What separates “teaching-poets” from other poets? We spend our lives with the young. The intimacy of the creative writing classroom means that we have a unique kind of access to the next generation. Through our students’ poems, we learn about the difficulties in their lives—family dysfunction, mental illness, racism, sexual violence—as well as the joys and wonders. Our students teach us how to stay alive and present as the world changes around us. We’re not only reading their poems and helping them shape their MFA theses; we’re entering their concerns and fears, their world views, their cultures. While we think we’re mentoring them, they’re also mentoring us: they teach us the issues of the day; show us the diversity of their opinions; keep us alert and attuned. (37)
Cotugno, Marianne. “An Interview with Robin Becker.” The Writer’s Chronicle 40.5 (March/Apr. 2008): 36-43.
