Section III

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Wes McNair
Box 43
N. Sutton, NH 03260

Dear Wes,

Thank you for writing as you did. I am sorry to be
the source, or the effective cause, of such unhappiness.
This too will pass, and in the meantime – as you say so
eloquently – something has happened to be learned from.

Although Joey did not do terribly well for you, certain
things may be opening up. No sign of interest from New Yorker,
but I think that things are quite chaotic there right now, and
I would not be too discouraged about it. When you write new
things, I think you ought to try them there. Hayden
Carruth has shown an interest in your work, and I think you
ought to try again. When you write him with new poems, do
remind him that I showed him some earlier – because I did
it in my own person.

However, do be terribly careful, please, not ever to
mention the connection between Joey and me.
[Written in margin: to anyone.] It would be a
matter of great embarrassment to me if any of these poetry
editors, some of whom I know under my own name!, realized
that I was corresponding with them under another.

As I sent out the poems, many magazines took forever
to answer. (One of them was Poetry, by the way, with the
first batch; and then they did take two later. So these long
delays were perhaps not all a waste of time.) But the minute
they came back, I sent them out again the same day. So the
notion that nine months meant that you should not take seriously
the possibility that you might be published…well, obviously
I think that was a very strange thought. Or it was a strange
thought that you would then feel free to publish them elsewhere
without letting me know, while I was still madly sending them
out…

But I need not repeat myself, I realize! Your remorse
is bad enough, and there’s no point in rehearsing things.

I take it that the two poems which Poetry ^has taken have not been
published elsewhere. …I do know that your publication of
“The Thin Man” in the Concord Monitor was only naïve. …The
thing to remember is that publishing is publishing, period.
That there is nothing which is tantamount to this or tantamount
to that. All they are interested in is whether something has

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been published or not.

Now for that matter, I merely generalize. If you
send “The Thin Man” out again, to other magazines, I suggest
that you always tell the editor that it appeared in a news-
paper interview in a newspaper called the Concord Monitor
with a circulation of blah blah blah. Somebody may take it
anyway. Certainly some small magazine, with a small circulation,
would feel free to take it. Or quite possibly the Boston
Monthly might feel free to take it. I merely mean that if
the New Yorker had taken it, where it was sitting while it
appeared in the Concord Monitor, the New Yorker would def-
initely have gone back on its acceptance. And that most of
the self-respecting quarterlies and monthlies – Atlantic,
Poetry, etc. – would not take it after it appeared in the
Concord Monitor, if they knew about it.

For that matter, the Harvard Magazine would take it.
And just to prove to you that my regard and high wishes
for your work continues intact, may I please have The Thin Man
for the Harvard Magazine, when it comes back from the Virginia
Quarterly? I do not mind reprinting from the Concord Monitor.

May I?

Don

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Wes McNair
Dept. of English
Colby-Sawyer College
New London, NH 03257

Dear Wes,

Thanks for the mini-poem. It is an absolutely magnificent
idea, it will be a marvelous poem – and I don’t think it is
quite yet finished. I think that there is a certain awkwardness,
and haste, perhaps, about the end of the poem. I don’t think
we should have a comma after “now.” I think that “the guilt
about their weight,” seems awkward in its little words. And
I know that “fade like a dream,” is the most total of cliches.
And things get a little clichetic further on. “Steaming with
food,” and “appetizing,” and is “seen” the right word? I like
the third line from the end. I like the second line from the
end pretty well – I think the last line is OK but I think it
could be a whole lot better. I wish you would keep it around
a little longer, the way you tend to do anyway, and intensify
or freshen the last half or third of the poem. It is a marvelous
notion! Dear to my heart!

Fine for removing those three poems from circulation –
after they come back from the places where they are currently
being read. Be sure that Howard Dinin waits for Joey’s release.
It would be embarrassing – for you, for Amaryllis, Inc. – if
these poems were taken by another magazine, and then Joey had
to say that they were not available. Be certain about this,
please.

I had a good letter from Howard Dinin, and I will be in
touch with him shortly.

We had a lovely time with you, also, and loved the photographs.

I’m glad that you are enjoying String. Did you see that
my children’s book took the Caldecott? We will be able to
build the new bathroom!

Love to you both,

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Dear Mr. Amaryllis,

Thanks very much for sending the
poems by Mr. McNair. We do like them, and
are glad to keep

“The Poetic License”
“The Bald Spot”.

I hope Mr. McNair does not have
a book publication deadline coming up
soon? Poems accepted now aren’t likely
to be published until fall—what with our
backlog.

Might be a good idea to put Mr. McNair’s
name on his MSS.? “The art of losing isn’t
hard to master…”, as Eliz. Bishop sings.

With all best wishes,

Sincerely yours,
John Frederick Nims
22 January 1980

Notice of Acceptance

The Editors of Poetry are pleased to accept the
following for publication:

THE POETIC LICENSE
THE BALD SPOT

Wesley McNair
c/o Amaryllis, Incorporated
Box 71
Potter Place, NH 03265

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Wes McNair
No. Sutton, NH

Dear Wes,

If Howard Dinin writes, I will be
pleased to hear from him – but I won’t be
able to send him anything, not at least
for quite a while. I really believe in
keeping things around two or three
years before you send them out. I don’t
always do it, especially when a book is
due. But I have not sent anything out
since Kicking the Leaves, and I probably
won’t for another six months or perhaps
twelve months. I have things that are
probably finished. Well, they’re probably
not, really – but they might as well be.
They haven’t yet gone through the Ordeal
by Friendship, wherein I send them to all
my friends who lacerate them. I’m about to
start doing that, with a few of them.

But I have thought dimly of sending
some things out this spring but I think I
probably won’t until next autumn. And
then I have a list of magazines that I
promised to send things to. Therefore, it
will be a while. But I will probably make
it eventually, if I live long enough, and
I look forward to it. I also look forward
to seeing you guys next week. Terrific.

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I think what you’re doing with the book is
sensible. …Though you know what I hope.

Best as ever,

Don