[New-Poetry] BEST CITY FOR POETRY

[Bob Grumman]

What city has the best poetry scene?  

It used to be Buffalo - Poetry readings two or three nights a week, an org. Niagara Erie Writers, Just Buffalo, etc. and the Poetics Program at UBuffalo.  

But lately, not much . . . .

Anybody have a pet city? 

Forgive me, Helen, but I have to say that the answer to your question would depend on your definition if  "poetry scene.:  Mine would include variety of poetries represented; varieties of ways it is represented (such as in buses, in galleries, etc.); and quality of poetry that is heard and published.  Quality of bookstores and quality of library holdings should count, too.  

I would subtract for amount of energy expended against poetry by devoting readings to dead poets, etc.  On that basis, New York City would be close to dead last.  But I would agree that that's me, and unfair.

>From a more neutral point of view, I think a good question would be which cities are best for various specific kinds of poetry.  Miami, then, would have to be best for visual poetry because it's had a few exhibitions of it, and because the best collection of visual poetry in the US, and possibly the world is there--at the Sackner Archive.

Buffalo would at one time have been the best city for language poetry.  Since Charles Bernstein left SUNY, Buffalo, though, I suspect it is not, anymore.

I don't know what city would be best for Iowa plaintext poetry.  Possibly New York.  

--Bob G.
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