Rogue Applicants Week

This post is to serve as a reminder that this Friday is the day our applicants will meet with us. I'm pasting in a copy of the letter I sent out to each of them. Please be sure you're available to hang out AFTER 5:30p. I would like the current staff to think-tank for a while after the applicants leave because, as you'll see in their letter, I have announced that we will declare our new membership next Monday, 4/2.

Letter:

Dear Rogue Applicant,

I am happy to tell you that we reviewed your essay, and we would like to extend an invitation to you to come to our meeting this Friday, 30 March. Weather permitting, we will meet at Zink Park (31st & Utica) directly after school for a meeting lasting from about 4:00p – 5:30p. We will meet by the tennis/basketball courts; Easter will want to talk briefly with your parent/guardian. You will need to arrange your own transportation. If there is a conflict, and you need help getting a ride, see Easter. He will have you complete a form and will contact your parent/guardian to get their approval to attend the meeting. In the event of inclement weather, we will meet in Easter’s room, 229, and hold our meeting there.

The meeting is the next phase of our informal interview process. We would like simply for you to interact with current staffers and experience a typical Rogue meeting. Please bring some of your poetry with you that you’d be willing to share with the group. You can bring your spiral or journal—or just some loose poems from your collection. We ask you to do this as proof that you are an actively writing poet.

As you know, not everyone who applies will be brought on as a staffer. Our goal is to keep a staff of about 10; that true, we have about 5 slots to fill (based on our graduating seniors). Nine people applied. Because our 5 non-graduating staffers are ALL sophomores, we’re certainly looking to diversify in terms of grade classification. The staff will take into consideration your essay, pledge of commitment, and comfortable, positive interaction with the group in making their decision of whom to invite on as a staffer. The decision will be announced on Monday, 2 April 2007.

Please keep in mind that this Friday’s meeting is equally about your getting to know us and about what we do as it is about our getting to know you. In effect, you’re interviewing us, too, to be sure our group appears to be the kind you’d like to join. If we invite you on as a staffer, you will be asked whether you accept or decline—in case, after our Friday meeting, you decide you’re no longer interested in being a staffer.

We are grateful you took the time to apply, and we enjoyed reading your application. We are very excited about meeting you in person.

Warm Regards,



The ’06 – ’07 Staff of Rogue

I know, I know. It' s way formal and completely UNlike the type of letter you all received. But with so many applicants, there are a lot of unknowns--and I feel the need to be as specific and "official" sounding as possible, at least for the time being.

Be sure you've chosen a poem you'd like to share (something you really like of your own); be sure, too, that you've practiced reading it aloud so we can look like a group of accomplished writers.

Heart 12million,

Easter