So, I got an email a couple of days ago from a permissions researcher working for Macmillan Education Australia, asking permission to reproduce my poem, "Icarus", originally published in Strange Horizons, in what appears to be a textbook for high school seniors. Feeling both baffled and flattered, I've given permission.
Out of curiosity, I did a quick search, and actually found a few pieces of evidence that "Icarus" is being taught academically. It's on the syllabus of a course in Textual Analysis of Western Literary Texts at a Turkish university, and an online message thread asking for help analyzing the poem in classic, "O, internets, help me with my homework" fashion.
I feel a bit odd about this. I mean, it's cool, but I'm also having a distinct attack of imposter syndrome: Oh dear, I've conned someone into thinking I'm a real poet.
Out of curiosity, I did a quick search, and actually found a few pieces of evidence that "Icarus" is being taught academically. It's on the syllabus of a course in Textual Analysis of Western Literary Texts at a Turkish university, and an online message thread asking for help analyzing the poem in classic, "O, internets, help me with my homework" fashion.
I feel a bit odd about this. I mean, it's cool, but I'm also having a distinct attack of imposter syndrome: Oh dear, I've conned someone into thinking I'm a real poet.