Skip to main content

A Place to Stand: On Reading Poetry

July 8th, 2025 | 3 min read

By Rachel Welcher

The best writing advice I ever received was from my college professor, Dr. Jack Simons, who would get red in the face when reprimanding us for using cliches. The shade he turned when someone wrote that “tears streamed down” anyone’s face was something to behold. If a student was absent during our 8 AM poetry class, he would call them from his cell phone, wake them up, and we would watch as they inevitably slumped in ten minutes later, sheepish and disheveled.

Login to read more

Sign in or create a free account to access Subscriber-only content. 

Sign in

Register

Rachel Welcher

Rachel Joy Welcher is an author, poet, and acquisitions editor at Baker Books.