4.11.2008

This week in praise

Less praise than one might reasonably hope for:

Editor of largish poetry press, to me:

"I heard you read at the Loft a few weeks ago. I liked that anecdote you told about American Idol and Million's Poet" [so, apparently, not your poems].

More praise than one might normally expect:

Woman at Preschool Storytime, to me:

"I just wanted to tell you you have an amazing singing voice!" (after I sang "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands")

3 comments:

Kate Evans said...

From an editor considering my novel manuscript: "You're a fantastic writer, and I fell in love with your characters. Sorry that this book is not for me."

gary barwin said...

At my first grad school music composition lesson (with a famous Pulitzer prize winning composer), he flipped casually through the stack of all the music I'd written to date, and, "You have far too little to say and you take far to long to say it."

Anonymous said...

At three-month workplace review when i offered to take on some slightly less "administrative" matters: "no, I think I just need you to continue focusing on what you're doing now"...sometimes Mom was wrong and even saying something "nice" isn't better than saying nothing at all. Note to many: Just save it.