Designing the perfect poetry board is a contentious issue. I’m going to take a couple of unpopular stands. Debate is welcome.
Resolved: Poets and others should be able to critique the critiques.
This is a big change for me, but hey! I like change.
Everything posted to a poetry forum should be up for debate: Rules, poems, critiques, recipes, and photographs of Great Aunt Beelzebub the Lesser Demon.
Many critiques are worthless exercises in nitpickery and general ineptitude, offered with various motives. Those offered with good motives should be glad to hear if their crit is useless. Those with bad motives should be smacked.
If a poet can’t accept criticism, I want to know that up front. Having Ruben grit his teeth and remain silent while he rejects any comments that don’t kiss his ass doesn’t tell me that I shouldn’t bother to comment. Only his reactions tell me if I’m wasting my time. If he throws a fit, I can stop commenting without having a moderator hold my hand or make a rule to punish him (there is definitely a theme here). If I still want to comment, well, that’s my own risk–I’m risking my critique being revealed as garbage. If I can’t handle that, maybe I should just shut up.
I know boards have this policy in place to try to encourage critiques, but critiquing has to be its own reward. Too many crits are lazy, sloppy, and only offered out of duty (see issue 1). The only way to hold such critics responsible is to make them answerable to the poet.
And I’ve found that usually it’s the really snotty crits that garner the most reaction. Imagine that. If you make any attempt at friendliness, it’s generally returned. When it isn’t, leave that poet to his own devices. It really is that simple most of the time.
oh, honey, you are so right.
smile
She’s right about the rule of ‘no critique of the critique’. I’ve seen poor critics post the most inane bullshit, thinking it legit critique, with complete impunity. And when some poor boob pushes back, the coven goes postal and then sullen.
she incorrect about:
“If you make any attempt at friendliness, it’s generally returned.”
Not in the coven. There’s rules and a power structure, and that changes everything. The used car salesman starts out smiling and calling you friend. It’s true. And then .. well, …
Covens are no different.
-blue
This is the part i agreed with most: “Too many crits are lazy, sloppy, and only offered out of duty (see issue 1). The only way to hold such critics responsible is to make them answerable to the poet.”
I have received a number of one sentence “crits” that leave me wondering if the person even read my poem. That and at the same time addressing me by the wrong name. Not that I’m vain but if you can’t even get a person’s name right, how can you identify the points of the poem you want to talk about, if any.
but now i’m just venting and not being constructive. I promise my crits are better. smile
Generally, most people suffer the delusion of themselves as being smarter, stronger, prettier, and tougher than they are. It is a rare egg who steps forward at the outset and announces, “Look, please don’t offer me any negative comments, because I just can’t deal with that. Thanks.”
I think it would be an interesting twist if it happened more often. As it stands, most of the time a poet who doesn’t respond well to critiques is discovered by his or her flipping out about something. Once that display has been made, it is left to the various critters to (if they choose) stay well clear because it is a waste of their time to comment, or to continue to happily beat their heads against a wall.
Generally speaking, I have been pretty open to a critique of a critique. However, I have been far more open of a dialogue between critic and poster that develops into a conversation both about the poem and about the criticism. The few occasions this has taken place has always been the more satisfying of interaction to me.
I can acknowledge that while a board that sets up a policy which asks or demands a certain amount of critiques from its members runs the risk of increasing the number of fluffy or otherwise not very worthwhile crits, it also is worth mentioning that part of the impetus to make such a policy is simply to increase activity on the board. Whether or not that is an effective way to do this is another debate.
I think your assessment of friendliness is mostly correct. Sure, there are assholes everywhere, but being assholes they tend to declare themselves such at the outset and you can happily avoid or ignore them in the future.