What we are not

I seem to have spent today defining things by what they are not. I'm going to go in reverse chronological order, because I just returned from inscape where we came up a plan to take over the world . . . I mean, advertise for this semester.

inscape is not a professional wrestler.
inscape is not a broadway musical.
inscape is not a goat.
inscape is not a hair gel.
inscape is not your mom.
inscape is not an online dating service.
inscape is not a jamba juice flavor.
inscape is not a ____________.

inscape is BYU's creative writing journal.

Don't worry--we only used one of the "is not" phrases for each poster, followed up by what inscape is. And for those of you wondering and too lazy to hunt out a poster, the deadline is February 7.

On a more serious note, my creative writing theory class spent the hour (and fifteen minutes) defining poetry and prose, primarily by what they are not. And of course, you find that the definitions have blurred--while there are polarized works that are obviously prose or poetry, there are more and more works that occupy the space between prose and poetry--prose poems, short shorts, poetic prose, narrative poetry, etc.

I started playing with this idea in my head. I don't know how it will develop--poem or maybe I'll get crazy and try creative nonfiction (which apparently and unfortunately not hyphenated). It's always easier to define something by what it is not--it's easy to define yourself by what you're not. Which leads to the more important question: why is it so easy to see what we're not and so difficult to see what we are? I'm tempted to start a list, but I think it would distract me from what is important. And by me, I mean you. You, who I am not.