Some poets have asked about the selection process...
The selection process is fairly simple. Most of the poets subbing are experienced. As I shuffle the categories, I'm looking for a balance of styles and forms. Just because a poem isn't technically wonderful, it doesn't mean it won't work in an anthology as big as this one.
You see, this is a collection for children and the adults who love to share with them. Children (like adults) have a wide range of tastes. We could make the most rarefied collection ever and there would be some children who would be discomforted because the poems would seem to have so little to do with them.
However, if we made a collection of what my sister calls “utter doggerel”, then there would be children disappointed because they are not stretched for beauty. Some kids love scatological yuck-factor poems. Yes, there will be some in the collection, but not very many.
What I am looking at is whether a poem works in the category, and whether it works as a poem that speaks to at least some readers (other than the poet). If challenged, I want to be able to explain why that poem was selected, and how I see its role in the anthology. I can and will edit if necessary. With widely different styles clustered in 52 themes, I hope readers will find an appreciation of all kinds of poems from the naughty limerick to the clouds of glory surrounding that perfect wording, to the simple loving description of an animal to mad word play to a spiky piece of dissatisfaction or a moment of ... okay, Yuck.
So, does that mean every poem offered will go into the anthology? No, it doesn't mean that. Every poet who offers will have something in the anthology, but not necessarily everything sent. For one thing, some people have sent multiple poems for the same category, and the rule is one poem per poet per category.
I am still juggling categories around, so don't be alarmed if a category you subbed in has vanished. It has most likely been blended with a different one.
At present I’m assembling some categories as a dummy to see what is working. That was why I sent a recent email about the lengths, because some poets supposed the 350 – 400 words that will fit in a prose page would also fit in a poem page. Unfortunately, they won’t. I’m hoping no more than 15% of the poems will be overflowing into a second page. I definitely don’t want to cram things in with tiny print and squished lines.
If anyone who reads this note has personal comment about collections you've seen and you reaction, I'd love to hear from you.
Here's mine:
I have bought collections for myself in the past and have found most of the poems uncongenial; not because they don't reflect my experience, but because they are not things I want to read. I was appalled when I saw the selection of poems dished up for a class of 11 and 12 year olds to study. Not one had anything enjoyable about it. Death, destruction, hopelessness, misery and cruelty abounded. I seem to remember there were nine or ten poems and each provided an image I wanted to scrub out of my psyche with carbolic. This is not to say all poems should be sweetness and light, (that would be equally discomforting) but I prefer a balance.
The selection process is fairly simple. Most of the poets subbing are experienced. As I shuffle the categories, I'm looking for a balance of styles and forms. Just because a poem isn't technically wonderful, it doesn't mean it won't work in an anthology as big as this one.
You see, this is a collection for children and the adults who love to share with them. Children (like adults) have a wide range of tastes. We could make the most rarefied collection ever and there would be some children who would be discomforted because the poems would seem to have so little to do with them.
However, if we made a collection of what my sister calls “utter doggerel”, then there would be children disappointed because they are not stretched for beauty. Some kids love scatological yuck-factor poems. Yes, there will be some in the collection, but not very many.
What I am looking at is whether a poem works in the category, and whether it works as a poem that speaks to at least some readers (other than the poet). If challenged, I want to be able to explain why that poem was selected, and how I see its role in the anthology. I can and will edit if necessary. With widely different styles clustered in 52 themes, I hope readers will find an appreciation of all kinds of poems from the naughty limerick to the clouds of glory surrounding that perfect wording, to the simple loving description of an animal to mad word play to a spiky piece of dissatisfaction or a moment of ... okay, Yuck.
So, does that mean every poem offered will go into the anthology? No, it doesn't mean that. Every poet who offers will have something in the anthology, but not necessarily everything sent. For one thing, some people have sent multiple poems for the same category, and the rule is one poem per poet per category.
I am still juggling categories around, so don't be alarmed if a category you subbed in has vanished. It has most likely been blended with a different one.
At present I’m assembling some categories as a dummy to see what is working. That was why I sent a recent email about the lengths, because some poets supposed the 350 – 400 words that will fit in a prose page would also fit in a poem page. Unfortunately, they won’t. I’m hoping no more than 15% of the poems will be overflowing into a second page. I definitely don’t want to cram things in with tiny print and squished lines.
If anyone who reads this note has personal comment about collections you've seen and you reaction, I'd love to hear from you.
Here's mine:
I have bought collections for myself in the past and have found most of the poems uncongenial; not because they don't reflect my experience, but because they are not things I want to read. I was appalled when I saw the selection of poems dished up for a class of 11 and 12 year olds to study. Not one had anything enjoyable about it. Death, destruction, hopelessness, misery and cruelty abounded. I seem to remember there were nine or ten poems and each provided an image I wanted to scrub out of my psyche with carbolic. This is not to say all poems should be sweetness and light, (that would be equally discomforting) but I prefer a balance.