We Need to Talk

We evaluate poems constantly: as workshop leaders, competition judges and journal editors. But how do we judge the success of verse in these contexts? The authors propose an innovative method by which anyone involved in the assessment of poetry can be more transparent about how they value verse.

We evaluate poems constantly: as workshop leaders, competition judges and journal editors. But how do we judge the success of verse in these contexts? The authors propose an innovative method by which anyone involved in the assessment of poetry can be more transparent about how they value verse. This book foregrounds the ethical and professional obligations of poets, teachers and critics to conduct axiological inquiry so they can discover and publish what they value. We Need to Talk suggests why and how people who care about poetry should communally explore and document their shared (and conflicting) values. This is the first book to provide the background and theory, as well as a practical, working model, for the communal, empirical evaluation of creative writing.

Foreword to We Need to Talk

Introduction: Show Your Work!

Chapter 1: Opening the Doors to Inquiry              

Chapter 2: The Contemporary American Poetry Editorial Review (C.A.P.E.R.) Investigation—A PDCM Case Study

Chapter 3: A Chorus of Voices Reflecting on the C.A.P.E.R. Project

Chapter 4: Promising Applications of and Futures for Poetry Dynamic Criteria Mapping

Chapter 5: Do It Yourself

Appendixes

References

Biographical notes on authors