Readers

I was thinking just now--about time, I can hear you say--that I've met every one of my readers. Not sure if should worry about that or not.
On Wednesday in my first-year class I managed to talk up a poem and draw them in. I don't control their reading experience (it was listening, in fact, not reading for most) but I do encourage a response to the poem. Pretty much any response. 
It seems that the less we talk about what a poem means and more how it behaves, the better things go.
I apply the tricks I learned teaching grade 7 almost 40 years ago.
Create expectation, chance of surprise.
I like the way all my classes have begun and I know the reason: I'm sitting down. The classes are small enough; the one with lower enrolment cap is full. I can sit down, get a circle going.