Dinh and Workshops

I’m smitten for Linh Dinh’s poetry….ever since I picked up Empties Out, I’m all about spreading the wealth with anyone willing to listen. What I really admire about this book of poems is Dinh’s use of language—it totally blows my mind and expands my vocabulary…. who knew words like splathe, obloid, and lugubrious could be used in poems so effectively….in fact, who knew words like that existed? certainly not me. …Dinh makes me feel like a lazy, ignorant American…cuz he can definitely kick my ass at vocabulary….but rather than feeling depressed about it, it serves a positive purpose in that it is both enlightening and definitely inspiring….so inspiring, in fact, that I’ve included “pigs” and “pubis” in my latest poem, influenced in some ways by Dinh…and I can’t get enough of it! If Linh Dinh were a fad, he’d be like slap bracelets and I’d have them on each wrist, baby…

On Workshops:
I too agree with a lot of what everyone has said about the positive effects of workshops: it’s definitely (or at least should be) a safe place where writers can get critical and positive feedback in regards to their writing and it’s also a place of learning, not a place for diatribe….the only slightly negative aspect of a workshop that I can think of is the feeling that there could be “too many cooks in the kitchen”…although I’ve honestly never really had that feeling before. I mean, workshopping seems to be related to tutoring in one aspect: I constantly remind my tutees that I’m merely giving suggestions, not telling them what to do and it’s up to them to decide whether they will take the advice or leave it….and that’s kinda what workshops can provide: suggestions…whether an individual takes those suggestions is up to them…. after all, they’ve got the authority and the last say in their creations.

peace!
julia