The following conversations about poems-in-progress are organized chronologically by letter under each poem title. Each link leads to a letter in which Hall and McNair critique and discuss potential improvements and edits to the poem in question.
The Poetic License
October 12, 1977
February 26, 1978 (pp.4-5)
Beggars
March 18, 1978
April 11, 1978
Memory of North Sutton
April 4, 1978
February 26, 1978 (pp.4-5)
Driving Poem (Trees that Pass Us in Our Cars) & Old Trees
August 24, 1979
August 29, 1979
August 31, 1979
September 3, 1979
September 25, 1979
February 27, 1980
The Thin Man
September 12, 1979
September 17, 1979
September 19, 1979
September 21, 1979
September 25, 1979
Hair on Television
September 19, 1979
September 21, 1979
September 25, 1979
October 4, 1979
October 31, 1980
November 7, 1980
November 12, 1980 (1)
November 12, 1980 (2)
The Fat Enter Heaven
January 21, 1980
January 28, 1980
The Fat People of the Old Days
July 28, 1980
July 31, 1980
August 1, 1980
August 8, 1980
October 8, 1981
The Retarded Children Play Baseball
August 30, 1980
August 30, 1980 (2)
September 3, 1980
September 5, 1980
September 8, 1980
September 10, 1980
The People Upstairs
September 9, 1980
September 11, 1980
September 13, 1980
November 16, 1981
Waving Goodbye
September 28, 1980
October 6, 1980
October 11, 1980
Where I Live
November 12, 1980 (1)
November 17, 1980
November 24, 1980
The Thugs of Old Comics
November 18, 1980
A Dream of Herman
December 9, 1980
January 17, 1981 (footnote)
January 24, 1981
January 27, 1981
October 8, 1981
Mina Bell’s Cows
November 16, 1981
November 23, 1981
To My Father
March 25, 1982
March 31, 1982
The Longing of the Feet
April 2, 1982
May 28, 1982
June 3, 1982
My Brother in the Revolving Doors
April 2, 1982
May 28, 1982
June 3, 1982
June 18, 1982
The Before People
May 28, 1982
June 3, 1982
November 25, 1983
November 28, 1983
When Paul Flew Away
June 18, 1982
June 19, 1982
October 11, 1982
February 14, 1983
Big Cars
September 20, 1982
September 23, 1982
September 30, 1982
Mute
September 20, 1982
September 23, 1982
September 30, 1982
The Ice Retreats in Sutton (After the Ice)
September 25, 1982
September 29, 1982
October 1, 1982
October 4, 1982
October 11, 1982
October 13, 1982
October 14, 1982
The Minister’s Death
October 31, 1982
November 3, 1982
November 6, 1982
The Wish
December 3, 1982
December 6, 1982
What the Slaughtered Animals Could Not Find (Killing the Animals)
January 16, 1983
January 18, 1983
January 24, 1982
The Portuguese Dictionary
April 6, 1983
April 7, 1983
April 11, 1983
May 16, 1983
The Faith Healer
July 8, 1983
August 12, 1983
October 7, 1983
Remembering Aprons
August 21, 1983
The Last Time Shorty Towers Fetched the Cows
September 25, 1983
February 16, 1984
Jack Cooch
January 16, 1984
January 18, 1984
The Shooting
March 6, 1984
March 13, 1984
March 18, 1984
April 10, 1984
April 16, 1984
May 6, 1984
Seeing Cooch
June 11, 1984
The Name
July 23, 1984
July 25, 1984
What It Is
August 8, 1984
August 14, 1984
August 16, 1984
Perley Hunt Walking
September 16, 1984
September 20, 1984
September 24, 1984
September 27, 1984
A Traveler’s Advisory
December 28, 1984