So this past Sunday I had my Final Review! With this blog post, I am essentially done with my six-month journey through the Mark Program. Looking back, I have to say, it has been an extraordinary experience.

I began the program with a ninety-something page manuscript in tow. This "collection" was a disorganized pile, and over the past few months I have not only whittled this book in progress down to seventy pages, I have also learned a lot about what it means to put together a first collection. I’ve learned more about revision, critical analysis, and the editorial stages of the writing life.

During the first few months of the program, I found myself resisting revision. I had worked hard on the poems for many years, attended numerous workshops, and spent a lot of time reading. I wanted to be assured that I was close to done...that I was ready. However, while the committee was generous with their praise, they were also quick to point out that I had some work to do. I found myself getting a bit de-motivated by this at first.

Still, getting the Mark opportunity was a kind of affirmation in itself. I realized I had applied precisely because I’d wanted direction concerning how to get organized. Over time, my resistance mellowed, and I am grateful for this. To really get the most out of the program, my dreamy writer side had to take a back seat while my assiduous editor took over. There are times to stand by our personal vision and times to open up to the possibility of well-meaning advice. I chose to do both. My final manuscript revision for the Mark Program represents a balance of external opinions and personal aesthetic preferences. This is the most important thing I have learned as a Mark participant: it is possible to listen to feedback without losing one’s sense of self.

How do I edit with this in mind? I let myself detach personally from my poems and listen to the work. I juxtapose my artistic vision against the well-meaning feedback of advisors and peers. Because of this, I approached my final defense much more differently than I did my first two talks on the manuscript. Earlier on, I felt more emotionally involved with the work. This attachment, though natural, put up hurdles for my editor self. For this final defense, my editor self was more present. Consequently, I listened with more openness.

At the end of the Mark Program, my manuscript is still in progress. However, it has progressed enormously from where it started, and I feel close to beginning the process of submitting it to contests and seeing what happens. The most helpful reminder I received during my defense was to remain a voracious reader of poetry. To keep my nose in a book. The truth is over the past few months with teaching obligations and writing deadlines, reading has become secondary. With more time in my lap now, I plan to dive into the work of others.