Read it! A poem for writers

The poem "Read it!" (see below) was written on 2nd January 2002, soon after the Research Cooperative was first established. The poem encapsulates, in what is intended to be a serious but humorous manner, the author's own approach to academic writing and editing. In the title, the imperative "Read it" is an earnest plea that writers read their own writing back to themselves, in order to test whether or not it is readable and comprehensible. The poem as a whole is a plea for writers to be more conscious of writing as a deliberate craft, and as something that involves other people, including future readers.

It is also hoped that that the poem will inspire other members of the Research Cooperative to contribute their own thoughts on writing and publishing, in our group for writing advice, for example.

As well as being published on the Research Cooperative site, this poem has been published in SlavFile, a newsletter of the Slavic Languages Division of the American Translators Association, and in the Newsletter, a publication of the International Institute for Asian Studies (IIAS) in Leiden. In SlavFile, the poem appeared as part of the 'Beginners Luck' column written by Liv Bliss, who also introduced the Research Cooperative to her readers.

The poem has also been translated into French for our network.

Citations

Liv Bliss (2003) Beginner's Luck (column). SlavFile 13(2, Spring):5-6 (pdf below).

Peter J. Matthews (2010) Read it! A poem for writers. the Newsletter, No. 54 (Summer): 42 (pdf below).

"Read it!"

read again your Words
a Stranger to Yourself, with Best Intentions
discover the Relationships
Unintended Offspring, Orphan Facts
and Broken Promises

sleep on it
your Unmade Bed
let Dreams come, welcome Serendipity
avoid Pointless Flirtation
acknowledge Friends and Sources

Contradiction and Failure
can make You strong
face Them fairly, use Them well
Respect may foster
Unexpected Resolutions

imagine Future Readers
be remembered well, if at all
find your Own Way, with Words
then read it, again, and again
before The Letting Go   

        P.J. Matthews, 2nd January 2002