[New-Poetry] 'Can poetry matter?' international style...

[James Cervantes]

On 7/9/06, JforJames at aol.com <JforJames at aol.com> wrote:
>
> http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailfeatures.asp?fileid=20060709.M01&irec=24
> Poetry fest: Ding-dong, the poet is (not) dead
> Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
>
> Egyptian poet Ahmed Abdul Mooty Hezagy was restless; he felt that poetry no
> longer existed in people's lives. There was a population of around 250
> million in Indonesia, he said, but a single poetry collection is only read
> by, what, 1,000 readers?
>
> He pointed to Egypt where, with a 70 million population, one book is read by
> the same number of readers, or 2,000-3,000 readers tops.
>
> "We need poetry in life, but why is poetry not popular anymore?" he asked.

If numbers matter, perhaps poetry can take a cue from this:

Jesus Christ's Superflock
Megachurches have found the secret to attracting the unchurched—and
it's not just the Sunday service.

James B. Twitchell
March/April 2005  Issue

In South Barrington, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago, lies a
155-acre campus resembling a junior college or perhaps a manufacturer
of something clean, like pharmaceuticals or computer parts. On one
side of the main compound is a greensward, on another side is a
five-acre reflecting pond, and out in front are vast black slabs of
endless parking, where swarms of men wearing reflective vests and
radio headsets assist drivers attempting to find an open space.
Shuttle buses loop around the lots; sometimes it's so busy that
off-duty cops are hired to help direct traffic.

It looks like a mall on a busy holiday weekend, but it is the Willow
Creek Community Church, and it could be any weekend. In almost every
city or suburb of more than 200,000 there is a similar megachurch, as
they are known, a product of suburban sprawl, religious marketing,
consumer demand, the entertainment economy, and the good old-fashioned
yearning for communal experience. Megachurches draw young, committed,
and energetic members; listen to parishioners talk and you will hear a
refrain of growth—"we're growing"—as if it were proof of redemptive
success. And they deliver a highly emotional product: the marriage of
group affiliation and a conversion experience, complete with videos,
pop music, and other modern dramatic flourishes.

http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/03/megachurches.html

-- Jim

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