First, read
each poem twice (at least). Once to get the general gist, mood, and feel of the
thing, then again to begin the process of deep noticing.
Your job as
a reader in a workshop is to help the writer see their own poem clearly. What you would do if it were your poem is not
important—you have your own poems to write, but this is someone else’s poem,
and so you want to try to understand what their project and intent is.
Provide written and spoken commentary
for each workshopped poem. Be specific. Answer the questions of “why” and “how” as often as you
can. Write on each other’s poems to show
where you are responding to exactly.
Consider
these areas:
-form: what patterns do you notice? This
might include line lengths, stanza lengths, repetition, rhyming, meter or
rhythm. Does the form suit the content, in your opinion? Why or why not?
-imagery: are there sensory descriptions
and details? Are they clear? Concrete (as opposed to abstract)?
-language: how has the poet used simile
or metaphor? Is there word play? What is the diction like? (conversational,
formal, slangy, regional?) Do the words seem carefully chosen? Why or why not?
-intent: what do you think the poet
wants to achieve with this poem? How do you know? In what ways does the poem
succeed in its purpose, and in what ways does it fall short?
-questions: what do you want to know,
after reading this poem?
-trouble spots: where are you lost,
confused, uncertain, or uninterested? Why?
-favorite moments: what words, phrase,
lines, images, ideas, etc., appeal to you? Why?