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

[Anny Ballardini]

You think? (I know you don't) - Bob Gruman would come _only _if you give him 
some paper to draw and you do not annoy him; Tad _only _if he could play and 
sing what he wants; James _only _if you give him a fishing rod and let him 
run; Hal _only _if he can be in Mexico; me _only _if you leave me alone; ...

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Cervantes" <cervantes.james at gmail.com>
To: "NewPoetry: Contemporary Poetry News &amp,Views" 
<new-poetry at wiz.cath.vt.edu>
Sent: Monday, July 10, 2006 7:00 PM
Subject: Re: [New-Poetry] 'Can poetry matter?' international style...


> 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
>
> ~ Salt River Review:  http://www.poetserv.org
> ~ http://www.hamiltonstone.org/catalog.html#temporarymeaning
> ~ http://www.poetserv.net/jvchome/index.html
> ~ http://home.earthlink.net/~jvcervantes/