Situation 1
We’re on a terrace and treetops surround us. A and I are talking about a slam event I recently attended. The man sitting next to A, whose name I can never remember, butts in when he hears the mention of poetry. It then becomes apparent that this man, let’s call him J, is, surprise surprise, a writer of poems! 
‘So what sort of poetry do you write?’ I ask, trying to be polite.
‘Oh, conventional poetry,’ he replies, with an air of great importance and perhaps even greater artistry.
‘I see. Do you mean metrical poetry?’
‘Yes, that. But I also write free verse. You know, you can’t just write anything and call it free verse. My writing has a lot of rigour in it.’
His thesis thus launched, continues as follows:
‘I did a creative writing course at X University in England. My teacher was Y, a genius if there ever was one. So much goes into writing poetry. There’s rhythm, and the kind of language. 80% of what I write I destroy. It’s just not up to the mark. And I write copiously. But there’s so much work one has to put into it. You really can’t call anything free verse…’
Situation 2
Relatives have come to visit my grandmother. After a more or less pleasant hour, they get up to leave and I come out my room to wish them, be a good Indian girl as it were. They make the required polite enquiries, ‘What are you doing now? What are your plans for the future?’
My father chooses to answer for me, explaining that I’m applying for my Masters, and oh, that I recently won some sort of award for my poetry. ‘Oh, really! Congratulations!’ says the middle-aged man, clearly struggling for my name.
After some laughing and patting of backs, the man says, ‘You know, you should be a novelist. Become like Arundhati Roy, get a big book deal, win a Booker. That’s what our young Indian women should do these days.’
Situation 3
My mother is in the kitchen. She is cooking something with a resigned look on her face.
‘Ming, you won’t believe it! My poems are going to be in Z magazine! You have NO idea how amazing that is.’ I jump around like a bean.
‘Nice,’ she says. ‘Are you going to get paid?’
Situation 4
It’s been going well so far. The conversation is taking a surprising turn, however, and he looks at me, says, ‘I don’t read poetry. I never will. It’s dated. It doesn’t make sense. What’s the point of it really?’
Situation 5
I’m at Mrs Stephens’s house. She used to help me with math when I was in high school. Recently I borrowed some books from her to study for the GRE. Now that I’m done with the books and relieved that I got a decent score, I can relax and talk about what sort of degree I want. Mrs Stephens, one of my all-time favourite teachers, says, ‘You should’ve been a chartered accountant.’
______
All situations are real.
To be fair, the first conversation was interesting in an amusing sort of way. The person in question seems an earnest sort, and very like me in the way that he is serious about writing. I just hope that I don’t come across so devoid of humour. I like to think that I can laugh at myself. And what really annoyed me was the way he assumed that everyone present was an intellectual cretin, that no one knew what poetry — hold it, free verse — was. Thanks for the lecture, boss, but that’s really not why I was interested in your work.
Re: situation 3, I really do get excited about magazines. It’s a great pleasure to me if an editor thinks my poems are worth publishing. I don’t hold myself aloof from that sort of thing.
Overall, I think the blog and a few trusted friends suffice for good poetry conversation. You never know where things can lead, and I don’t to be rude to people I hardly know.
In other news, I am embarking on some serious poetry learning with someone I recently met. I mean, I have homework and reading assignments.
In bean-jumping news, the editors of Eclectica have nominated my poem ‘Campsite’ for the Sundress Best of the Net Anthology. I know, I know, it’s just a nomination, but it’s my first and I’m happy. Do check out their latest issue.
The one I hate is “what do you write about?” or “what sort of poetry do you write?” – I find either version impossible to answer in a way that would make sense to anyone not immersed in contemporary poetry
congrats on the nomination! and hope your application process is going on okay.
Congratulations on the nomination!
Winning the Booker is for young Indian women now? I’ll lay off writing the Great Indian Novel then. Bah.
Congratulations on the nomination! Excellent stuff deets
I think all of these situations are pretty funny, especially your mother’s deadpan. People like in situation one are incredibly irritating; the analogous person in my chosen discipline is the one that will assume that you are a scientist who does awful things to animals in a laboratory somewhere with the eventual aim of corrupting the moral fibre of their children or some such ridiculous crap. So far I have gotten away with saying that I am a student, but the older I get the more I don’t look like one.
Heh, and I agree with Angela up there that it is difficult to answer questions like ‘what do you write about?’. But the simple solution is to ask them if they would like to read your work. If they don’t like it, fine, but at least you’ve answered their question. And if they do like it, huzzah! Instant follower.
Also, do you ever go on Gtalk any more?
Congratulations.
Hm, that’s good advice, Phill. I’ll have to try that. “Read it and find out” is much easier than constructing anew every time an explanation of genres and how exactly one mixes their breed from one story to the next. Cheers.
@Jon I should note that when I ask people to read it to find out, I’m being enthusiastic, rather than sarcastic. I am genuinely fascinated by people’s reactions to my stories if they do read them. Since I write primarily for my own enjoyment, it’s interesting to see whether that enjoyment translates to something that others can read and enjoy too. Hence my tendency to share my stories online at places like dA and my blog.
@ Angela
Oh, absolutely.
@ Rohith
Thanks, and it’s going OK.
@ Kk
I’m sure Aravind Adiga has opened some doors for you.
@ Phill
That might work for a prose writer like you. I have a variety of quips to use, like ‘monsters under my bed’ and ‘daddy issues’, but their success depends on the other person. A lot. You don’t want them to take you seriously, especially if you say daddy issues.
I’ll get on gtalk sometime. Been online really late at night these days.
@ Scherezade
Thanks!
No worries Phill, that’s what I figured. We’re on the same page as far as motivation and sharing.