Workshop...

I have to agree that the current checklist seems to be somewhat detrimental to the workshopping process. I feel that, by asking questions which try to encompass all facets of poetry, the result is to take attention away from the poem being workshopped. Instead of thinking about the effectiveness of the author's techniques and possible areas of improvement, we are forced to try to squeeze the poem into a category where it does not necessarily belong in order to respond to the questions. I like Dylan's question suggestions, but I think they should respond to the more technical aspects of the poem as well. But rather than try to identify plot and speaker when there often is none, I would suggest a question along the lines of: "How do the line breaks, rhyme scheme, meter, etc. or lack thereof contribute to the author's message?" I think that this would adequately adress the technical aspects of the poem without micromanaging the workshopping process. Additionally, there I one question I have about the checklist. I am unclear as to whether the purpose of it is to have a concrete critique of the author's work so that one's feedback is written down for them, or if the purpose is to act as a reminder to the workshopper of what his thoughts were while reading the poems. I think that the answer to this question determines the way in which these checklists are written and how effective they are.