|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ted Deppe
Theodore Deppe (Poetry, Director - Stonecoast in Ireland) is the author of three books of poetry, Children of the Air (Alice James Books, 1990), The Wanderer King (Alice James, 1996) and Cape Clear: New and Selected Poems (Salmon Books, Ireland, 2002). His work has appeared in many journals, including Harper's Magazine, Poetry, The Kenyon Review, The Southern Review, Poetry Ireland Review, and Ploughshares. Ted has received a Pushcart Prize and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has served as writer-in-residence at the James Merrill House in Stonington, CT (1998-99), the Poets House in Donegal, Ireland (2001-02), and Phillips Academy in Andover, MA (2003--2006). He and his wife, poet Annie Deppe, lived in Ireland from 2000 to 2003, and in July 2006 Selected Publications: Cape Clear: New and Selected Poems (Salmon Books, County Clare, Ireland, 2002) The Wanderer King (Alice James Books, 1996). Children of the Air (Alice James Books, 1990). Teaching Philosophy: As mentor, my first job is to listen: I need to hear what a writer is already doing and where s/he wants to go. Sometimes, I ask questions to help a student articulate his or her goals. Then, I make suggestions, the student uses the ones that seem helpful, and together we evaluate the results. There is no one way to write a poem, nor are there hard-and-fast rules. The semester is an on-going conversation centered on the student's work. I try to be as honest as possible, clearly identifying what works for me in a student's poem and what doesn't. It's difficult to raise our work to the next level without that sort of straightforward response. But I also try to be supportive; it's hard to write a really good poem, and I do everything I can to help a student. Good writing comes from good reading, so the reading list is a vital part of the semester. The list is mutually agreed upon and designed to address the individual student's strengths and weaknesses. I look for rigorous engagement with these books in the "annotations" students write in response to them. I want the student to "read as a writer," identifying techniques and strategies they can employ in their own poems. I find it helpful to have students include full cover letters with their packets, discussing their own progress and problems. In turn, my responses deal with larger issues as well as line editing. I am open to many different approaches to poetry, but my favorite poems often arise from acts of self-discovery rather than self-expression. I love the journey a poem can make during revision; although I am always ready to compress a poem, I am as likely to suggest opening it up for further exploration. I try to help the writer identify the heart of a poem and find ways to bring out the emotional intensity of a piece. I'm flexible about scheduling dates for packets. I generally keep a day completely clear for each packet; as long as a student's work arrives on time, I am usually able to return it by the next day. A program like Stonecoast is set up so that each student-mentor relationship can evolve individually, in a way that is most helpful to the student's work. I've loved getting to accompany some fine writers on their journeys. Links A review of Ted Deppe's Cape Clear ^top
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||
