mind about race and class.

Zadie Smith herself also seems to be such an intelligent and cool woman and writer. In the Q&A portion, she talked about how conversations surrounding race nowadays always seem so negative. However, the “communality” of race across the globe is something that she believes should be acknowledged and appreciated as well.

She had such a free-spirited, free-thinking, open vibe to her, which I could feel even from my spot all the way in the back. As a writer, I was really inspired by what she said about being a relatively “normal” person writing about extraordinary things. “You don’t have to go shoot an elephant,” she said. “There are things right in front of you that are worth writing about.”

            

This truly inspired me because I do often feel like maybe my life hasn’t been filled with enough outrageous stories or crazy twists for me to write about. I have feared that it makes me a boring writer. I realize now that writing is all about taking what you have in front of you and seeing all the creative things you can do with it. “I get a lot out of a little,” Zadie said. I think that is a lesson that we can all learn for ourselves.

Extra Credit

I recently attended an incredible set of readings, courtesy of the Dogfish Reading Series. The venue was a whole other level of inviting, as it took place in the home of our host. I have never felt more welcome coming into a stranger's home before; I even had a piece of cake, a true indication of comfort for me. The company was unreal -- just a group of friends, old and new, gathered around to listen and support the local talent our vibrant city has to offer.
The night began with a wonderful show from Mr. Universe and his guitar, which was a really fun way to get started as people got their drinks, their food, and began to settle in. The featured readings followed his set promptly, which I really enjoyed and appreciated.
The featured readings ranged from a shocking piece about slavery, set many years ago but which clearly portrayed issues of race that are still active, still important, still killer today, and an unexpected twist on the idea of sisters and where they come from, what they go through, by our own Professor Groner, whose imagery left me with chills and an incessant urge to cheer, "That's my professor!" with pride.
I am still kicking myself for not staying for the open mic, but I intend to clear my schedule next visit. While this was my first time attending this series, it will not be my last. Perhaps I will even be on the list for the open mic soon!