determined
ozarque has a thread going on the topic of poetry, and why it's not popular today, and what (if anything) can be done about that. The thread was inspired by a TIME magazine article (which I also read, and recommend) about Poetry magazine, which received a donation of about $200 million. The article asks:Q1. Can money really bring a dying art form back to life?
Q2. If poetry is dead, who killed it?
My thoughts:
A1: Well, this is America. Money can revive darn near anything, whether it deserves it or not. Maybe that will work in this case; maybe not. It certainly won't hurt, and it will remove one of the most crippling limitations on poetry today, a severe lack of funds. I've had several rejections of poetry book proposals that boiled down to "We love your poetry, and would gladly buy it, but we have no money to buy any more manuscripts in the foreseeable future."
A2: Multiple factors feed into the generally dilapidated state of poetry today. One is that pop music has largely filled the social role that poetry used to fill -- and to be fair, song lyrics are essentially a type of poetry. Some of them are quite good poetry. Another factor is that most modern poetry doesn't live up to the classics. Forms are discouraged by most editors and ignored by most poets, but the stately grace of a sonnet or the meditative epiphany of a haiku are not easily matched by free verse. Modern literary poetry tends towards the abstruse and whiny; no wonder it isn't popular. Poetry by Shakespeare or Byron or Elizabeth Barrett Browning or e.e. cummings will grab your attention and shake it vigorously. Painfully bad poetry classes in school have also contributed to negative opinions of poetry (much as painfully bad experiences in P.E. have contributed to a loathing of physical activity).
However, there are pockets of interest in poetry. Speculative poetry, for example, is promoted by the Science Fiction Poetry Association, which puts out an annual award anthology of extremely good verse. Anyone who likes speculative fiction should try the poetic version ... if SF is chocolate cake, SF poetry is a truffle.
Pagans are also tremendously fond of poetry -- writing it, reading it, using it in rituals, you name it. Many Pagan magazines publish some poetry, including PanGaia and newWitch. (You can read my guidlines for PG poetry here.) Pagans favor poetic forms with strong rhythm and rhyme, mainly because that type of poetry has a compelling effect when read aloud in ritual. Interestingly, Pagan culture is reviving not just poetry but oral tradition. Many poems are transmitted at Pagan festivals and other events as chants, songs, and spoken recitations. Sometimes the same poem is performed in more than one way! This is because poetry is also transmitted through books and magazines; different people may thus perform their own interpretations.
It has been observed that many poets are shy. This is true of some, but not all. I've seen a few folks get out and really push books of poetry, or books on how to write poetry. Me, I'm not shy. I am a writer by talent, profession, and vocation. I enjoy holding poetry workshops and panels and such. I enjoy getting other people hooked on poetry. One time, some friends and I recited the whole of "Jabberwocky" round-robin ... whereupon one fellow looked at us and said, "You people have reached a whole new level of geekdom in my eyes." Yeah, and I liked Frodo before liking Frodo was 'cool' too; and I can still quote some favorite poems by Tolkien.
Poetry is great. Spread the word. Get somebody hooked on it.
June 16 2007, 05:21:26 UTC 14 years ago
I have three volumes of poetry--the collected works each of W.B. Yeats, William Blake, and Emily Dickinson. I read them like I listen to music--rarely a book/CD at a time, but whatever set of words I need right that moment.
Poetry that likes to visit people
June 16 2007, 05:27:16 UTC 14 years ago
Re: Poetry that likes to visit people
June 16 2007, 05:34:45 UTC 14 years ago