[Jim Moonan]

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I think many poems could benefit from a prefacing note when being workshopped. Nothing elaborate/detailed. Just something that gives context/leads the reader into the poem. In finished poems it could add value If done correctly . I liken it to a performer giving an introduction to a song. There’s an art to doing it well. I think Springsteen does it well — although some artists are famous for never introducing their songs (Dylan, Morrison), so there are two camps.

But I’m referring specifically to poems being workshopped. Maybe not always, but most times it might help inform the critiquer. It could be nothing more than “This just came out of the blue” which in its own way says something.

I could be — half the time I am — wrong. But if you think differently, tell me why.


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