[New-Poetry] Poet in residence

[David Graham]

I've been poet-in-residence all my adult life--in residence at my own  
home, that is.  I seem to be unlike many of my poet pals in that  
residencies, writers' colonies, foreign fellowships, and other such  
get aways have never tempted me much.  Obviously, it's great to have  
more time to write, and one reason I'm a professor is that I can  
preserve fairly sizable blocks of time (e.g. summer break) to get  
writing done.  And I've always been a fairly prolific writer, even  
when holding down a demanding job.  One probably can't write novels  
this way, but lyric poems can be produced, I find, even in the cracks  
of a 14 hour work day.

I would agree that travel to meet people and see things is certainly  
stimulating.  I do travel--just not for purposes of writing.  Leaving  
home to write has never appealed.  I'm one of those people who is  
most productive right here at my home desk.  I expect that (aside  
from the obvious practicalities involved--I can see why getting away  
is good for many) some writers are fueled by routine & familiarity,  
and some tend to feel stifled by it.


On Jun 11, 2006, at 11:03 AM, Suzanne Burns wrote:

> Most of these residencies presume that you are an academic with  
> access to summer vacation and paid sabbaticals (or that you at  
> least have the power to take unpaid leave and not lose your job),  
> or that you are a member of the leisure class (perhaps one of those  
> wealthy Brookline matrons who I see all the time in tai chi  
> class).  This one sounds like actual work and not just a free place  
> to stay.  If they upped it to $1500 and if those teaching positions  
> paid decently, I could see this being a good job to take between  
> gigs or while doing contract work on the sly.  But when would I write?
>
> Ahh life...
>
>
> Suzanne
>


==========================================
David Graham
grahamd at ripon.edu
Home Page:
http://www.ripon.edu/faculty/GrahamD/index.html
Poetry Library:
http://www.ripon.edu/faculty/GrahamD/poetrylib.html
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