Learning About Poetry After the MFA, Without an MFA, or: Why Independent Study of Poetry is Probably Important No Matter Which Route You Choose

I had noticed, from this post on Justin Evans’ blog, and from this post on post-MFA poverty and life, that it might be useful to talk about what the most helpful resources I’ve found have been for learning about poetry before, during, and after the MFA. What I wanted to say to the girl living in misery and unemployment after her MFA – learning and getting better don’t happen on their own – you sort of have to keep going out and making it happen. Just getting an MFA doesn’t automatically make you a writer, and in my experience, it certainly does not automatically make you an employed writer. You have to keep writing and trying and reaching. I got an MA in English in my twenties, where I learned about formal poetry and nineties-style literary criticism. Ten years later, when I went back for my MFA, I learned a totally new approach to poetics, one with a more relaxed Northwest-centric feel. Now I teach, but I still don’t feel like I’ve learned everything I need to know, so I reach out to people all the time for advice and critique.

Here are the books I recommend to my National students and personal coaching students for the best overall understanding of reading and writing poetry:
–Introduction to Poetry by XJ Kennedy (preferably a 1980’s version, I like the older versions of this textbook – and they’re cheaper than new!)
–The Poet’s Companion by Dorianne Laux and Kim Addonizio – like hanging out with two warm and wonderful poets, but with learning!
–In the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit – Steve’s approach is low-key and you may not learn everything you need to know, but you’ll certainly have fun trying out his exercises and reading some new poems.
If you read these three books cover to cover, you will have an understanding of how to read, write, and talk about poetry that may be more in-depth than one you might gain in a studio-based MFA, where they don’t talk very much about craft or critique.

Local Writing Conferences
This is how I jump-started my way back into poetry after years away, and depending on the conference, it can be nurturing, laid back, challenging, competitive, agent-filled and focused on publishing, or agent-free and focused on craft. You’ve got to find a good fit for you. The good news is there are so many of these now, all you need to do is figure out budget, where you want to go and who you want to study with, and go! It’s not all about Breadloaf. You can try conferences like the laid-back Port Townsend Writing Conference, where I got to work with Erin Belieu and Kim Addonizio years ago, and not only workshop for several hours a day, but hang out and chat and gossip – the vibe is relaxed and the people are always friendly. There’s very little competitive jockeying going on, and you’re just as likely to be sitting in a group with a grade-school teacher and an ex-con as a professor or professional writer.

Local classes and readings: This should be a no-brainer, but if writers and editors you admire are talking near you, attend. Listen. Learn. I love Seattle’s Hugo House, and there are useful writer’s centers like this in many large cities.
Side note: Check out February 4 – Elizabeth Austen’s Class on Call and Response Poetry at Hugo House. Read more about it here and sign up!

Approaching Your Favorite Writers
You might be interested to hear that besides community readings and workshops, you can also just write out of the blue to your favorite writers and ask if they’d be willing to coach you for a fee. You’d be surprised to find out who might say yes, and this is a much better way (not to mention, more cost-efficient) for you to get advice on, say a particular stretch of manuscript from a particular point of view than a two-year degree. I’ve had some wonderful experiences trying this. The worse thing that can happen is they say no, but at least you had a chance to tell a writer you admired how much you admired them, right?