Home » Reading & Literature » Poetry » Crits

Crits

© Kay Day

The act known as a "critique" or "crit" has made its way from the workshop to the Net, and is alive and well. With cut and paste and click, a poet can put work before an international audience for comments or feedback that can range from high praise to words better left unshared. In a traditional workshop, the group usually has limited numbers, but here on the Net, the possibilities are endless, and often unpredictable.

On several different boards, mostly private, I once posted a poem about a divorce. In short order, I received condolences and advice. One reader asked questions about a character in my narrative poem. Problem: that character existed only in the mind of the reader, and was nowhere to be found in my poem. The lesson here: poetry specifics aren't true. If they are true, the work cannot be called poetry. Some of the comments, however, were right on target, and with minor revisions, an editor from a literary zine happened to see my poem and she asked to publish it. Lesson there: these boards have benefits beyond feedback.

There are message boards I just like to drop in on and read, or "lurk," as the habit is called. And there are private boards where I post my work, not because I'm afraid to post publicly, but because I don't have time to comment on all the work often posted on the popular boards. Of course, we all know that if we post our own work, then we should read and comment on some of the other works posted, so everyone will appreciate our good manners, and these other poets will crit our own work in return. Ideally, that's how it is supposed to work.

Gazebo has figured largely in the development of my own poetry, and this board attracts a diverse group of talented writers. Gaz, as it is called with affection by those who frequent the place, belongs to Alsop Review, one of the best literary publications on the Net. A caveat: Gaz is administered by very serious poets who take poetry, well, very seriously. If you're tenderhearted, don't take criticism well, and tend to write poetry that rhymes in an old way about a new romance, better not choose this as an avenue for crits. If you do visit the place, be sure to read the guidelines. I can make you one promise. If you post there enough and want to, there's lots to learn. A number of published award-winners use this board for feedback, and you will be treated to some of the best poetry and critiques on the Net.

The copyright of the article Crits in Poetry is owned by . Permission to republish Crits in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.