Allison Hsu (Japan), Best Peer Review winner for our Poetry & Spoken Word Competition, reminds us that the best editors offer suggestions to draw out and enhance the great features that are already in a piece of writing: “Each poem has its distinctive elements that the author chooses to use,” Allison says. “I try to make suggestions that support those decisions, not contradict them.”
Read on to get more tips from Allison on editing, including how to imbue your own personal reflections into a review, as well her poem recommendations!
What are your general rules/guidelines for peer reviewing, and how did you apply them to this piece?
When I peer review, I choose a piece I like and peruse it until I fully understand the piece and its message. I start off by pointing out parts I like and then areas that I think will benefit from revision. With suggestions for revisions, I focus mainly on clarity—is everything clear? If not, I make suggestions for the author to reword or rephrase the sentence. Clarity is, in my opinion, vital when producing a good piece. Lastly, I search for ways for the author to make their piece stand out even more. Even though many pieces are already awesome, I always believe there is room for improvement—a rule I commonly apply to myself, revising my work repeatedly! I used pretty much the same steps as I mentioned above, to “Cloud 9,” although I did consider poetic conventions.
Our judges praised your review for offering advice that was “at times personal, emphasizing the human qualities of good poetry.” How can adding a personal reaction or details strengthen a review? How can other young writers inject a personal element to their reviews, while still keeping the focus on the author and their piece?
Adding a personal reaction provides feedback that only a fresh perspective can usually give. Primarily focusing on giving an objective review first then including thoughts that you had afterward is a great way to make sure the focus remains on the author and their piece.
How did you keep the unique goal and craft of poetry in mind—rhythm, metaphor, flow, personification, etc.—while reviewing this piece?
I created a mental checklist of features poems can have and usually will have, then read the poem several times to notice its tone and the author’s intentions. This is an important step because each poem has its distinctive elements that the author chooses to use. Therefore, I try to keep in mind to make suggestions that support those decisions, not contradict them, giving meaningful feedback that is compatible with the piece itself.
What is one of your favorite poems?
One of my favorite poems is “The Valley of Unrest” by Edgar Allen Poe. How Poe implicitly speaks about lives lost at war, through beautifully written figurative language, is simply magnificent.
