The Student and the Teacher

As I have mulled over this new project the last couple of weeks, I have been asking myself what a blog about the poems I am reading would be about. In other words, what would I say about these books and poems? This is really a question about purpose. Answering it gave me some insight into one reason that I don't really do a whole lot of poetry reading on my own, and the answer is school.

I don't mean school in the way people usually talk about poetry and school, as in "I wanted to read poems my own way but school taught me that there's only one right answer and thus snuffed my creative spirit." Sure, I probably took a few classes like that, and I certainly have a fear of discussing poems in the context of Grand Literary Theory, but overall most schooling I have taken part in, both as a teacher and a student, has increased my sense of creativity and trust in my own interpretations. What I mean by school is that for 26 out of the 33 years of my life, I have been in school. For some of those years I was the teacher, but for most of them I was the student. I was being told what to read and when, and being directed in my responses to the books and poems as well.

Right now, and for the past year and a half, I have not been in school at all. No one has been telling me to read anything, and I haven't been reading it. Also, I have been focusing most of my energy on a little project called Raising a Human Being. Until recently, this project left little time for repose of any kind, much less reading poetry (which I don't find relaxing anyway--stimulating, yes, at best even invigorating--but not relaxing). Lately, though, I have had more time and space in my life--which brings us to this blog.

To return to the question that began this post, then, what will I say about the books and poems I write about here? Would I write reviews? Would I write essays? Neither of these ideas appealed to me. My primary purpose is to read these poems, not to create polished or publishable (beyond the blog, that is) writing about them. At the same time, I want to write something about each book I read, not only to keep myself focused and motivated but also to help me remember what it is I have read.

So, ever the teacher, I created a little form for myself, a set of questions and comments I plan to complete about every book I read. My hope is that this form will keep me interested in each book and to help me to retain what I have read. I will likely tweak these questions as I go along, but here is what I have so far.

Author:

Title:

Year Published:

Notes (on publication, literary or historical context, or etc):

Time Spent Reading:

Favorites:

Questions:

The Bottom Line, in 50 Words or Less:

What do you think? Suggestions are welcome. And I made myself read the first book before I was even allowed to create this blog, so stay tuned for the first book soon!