Lauren Groff on Work and Love
This week’s story, “ Between the Shadow and the Soul ,” is about a fifty-year-old woman named Eliza who has
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Hello, patrons of the drunken arts! It’s your host, Kristen Arnett, back with another stunning installment of Am I the Literary Asshole? , a bimonthly advice column that’s so drenched in liquor it might as well be a rum baba. Coconut cake! Chocolate torte! Crème brulee! I’ve got sweets on the brain, which naturally translates into dreams of magnificent desserts and a bevy of digestifs. Hey, I can be classy on rare occasion—or at least try for the duration of a single column. The world’s our delicious pastry, my friends; let’s sip our after-dinner drinks and pick out what looks most tasty. Pinkies up! On to our first caller: 1) I’ve recently started writing poetry, and I’m loving it. I’ve shared a few poems with interested friends or acquaintances, who have had (as friends and acquaintances do) nothing but positive things to say. However, two different people have now said—after raving about my work—that it reminds them of some Instagram poet they follow and love. The same Instagram poet. I know this is meant as a compliment, but I have perused this poet’s page and it is everything I hate about “internet” poetry. I find her stuff shallow and stupid and I’m irritated to be compared to it. I also don’t think it’s anything like my stuff, which makes me wonder if I’m delusional. Or maybe these people just don’t read much poetry. Anyways, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hold my tongue if this comparison comes up again. Am I the asshole? First of all, I want to congratulate you for putting yourself out there and trying something new artistically. It’s no easy task sharing work with others, especially when we’re brand new to an art form. That’s a really vulnerable thing. Bravo to you! I know this is common information, but I think it’s worth reiterating: making work and sharing work are two very different things. The relationship that we have to the art that we make is very different from public perception of said writing. Now, I know this is not published poetry. In […]
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This week’s story, “ Between the Shadow and the Soul ,” is about a fifty-year-old woman named Eliza who has
The British realist director Mike Leigh loves the term “character actor,” which he uses often and with zeal. To him,
