I met Chris Volpe a few years back way before I was ever involved in Stone Soup. We've been corresponding on and off ever since. Through his Penhallow Press, he's published a broadside of one of my poems, and I've featured him and his wife, Anna Birch.
We're talking about putting together a small collection of my work for next year. In just the tentative talks alone, we've really put one of my older poems, "Charon's Slow Day," through the wringer.
Sometimes the only thing harder for me than dealing with an editor is dealing with an editor who makes great points and ends up improving the work. Call it the kind of pride that comes after working in a vaccum for so long (setting aside other reasons involving my personality). Chris has definitely been supportive and challenging at the same time. I give him props for his editorial skills as well as his poetry.
However, Chris will only be an opening act this coming Monday. This time, Stone Soup will be featuring Penhallow Press' newest author, Jeffrey Croteau.
Check out this new page for Jeffrey Croteau's book, Oranges.
3 comments:
Sometimes the only thing harder for me than dealing with an editor is dealing with an editor who makes great points and ends up improving the work.
To me, that's the best sort of editor to have. Too many editors not only don't make good (but needed) points but even undermine the work through an inattention to details.
Oh, yeah, I agree. Sadly, it's not what I've been used to.
I used to file editors under two categories. The worst-case kind you described and those who are completely hands off. Lynne was the first who showed me a completely different way, and I treated her like the first kind.
Pride in moderation has been one of my biggest lessons over the last couple of years.
I used to prefer the "hands-off" type of editor until I got more and more involved in theatre and dance and realized how beneficial it is to have feedback from fellow artists, teachers, directors-- and I realized that there were also editors who were like that as well.
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