I admire all sorts of things in the poems above by Kevin, Terese and Steve, and think Catherine's perfectly retold story is characteristic of her stunning debut volume. Though space might well prohibit postings and discussions of longer poems, especially for those of us who must avoid tying up phone lines throughout the day, I would like to invite Sphereans to think about larger narrative structures and Deborah's well-taken point about economy. When is verse technique abetting the story, and when is it impeding it? When does verse allow us to leave things out that a prose writer would include? When does verse open up opportunities for expansion?
I should add that I've finally been able to post some notes on dramatic voice on a new thread, and I'd invite reactions to those. Maybe some day I'll figure out how to write an essay on the subject.
Dave
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