​Feedback Guidelines

line
or two
may be three

• Writing offered for feedback is a work-in-progress, not a published poem.
• In order to have positive interactions, some of the ownership transfers from the writer to the reader.
• Both the writer and the reader bring their personal experiences to the poem. Their experiences might overlap, but could very well be different.

beachcomber
parsing poems
​written in sand

• The writer lets the reader know what kind of feedback is wanted, whether it is a general impression of the poem; help with a troublesome word or phrase; or a question of grammar or punctuation.
• Feedback is an opportunity for problem-solving.​
• The reader does not necessarily receive the same message that the writer’s poem sends. Without reacting negatively, the writer is open to multiple interpretations, and is willing to consider suggestions from the reader.
• The reader might offer an alternative perspective not seen by the writer, who has an emotional attachment as the creator of the poem.
• Feedback is about the work, not the writer. Suggestions are given with kindness by the reader and accepted with grace by the writer.

becoming birdsong
the watcher writes
the fourth line