Before offering feedback, read the poem out loud at least twice. Put question marks next to any lines, images or words that seem confusing or vague or otherwise not understandable.
It is to your own benefit to post your poem as early in the Friday-Thursday week as possible so your workshopmates can have time to do it justice in giving feedback. It is also most beneficial if feedback is given early on so that if the poet wishes to post revisions later, he/she will have more time to digest what's been given as feedback.
If you have not received feedback from a workshopmate by the end of the posting week, you can post a reminder on the board about feedback being owed or you cane-mail the person directly.
If for some reason, you will be late with feedback, it is a courtesy to your workshopmates to post a note on the board.
Before beginning to critique individual lines, look at the poem as a whole.
Try to summarize, in one or two sentences, what you think the poem is trying to do. Perhaps there is no one meaning; that the poem embodies, but all poems are trying to communicate something. What do you think this poem is trying to communicate? If you do not understand the poem, say so, and try to articulate what it is that is preventing you from understanding it.
Try to include focused feedback on one or several of these categories in addition to your normal feedback.
1. What is the heart of the poem? What is it really about? What words/phrases lead you to this conclusion? Is the subject implied or stated? State what you feel is taking place in the poem. Is the poem accessible on an intellectual or visceral level? If not, what is missing? Is there a clear speaker and location (place or otherwise) for the poem, or is this muddled? If the poem is personal, does it rise above the purely individual and become more widely relevant? Does the poem have layers of meaning other than the obvious surface meaning? Are there things you discovered on a second reading that you missed on the first?
2 Is the language appropriate to the subject? Is it fresh and original? Point out specifics, including cliche phrases. Are there excess words that can be cut? Are adjectives and adverbs used as a crutch for weak verbs and nouns? Point out examples. Look at the words, the diction. Look at any poetic devices (metaphor, paradox, persona, etc.) Consider the rhythm and music? Appropriate or not appropriate? Distracting, decorative or functional? Is there needless repetition? Does the language seem too prosy orconversational, or too elevated?
3. Does the poem begin with the first stanza or is the poet writing his way into the poem? Should the poem begin somewhere else? Point out specifics.
4. Is the point of view consistent? Does the narrator jump between past & present tense? Is this point of view the best for this poem? If not, why not?
5. What is the tone of the poem? Flippant, explanatory, sarcastic, sentimental, melancholy, etc. What lines tell you this? Is any part of the poem inconsistent with the overall tone?
6. Does the poem end earlier? Just like writing our way into a poem, some poets go on writing after the poem ends, explaining. How does the end of the poem affect what the reader remembers? And we usually remember the last line – in fact it blots out everything before it in short term memory. Does the poem end with a strong image that captures the intended meaning? Does the end have as much impact as the title?
7. Does the poem appeal to the eye or the ear? Consider how the poem looks on the page is there a rhythm there? Some poems chime when read, sometimes meaning is lost when listening to a poem without a hard copy to follow along. For instance, if you heard, "Son according to an ancient tale" you might not get the meaning intended of "Sun, according to an ancient tale" and this would be a poem that has more appeal on the page.
8. What role does the title play in this poem? Does it give away the ending? Does it lead the reader to think about the poem in a certain way? Does it add to accessibility?
9. Is the imagery clear. In order to evoke emotion in the reader, the poem's images must be clear. Bring to the writer’s attention any image or line which you do not understand or find unclear. Are the images specific or abstract? Would a more specific image serve the poem better? Which ideas or images, if any, need expansion? Are all five senses used in the description? Is any shift from concrete to abstract imagery smooth and effective?
10. How does the author use line breaks in the poem? What function do they serve? Can any lines be cut from the poem without damaging its intent or integrity? Is there a mix of enjambed and end stop lines? How does that affect the flow? If enjambment is used, does it work? Could a line be broken in a different way to make it more effective? How?
11. What is the function of sound in the poem? Do the sounds highlight or contradict the subject and/or tone? If alliteration is used, is it effective and subtle? Is it overdone? What purpose does it serve? Can sound devices be added to increase the impact of the poem? Do the words flow rhythmically?
12. Do the metaphors, similes are other poet's tools used have some kind of internal logic? Are they mixed or focusesd. How do they add to or detract from the meaning of the poem? Do they create layers of meaning other than the obvious surface meaning? If there is a difference between the denotative meaning and the connotative, can you verbalize what it is?
13. Does the poem invite the reader in? Does it convey a story or merely tell an incident or feeling. Does it show instead of tell? Does the poem burden the audience with the poet’s interpretation or let the reader draw her own conclusions?
14. Does the poem evoke an emotional response or get the reader to think about something in a new way? Does it evoke an aha type of recognition?
15. Posts which are placed on the board two days late, ie after the Thursday at the end of the posting week, will be subject to voluntary feedback only.
Another approach to giving good feedback to your fellow workshop members, is to perhaps give suggestions about alternative paths the poet might want to take his/her poem down.
