Elena, Mel, and Cerid speak with Kathryn Temple and Matthew Smallwood about unfinished work—those ‘buried’ drafts—and what they do with them. Kathryn reads two unfinished poems, “The Lawyer Reads Yeats” and “Dis: A Dictionary Entry” while Matthew explains why he deletes all of his unfinished and unwanted drafts. The five go on to discuss different approaches to works in progress, the potential of the written “junk pile” vs the value of starting fresh, as well as the role of perfectionism in art.
Author Bios:
Kathryn D. Temple teaches and writes at Georgetown University. Her latest work has appeared in Streetlight, Fauxmoir, Delmarva Review, and 3Elements, among others. She was a funded finalist for the Lori White Nonfiction Fellowship in 2023. In addition to her creative work, she has published two academic books on law & emotions and many essays in academic journals. Find her on the Chesapeake Bay or at https://georgetown.academia.edu/KathrynTemple and https://medium.com/@templek
Referenced in this Episode:
Numbers by Kathryn D. Temple on The Metaworker website
Amongst the Clouds by Matthew Smallwood on The Metaworker website
Explanation about The Grind writers group
About Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing—and burning of the first draft—of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Keith Haring, “Art is for Everybody”
Episode Transcript:
