[New-Poetry] Against National Poetry Month

[Jeff Newberry]

Well said, David.  Well said.  Lazy thinking leads to easy dichotomies:
"edgy" vs. "accessible," etc.  That kind of labeling is simply a way to
sidestep thinking.

I can see it now:  Academy of American Poet Commandos storming bookstores
and burning copies of The Maximus Poems & Z & building altars to Ted Kooser
& Billy Collins.

Sheesh.

Jeff Newberry

On 4/14/07, David Graham <grahamd at ripon.edu> wrote:
>
> On Apr 14, 2007, at 11:25 AM, TheOldMole wrote:
>
> I'd be angry at the suppression of non-mainstream poetry, if that's
> actually been happening, but somewhat less outraged to discover that
> mainstream poetry is the kind most accepted by the main stream. I don't have
> any particular problem with National Poetry Month, any more than with Black
> History Month or Earth Day.
>
> My suggestion to partisans of poetic schools that aren't popular is (a)
> try to figure out some way to make yourselves popular, or (b) wear your
> fringe status as a badge of honor, which is actually what all poets have to
> do anyway, because all of poetry is a fringe activity, National Poetry Month
> or no.
>
> ====================
>
>
> I agree.  Is the Academy of American Poets keeping Americans from loving
> Ron Silliman or Lyn Hejinian--readers who would eagerly embrace such poetry
> if only they had access?
> Obviously not, since transgressive, "edgy" stuff is in fact *intended* not
> to appeal to mainstream readers.  That's its reason for being.  Charles
> Bernstein needs Billy Collins and the Academy just as surely as every garage
> band requires big-name sellouts to define itself against.  Eventually, some
> aspects of whatever revolution occurs will seep into the mainstream, and
> formerly edgy poets embraced by the mainstream will, of course, be accused
> by some of pandering, just as whatever institution promotes them will be
> accused of tokenism.  Perhaps such accusations will even be apt.
>
> I note that the Academy this Poetry Month has featured Ashbery, Perloff on
> Stein, Seidel, Creeley, Armantrout, and--oh boy!--Claudia Rankine on Lyn
> Hejinian.  That probably wasn't true eight years ago, in fact, when
> Bernstein's essay appeared.  We may be seeing some of these folks evolving
> mainstreamward, or we may not. But the prevalence of Collins or Levine over
> Scalapino during official NatPoMonth is not some grand conspiracy; it's just
> the way institutional taste works.  The wheel revolves slowly.  And more
> people *like* Collins's work.
>
> You can dislike that fact, and if you're a teacher or other user of an
> institutional pulpit you can strive to change it, as Tad suggests, but good
> luck.  Historically, the mainstream tends to like, well, mainstream work.
>
> I don't think Charles Bernstein would have it any other way, anyhow; if he
> ever were to succeed, that would be proof of failure.
>
> ========================================
> David Graham
> grahamd at ripon.edu
> Home Page:
> http://www.ripon.edu/academics/faculty/GrahamD/index.html
> Poetry Library:
> http://www.ripon.edu/academics/faculty/GrahamD/poetrylib.html
> ==========================================
>
>
>
>
>
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