[stylist] Blank verse

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Jackie,

You don't require an MFA in order to write or know about writing. While
I credit my formal education to my personal growth and knowledge as a
writer, and while I do encourage serious writers to consider the formal
academic route, I never, ever have thought this is the only way in which
to learn and grow as a writer.

You have such a beautiful voice in your writing, and you certainly know
what you're speaking about with poetry. I've learned a lot from you in
the short time I've known you.

as a Stylist member. Our ability to write and contribute advice and
suggestions about writing, shouldn't only be taken serious if we have
some degree attached to our name.

I wouldn't trade my experience in, but I'm not so naïve or deluded that
I think only those with a degree can write and discuss writing. Many
famous authors have no formal training in the craft, or their education
isn't based in writing at all. At my university, one of the reasons my
particular program was created was because there had been a disagreement
in how best instruct on the subject of writing. An inevitable split
happened, and the writing program moved into the fine arts college,
becoming a workshop program, while the English department focused solely
on nonfiction writing, only offering it as a grad certificate and the
workshop environment was a foreign concept to them. While I have my
opinions on this, ultimately it led to a sad break that took years to
repair, and even now, due to being in two completely different
departments, there's very little communication between the Writers
Workshop in the fine arts department, and the English department. My
point being that different people have different views on how best to
learn writing, and what environment is best in which to cultivate it
even within academic institutions.

You are a gracious lady, yourself, and a huge asset to this list. None
of us should feel threatened by titles and accolades, though we
certainly can learn from those who do have such things associated with
their names. That's what I like about Stylist, we all have diverse
backgrounds, and we come together to share, help, encourage and
commiserate, smile!

Sincerely,
Bridgit Kuenning-Pollpeter
Read my blog at:
http://blogs.livewellnebraska.com/author/bpollpeter/
 
"History is not what happened; history is what was written down."
The Expected One- Kathleen McGowan

Message: 5
Date: Sat, 3 Dec 2011 12:24:42 -0700
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: "'Writer's Division Mailing List'" <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: Re: [stylist] Blank verse
Message-ID: <3025420871694D4E929B52577FD3152D at JackiLeePoet>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Bridget,
You are a gracious lady. Yes, every prof has his own style of motivating
students. Sometimes they vary from strict forms because it can be
discouraging to follow a set of rigid rules. Please understand, I am not
an expert. I do not have an MFA. I struggle to understand, and have
never been accused of  writing poetry which is literature that will move
on. Instead, I am a bit of a perfectionist in trying to apply forms, and
sometimes there more complicated the form, the more motivated I am. I
think perhaps you have some similarities, for you write  extremely well
in whatever genre you choose, and seem to remember everything you
learned. My memory is fading a bit, so I have to look back on the rules
more than I would like. You are a blessing to this group. Sincerely,
Jacqueline Williams