my muse does not exist.

[Todd]

back to the problem:

The impression I get is that reviewers/critics here fasten upon the first putative problem like an errant comma and thenceforth snuffle through the remainder looking for more. Have noted that there be scant few bits of praise for the whole of anyone's efforts, only for bits and pieces of it. Wherefore Art was read by divers friends, English faculty among them, and all laughed. None of you did.

the above was part of a comment in a serious thread. they don't realize they're in a workshop environment, they just think they're in the big boy's forum where an errant comma shouldn't be mentioned. that's there's scant scant praise for the whole of anyone's efforts because it's really not a workshop but a well done you and the poem forum. of course there can be too much ridiculous in feedback but the place is a workshop.

That's exactly the problem, as I see it, billy. Making Workshop the focus; I thought it already was.  This kind of generic put-down (reviewers/critics here) has no place in a workshop. The passive-aggression of that 'snuffle', and the implied insult (English faculty/none of you) have no place. Responding to critique by pointing out how stupid 'everyone' is - has no place. So I've been surprised when the Mods allowed all of this to continue. I thought Serious was a bit more serious, I guess.

Maybe you have to be invited to join the Workshop? 

The invitation only idea has some merit.

I hadn't read that reply above (English faculty bullshit one not Mercedes comment). What bothers me about it is how self defensive it is. You have enough trouble on a website like this keeping people honest once they like one another (somewhat). People worry about feelings to the detriment of the work. I haven't read the poem in question but perhaps the reason no one laughed is they didn't find it funny. I tend to only comment on poems where I see something that I believe the poster can fix, or I really like something about the poem. We do actually praise work here--if you aren't seeing praise it isn't because we've agreed to suppress our own inclination to gush it's more that we haven't found anything to gush over. That's the more common default position of reading poetry online.